It's resolution time....

That's right, the new year is upon us, and thus it is time to make the obligatory list of things I will or will not do in 2010.

To make it interesting, I'll post the list here - then tell you exactly when I fail... you can see exactly how long it takes this fat girl to lose her resolve.

1. Read two non school book chapters per day (6 days per week) - Now for readers this doesn't sound like a lot, but in addition to legal text, it can sometimes be weeks between the time that I pick up actual books. I used to be really good at reading before bed, and lately I'm up too late and fall into a deep slumber before I can read. I also tend to read for fun in spurts. An entire book in two days (or less) then not at all for months. The main purpose behind this one is actually to help me get through some of my "must reads." (Must reads are the books that I feel people should read, myself included, but I still have a hard time getting through.) This is one sure fire way to make sure I actually get through Mansfield Park and Catch 22. [Caveat, I know things happen making every day a likely impossibility thus I have only set it for 6 days a week - I wonder if it's cheating to bank the extra days now so I can take a full week off in the future...]

2. Give up something for Lent - This year I'm giving up dessert type foods for Lent. In the past I've done coffee and soda, this year will be a real challenge, I'm sure I'll blog about it a lot when the time comes.

3. Go to the gym 4 times a week - this one starts out well and good, but real life gets in the way quickly. When I started my gym membership in September I went 5 or 6 days a week, for a month, without any problems, but then work got busy, school got busy, and I got sick... and by the end of the semester I was down to 1 or 2 days a week for yoga... my goal is to not let that happen, at least until finals season.

4. Learn to go with the flow - As you know, per my prior post, I'm a pretty uptight person when it comes to certain things. Mainly communication and plans, but sometimes random other things... my goal is to learn to let go a little bit, and not get so upset or frustrated when things don't go according to plan, or don't go at all.

5. Get more things off my Law School to do list. Somethings I know I won't finish (like getting my motorcycle endorsement - but that's a money thing) but there are still plenty of things I can do such as: Try Sushi, Read Northanger Abbey, Go To A Concert (MUSE w/Bestie can't wait), Make Tiramisu, Write A Fan Letter, Go To [name redacted] for Dancing, and Learn To Make A Cosmo.

6. Become more aware of the world around me - yep this one is the lame better myself one. I HATE the news. I find it sad and depressing. However, it is my goal in 2010 to force myself to read and or watch the news. I'm tired of never knowing what's going on, not in a personal sense, but in a social setting when I'm feeling like a fool because I have no clue what's going on. It's time to grow up and fix that. There are many necessary evils in life, and this is one of them.

Well I think that's all for now. These are the major ones, I'm sure are there several minor ones... but I haven't thought of those yet.

Can you feel the loathe tonight?

That's right, I'm feeling the loathe right now. Some people feel the love, not me, I feel the loathe.

According to Merriam Webster, to loathe is defined as " to dislike greatly and often with disgust and intolerance."

Alas, most of the time it's the self-loathing variety, which is preferable to being the target of someone else's loathing, but annoying just the same.

Why do I feel the loathe? you may ask. Several reasons.

1) I seem to have forgotten how discretion works. I never really think about it until it comes back to bite me. Today it came back to bite me. Tell one friend one thing about another friend, and have the second friend ask you about it. I guarantee you'll feel uncomfortable enough to put your guard back up. Even if it is something completely innocent. The thoughts of what else it could have been are just too tormenting to risk it.

2) I can't get out of my own head. The words come from others, and I know they're not meant to stay as permanent residents, but somehow, they do. I roll them around, dissecting them well beyond their actual meaning. By the time I'm done, I'm so worked up that the speakers meaning and intentions have been very misconstrued. I impose my self deprecating thoughts on the words of others. I interpret everything to be shaded by my opinions of myself. Or rather, what I think other peoples opinions of me should be.

3) I allow myself to be upset and annoyed by the hypothetical and the possible - knowing full well what ever it is may or MAY NOT actually happen. I don't know what it is, I just can't stop it.

4) It's not even New Years yet, and I already feel like one of my resolutions won't make it. (The one that says be less neurotic and learn to go with the flow) What kind of stamina and will power is that?

5) I have to share my discontent, for myself and others, with others. I can't just keep it in that I'm upset. I have to talk about it, to someone, just to get it out there. I know that what ever I'm bothered by is stupid and irrational, but instead of keeping it to myself, I let it out for others to see. Look at FatGirl - man is she neurotic. Yeah, I know. And the weird thing is, I'm not looking for someone to say "hey don't worry, you're not crazy, it happens, I would be bothered too." No I'm looking for someone to say "wow you're right, that is crazy." BUT I'm pretty sure if I ever actually got someone agreeing with me that I was being irrational, I'd argue with him or her. I'd defend my position as to why whatever it was was allowed to bother me, and how my neuroses were justified.

So there you have it. My self-loathing in a nutshell. The things that keep a fat girl up at night. (who knew it had nothing to do with food?)

Moments of 2009

I was at lunch yesterday with two of my besties and we were talking about top moments of the year. Not really what they were, but people who do Christmas letters and how our own lives might be too uneventful for those kinds of letters, and one of the besties mentioned her desire to keep a top Moments of 2010 list - it's too late for 2009.

So I was thinking about it last night in my search for sleep. Did I have any really great moments this last year? (I know one of the besties favorites is a funny from my life - but in case it makes her list I won't share it here.)

Here are some of the *things* good, bad, and otherwise from 2009.

- I acquired two new nephews.

- My bro and his wife are expecting - thus another new niece or nephew in 2010.

- I went to a Mariner's game (and met 'the Man' - FIRE IN MY MOUTH).

- Went to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell with one of the besties and met Tucker Max.

- I'm officially 5/6ths of the way through law school.

- Several friends got married.

- Spontaneous road trip to Forks.

- I tried for NaNoWriMo (even though I didn't make my 50k words, I made a decent dent).

- Worked for judge and as an attorney.

- I didn't lose any friends, in fact I might have gained a friend or two.

- I both started, and finished the year living 300 miles from my husband.

- My neighbors think I'm having an extramarital affair (which is bad *AND NOT TRUE*- but funny at the same time).

- I've read no where near the amount of books I read in 2008.

- I've been going to Yoga on a regular basis - and while I'm still quite unbalanced, I'm getting better.

- I put chains on my own car driving over the pass.

- I celebrated my birthday several times with several sets of friends.

- I had the worst final in the history of the world (gotta love law school).

And I'm ready to do it all again in 2010.

Ohhh and I got several things off my "To-Do list"

Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Years as well!

Christmas Reading

I'm home for the holidays! This means several things:

First, I'm done with yet another semester of school.

Second, I get to hang out with my friends and family.

Third, I have plenty of spare time on my hands.

So the question is, what shall I do with my spare time. There are two possibilities for me right now, read or write, and since I am feeling a block on all things creative, reading seems to be my only option. So, what's on my reading list for Christmas break?

Here goes:

Catch 22

Gods in Alabama

Dracula

A Confederacy of Dunces (which I just need to finish)

Mansfield Park (another that I just need to finish)

Northanger Abbey

North by Northanger Abbey

and several other random books.

We'll have to see how far I get. I think I may have to get back on a reading schedule in 2010.

Loathsome Songs

There are certain songs that just set me off. Maybe I shouldn't share this inside secret with you, in case you decide to use it against me... hrmmmm. Maybe I'll just keep out the song titles, since I'm on a rant...

There's probably one in every genre that sets me off. Of course there are also varying degrees of annoyance.

Level One Annoyance: Visual Grimace - not bad enough to request the song be changed, but I probably cringe.

Level Two Disgust: Physical Grimace - this is usually the type that I will request the song be changed nicely, or if it's under my own control the station will be changed or volume adjusted.

Level Three Abhorrence: Physical Control - this is about the time I DEMAND the song be changed, or forcibly change the song myself. (I have done this before in other people's cars) Should someone I know and love be singing this song, I will probably reach out and cover his or her mouth.

Level Four Hatred: Get the Freak Out - There is only ONE song that I can think of that makes this happen, but if I can't control my surroundings I can control myself. I have in fact left stores when this comes on in the overhead music. I will plug my ears and institute the 'la la la la la' loudly to block the sound. (Yes, it does become very childish)

So what brought this on this morning? My own iTunes collection. That's right - some of the songs I absolutely hate are in my own collection. I can't bring myself to delete them. It's not that I forget. I just don't do it. This morning it was only a level 2 song. I hit next when it came on (well about a minute in, as I wasn't paying attention and found myself singing along).

Am I crazy or what? Yeah. I thought so.

Fantasy Land and late nights

Okay - you may know this about me, and you may not - my dreams are often influenced by my surroundings. Maybe all people are like this. I dream about what I read about, what I watch, and occasionally, a messed up version of what happens in real life.

So yesterday between watching the new Star Trek - Chris Pine is delicious in case you didn't know that already, and reading The Lightening Thief - which is really fun and entertaining, I had a full head of other worlds when I went to sleep.

This led to strange dreams about strange lands, monsters, and fighting... which led to waking up, a lot.

Tonight before I go to bed, I'm going to read or watch something happy and silly. I want a good night's sleep. But can I keep Chris Pine?

EPIC FAIL

So, NaNoWriMo is officially over.

Did I make it? Can't you tell by the title to the post? No I did not. I am about 17 THOUSAND words away. whoops.

However, I did get a new story idea of out if, so I guess it's not all bad.

Next year, my NaNo, I'll get you, and your little word count too...

Bits from the word battle...

Yes - NaNo is still in full swing. I however, am not. That's right. I'm about 15,000 words behind. Yep. That's a whole lotta words. I've hit a bit of writers block - at least on this story - and random other things I feel like working on have been pushed to the back burner until after finals. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to finish this.

Here's another little bit though:

It wasn’t even 7:00, it was way too early to go to bed, but tonight she didn’t care. She slid out of bed only to get out of her suit, and instead of sleeping au natural as they usually did, she grabbed one of Andy’s shirts and pulled it on, letting it envelop her in his scent again.

She fell asleep with her cell phone clutched in one hand, and his note in the other, hoping it was all a bad dream.

The Re-education of Fat Girl

There are many things I love about law school, and today I am reminded of another.

I love the people. I learn so much from them. I'm currently sitting in my office discussing comic books. Yesterday, we were discussing books. Sometimes we discuss movies or music or other things. Yes, I know, some people are shocked to learn that I can discuss any thing by law - but there you have it.

I am a total book junky, most people know that. But most of the boys in my non-law life, have no desire to read a book. So having boys that read, anything from comic books to classics, and like to discuss them, is just so much fun.

I love to learn from other people... it makes it so much more fun.

Monday Monday

That's right. Here it is, Monday morning, barely 7 am and I'm up and at 'em.

There are several reasons one might be up at this hour:

a) one must be at work in the relatively near future

b) one must try to get something (usually homework) done before heading off to where ever one needs to be

c) traveling

d) one must register for classes, which opens at 7 am sharp

e) insomnia

f) one has not yet been to bed

Care to guess which one applies today?

*ding*ding*ding*ding* Today the winner is registration day. (you probably guessed right! Way to go!)

So here I am, up by 6:45, so I can be logged in and make sure nothing will stand in my way of getting the classes I want. That's right, I sat and watched the digital number change on the clock on my computer from 6:59 to 7:00. After all the stress and preparation for registration, which includes the following: determining which classes will fit together, which classes are required, what the final schedule is, and when it comes down to optional classes which ones you WANT to take, the list is made.

The list is the schedule written out with dates and times of classes, and exam times - again double checking for any thing overlapping that would be problematic.

Once that list is made, the secondary list must be compiled, which includes the course registration numbers, so they're all in easy reach, ordered by which class will likely fill up first.

Now the above mentioned process, choosing classes and making lists, took me about an hour yesterday. Weeding out classes I wanted to take based on final times (the tax class I wanted to take has a final the same day as the one class I MUST take - and if you've never taken a law school exam, trust me on this, you do NOT want to take two finals on the same day. YOWZA). Taking classes by professors I love. And determining helpful subject matter. A fun way to spend an hour (NOT REALLY).

Anyhow - one of the classes I want to take has a cap of 22. So out of all of the potential students registering for classes (about 325 between both classes) only 22 people can take this class. Now granted my class (of about 170) gets first crack at registering, but still 22 spaces and 170 people could be problematic even. So I have to feel the stress of making sure I'm up and ready to register at 7:00 sharp.

Registration timing was a thing I learned early on. End of 1L year - first crack at registering, I made my husband wake me up at 6:50 so I could get up and register then go back to bed (it was between semesters, and I had no reason to get up early). I got up, I registered at 7 am sharp, I got all my classes and my professors. A few days later I was having lunch with a couple other people from my class - one of the girls was just like me, on time to a fault, and the other two waiting until mid afternoon, because that was when they thought about it finally. Neither of the other two got all the classes and professors they wanted because a lot of the smaller classes were full already. In the middle of 2L year we had to register for spring semester (just like today) and we had to take a class with a partner for a writing project. My partner, being just like me in some ways, was up and ready to register right on time too, but I got into the class (with the professor we wanted) and she didn't. We registered at the same time and the class filled up that fast. She had to be put on the waiting list and eventually got into the class - it all worked out in the end - but man was it stressful for a little bit.

So this morning, being the first group of registrants, I probably had nothing to worry about - out of the 5 classes I'm taking two have 40 seats, one has 65, and one has 100. The only problematic one was the 22 - and I just did what I've done in the past, register for that class first, separately (don't want to waste time typing in all those other codes), then go on and register for the rest. Worked like a charm.

So after all this stress and preparation - any guess on how long registration actually took me? LESS THAN ONE MINUTE. All that work and planning for less than a minute. Talk about anti-climactic.

Only now - that I have all of the classes I wanted for my final semester of school, am I annoyed that I'm up way before I need to be. Oh well, if nothing else it gave me time to update my blog.

Random snippet of a conversation

Just a random bit that came to me last night for NaNo:

His eyes widened. “You told her how we met?”

“No, I told her a story of how we met.”

He laughed, “Our eyes met across a crowded room?”

“Costume party.”

“Halloween?”

“New Years Eve.”

“The Phantom and Christine?” he knew the games his wife liked to play.

“No, but that’s a good idea. Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette.”

“Did she buy it?” he asked.

“Ate it up with a spoon. [small spoilerish bit redacted]” she laughed at the memory of the dreamy eyed doctor, obviously picturing herself dancing with the infamous Dr. Quick.

The Prologue

Alright. Here it is, the beginning of my madness:

Prologue – Present Day - Seattle

She stepped out of her office into the sun. It was a beautiful Friday night. It was June, and Seattle was having an amazing summer. She looked both ways and crossed the street to head down the hill to meet the girls for cocktails.

Her life was perfect: she had a job she loved, the best friends anyone could ask for, and a gorgeous husband that adored her.

She smiled at the thought, which added a little bounce to her step and a swish to her hips.

She looked down at her watch and realized that she was running late. She reached into her bag to fish out her phone and call her friends. The phone rang the instant she touched it. That was weird. She looked at the number displayed on the screen. It was a local number, but not already stored in her phone. Maybe it’s the girls from the bar, or maybe it’s one of the back lines at the office.

“Hello?” she answered tentatively.

“Hello Rachel, it’s been a long time hasn’t it?” a rough male voice said on the other end of the phone. She audibly gasped. “You didn’t think we’d just let you disappear like that. did you?”

She took another deep breath, then, it all went dark.

Have I gone completely crazy? I think so.

Today is November 1st. The first day of National Novel Writing Month, abbreviated NaNoWriMo. And I, along with several thousand other crazy people, have signed up to participate. The end goal is to write 50,000 words by the end of November.

That's right. I'm officially insane. In addition to classes, work and homework, I've voluntarily decided to write FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS. Apparently the words can be in any sort of form, non-fiction, short stories, fiction, anything really, but I seriously doubt memos, briefs, motions, and papers for school count. So with my well known affinity for the genre known as Chick Lit, I will probably write something along those lines. Happy, fluffy, girl gets boy in the end. Is it because I think that's the best genre? Of course not. I know another author participating, and I'm sure that piece will be marvelous and angst-y, but I honestly just don't think that way. I love to read that stuff, but I have a hard time writing conflict, I think more along the lines of episodic television apparently, wrapped up at the end of the chapter. I love a good mystery, but don't have the foresight to plan out a proper whodunit. But I can't write romance either... descriptive sex scenes just aren't in my realm of capabilities. I mean I can see them, but can't describe them effectively. So instead I'm stuck with just a story. We'll see how that goes.

Either way, wish me luck - 50k words in a month breaks down to 1667 words per day. Which doesn't sound like much when you can type 70 words a minute, but takes a lot longer than it should when you have to think up the story as you go.

Who knows, maybe I'll post snippets as I go.

Birthday Celebrations

I'm officially old(er).

Let me recount the celebrations:

Friday October 16 - Seattle - Dinner at Icon with some of my closest friends:

The food was great, the Orange Drop is an amazing drink if you're so inclined for a martini, and the company was the best a girl could ask for.

Saturday October 17 - Seattle - Joint celebration with another friend that included watching the Sounders win at the College Inn and then dancing and pool at The Ballroom in Fremont:

Things I've learned - I have to go to more 'Football' games - those chants are hilarious and catchy AND the pizza at The Ballroom is HUGE. (honestly I swear one slice was probably a foot long and 10 inches across at the crust).

Sunday October 18 - Kenmore - Take out Fortune Inn with the husband

I LOVE CHINESE FOOD!! ('nuff said)

Saturday October 24 - Spokane - Dinner and Drinks with friends.

Went to the casino for dinner, dancing and gambling. The food was good, and reasonably priced. The music in the "lounge" however, was NOT suitable for dancing, unless you're a little old person (in your 60's probably). Drinks were good, I didn't gamble, those that did won though, so maybe I should have tried my luck. Went to Press for late night cocktails. Very good, I will go back.

Sunday October 25 - Spokane - nothing - HOWEVER I was inundated with facebook messages, text messages and phone calls filled with well wishes.

Still to come: Sunday November 1 - Bothell - brunch with the in-laws: Can't wait!!!

I do love my birthday! Thanks to all who helped celebrate.

-fatgirl

It's Friday night, I guess that makes it all right...

okay, so I'm not Prince, and I have no Little Red Corvette (which is fine, I'd prefer a Mercedes anyhow), but that's just the sentiment I have tonight for sitting around and doing nothing.

It's been a hectic seven days. This time a week ago I was enjoying dinner with friends in Seattle. I would love to go back to that time right now, it was absolutely amazing. In the last week I have had other fun times, a great brunch with friends, a couple of birthday celebrations (for myself and others), and unfortunately a horrible cold. That's right, I have been down with the sickness for about 3 days. I'm finally feeling better, just in time for yet another birthday celebration. But to be sure, I'm taking it easy with a quiet Friday night in.

So, how do I spend a Friday night in alone?

- Talk to the husband on the phone

- Watch reruns of Bones (love, Love, LOVE David Boreanaz)

- Watch the episode of Monk where Sharona returns (Yay for Bitty Shram)

- Check out the new Psych midseason replacement

- Write for a while (gotta practice for NaNo)

Man do I live an exciting life or what? Yeah, I thought so. I think I'll go make a cup of tea before starting White Collar (the Psych midseason filler).

I hope the rest of you are an enjoying a more exciting Friday night...

Things off the list:

It's been a while since I've scratched anything off my gigantic to do list, so here are a couple:

Order Mac n' Cheese in a restaurant - Last Friday I ordered Mac n' Cheese at a place called Zola. It was wonderful cheesy goodness, with BACON! AMAZING

Run a mile - done. Painful, took about 12 minutes, (so around 5 miles an hour) but I did it. And I will do it again, and again, and again. Thank you treadmill, it is way too cold to run outside.

More things down... many more to go.

Fat Girl Goes to Court

Twice.

Get all nervous and prepared for court last week, get there - hearing is continued.

Get all nervous and prepared for court yesterday, get there - the case settles.

Gee it sure is fun to be a lawyer.

No but seriously: Going to court on an entirely unrelated matter on Thursday - that one will go for sure (I hope).

Gotta love fall TV

What Fat Girl is complete without her love of TV and classic couch potato status? Definitely not this one.

So here's the rundown so far:

I LOVE Bones - it's probably my favorite show right now. Love the new season (Started last Thursday), cannot wait to see where Hart Hanson takes this. (It probably also helps that I tweetstalk Hart Hanson (writer), Stephen Nathan (writer), Eric Millegan (Actor: Zach Addy), and TJ Thyne (Actor: Jack Hodgins), and Stephen Fry (Actor: Gordon Gordon) so I see a little of what's coming).

HOUSE - is completely and totally a powerHOUSE of a show. The season opener was great. While I missed the rest of the cast, it was nice to see House in the asylum and interacting with other patients. Cannot wait for next week already.

How I Met Your Mother - Also started this week - LOVE Ted, and I'm really looking forward to meeting "the Mother" and of course the drama that is bound to come from the Robin/Barney thing.

** NEW** The Good Wife - Okay, you caught me, I love law TV shows. Perry Mason was my initial inspiration to become a lawyer (when I was 5), I adored Ally McBeal, and now, it's The Good Wife. Okay, fine. I'll admit it, in addition to loving lawyer shows, I *puffy heart* ADORE Matt Czuchry. But the rest of the cast is great too: Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth (Mr. Big) and Julianna Margulies. So far, I really like the show. It seems to be a good balance of personal life + lawyer stuff. My one qualm? Not nearly enough Matt Czuchry.

Royal Pains, which is currently off season, but USA makes a great show, and this is just another hit. Plus hello: Mark Feuerstein!! AND Campbell Scott (from Singles - one of my favorite movies EVER!)

Psych: Again USA - James Roday and Dule Hill are both GREAT, and the show is funny and witty, and full of the pop culture references that I love. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a chance.

** The one I'm meaning to pick up ** Glee - another Fox show - which just looks entertaining, but I missed the first episode (thanks husband for deleting it from the DVR before I got to watch the whole thing) and now I have to play catch up - we'll see how this goes.

My problem with fall tv is this: If I fall in love with a new show (which ALWAYS happens) it will be cancelled. Therefore, I try to limit myself to only one or two new shows a season, so I don't end up heartbroken when the inevitable cancellation occurs.

Well, I guess we'll just see where it goes, and happy viewing to you!

Fat Girl goes to the Gym

That's right. For some wacky reason, I joined the gym. AND I've actually been going. 6 days a week no less!

Does that mean I'll be Fat Girl no more? I don't think so. It's been almost a month, going for an hour a day, most days of the week (Pretty much every day except Thursdays) and I don't think I've even lost a pound.

So what's the point? I don't know, but I enjoy it.

The logical question is this: don't you want to stop being fat, Fat Girl?

Answer: Of course I do. However, it seems that in order for that to be the case, I must stop eating. And we all know that isn't going to happen.

So I guess for now, I'll enjoy the classes, (yoga twice a week and spinning twice a week) and the elliptical machines and treadmill, and know that maybe I can eat without gaining weight.

Of course, with my luck, I'll spend 6 hours at gym every week, sweating my ass off, only to gain weight.

But we'll see.

I guess it is doing something for me though, I ran three quarters of a mile yesterday, and didn't keel over dead. I'm on my way to at least one more item on my list.

One more thing off my list...

My to-do list before leaving law school has been fairly stagnant as of late, but this weekend I got a big one off there: take a spontaneous road trip.

So how did this happen? I'm sitting in class on Thursday morning, and I sit next to a friend of mine. We're talking about plans for the weekend, and I mention that I might be headed to Seattle for some stuff, but I'm not really sure. And he says "let's go to Forks!"

Forks? Yes, in case you didn't know, I am in fact a Twilight junky, and therefore Forks has a certain appeal.

So I call 'The Hub' and ask his thoughts on the matter. Aside from thinking that my male friend that suggested this trip needs to grow a set, all he can say is that he really doesn't want to go. Which leaves me in the position of deciding for myself whether or not I want to go.

I do. We leave way too early on Friday morning, and get back late Sunday afternoon - over 1000 miles, on less than 24 hours notice. I call that spontaneous.

And to top it off, I had a great time!

Where I've been

Alright. I know I've been M.I.A. all summer long, so here goes the summary, in short:

- I worked a lot

- I had an extra project for school (which totally paid off)

- I went home to visit several times, all of them totally worth it.

- I wrote, way more than I ever thought I would, for fun (now I have writers block)

- I laid by the pool and rolled over

That is pretty much my summer in a nutshell.

What's coming up?

Classes start on the 24th, and my final year of law school is off and running! WOO. My school friends are finally starting to return from their summer 'things,' and everything is going to go back to normal soon enough.

I've got another wedding at home to go to.

I'm going to try to be better about updating... we'll see how that goes.

I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell - A Review

First - I need to start with an apology for being such a bad blogger, it's been MONTHS since I logged in. Sorry about that. Work/summer was crazy and I will tell you all about it, but let me get this done first.

So last night Tucker Max did a premiere screening of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell in Seattle. One of my friends and I bought tickets and went to go see it. We bought the tickets very early, a good thing because they sold out.

In case you don't know who Tucker Max is, I'd suggest going to his website and reading some of his stories. They're all about his drunken debauchery. They're very funny, and a little less offensive because the guy admits upfront that he is, in fact, an asshole. As to how I found Tucker Max, well, I adore Matt Czuchry, and sometime after Gilmore Girls ended I IMDB'd him to see what he was up to. He was set to star in a film called "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell." I'd never heard of it, so I googled it, and came up with the book of the same title by Tucker Max. Immediately the book went on my to-read list. However it stayed on the list for at least a year because I never remembered to buy it when I went into a book store.

I finally got it as a Christmas gift this year from my mother-in-law. My step-brother in law mentioned that he had read bits and pieces of it and that it was really funny. I started it when I got home Christmas night. I was up reading it for an hour and a half until my husband came upstairs to go to bed. I finished it the next day, laughing all the way, then proceeded to check out his website (tuckermax.com) for additional stories.

I've been following the movie ever since. (He's got a production blog that goes with it)

So anyhow, we get there early and there's already a long line (45 minutes prior to entry time). We get it (late) to find 'swag bags' on each of the seats. It's a pretty small theatre, so there's like 300 seats max. The bags (which are actually semi useful) contain: a pint glass, a pen, a WWTD (what would tucker do) bracelet, a bottle opener, a bumper sticker, a movie poster (mini sized) and a tee-shirt (well you pick those up later).

Then they show the movie, which is so bloody funny. (A different funny than The Hangover, not quite as quotable). Czuchry does a great job portraying Max as a lovable asshole, something the original does not claim to be. Even though he's an asshole, you root for him in the end. While Max's stories lack a redeeming quality (you almost never want to root for him) you can tell that he is loyal to his friends. I will definitely be seeing the movie when it hits the main theatres.

After the movie there's 30 minutes of Q&A with Max and his screenwriting partner Nils Parker. Because the movie is a fictionalized version of a true story, there are many questions about Max's real life experiences, as well as his love of midgets. Max is straight to the point and not afraid to call people out when their questions are dumb. My favorite of the night is probably this gem (not exact quotes)

Girl: What was your LSAT score? [seriously who asks this?]

Max: Better than yours. I got into a top 10 law school with an academic scholarship.

After the Q&A he stayed for pictures and autographs. Now this guy is a self proclaimed asshole, yet aside from jabs at stupid people or stupid questions he was beyond nice to his fans. He may love the money and success, but actually comes across as a relatively down to earth guy. My copy of his book was signed and personalized. Which is great except that my name is, well, a pain in the ass, so my conversation with Tucker Max is not cool or memorable, but lame in me explaining that my parents were not drug addicts for coming up with my crazy name. But, points to Max, he pronounced my name correctly!

All and all TOTALLY worth the $10.00. That's right. $10 for all of that. I saw Stephenie Meyer last summer for a book signing, and concertina (Justin Furstenfeld from Blue October was there acoustically) We got to have one book signed by Meyer and no pics, and the cost was at least $20. Also worth it, but not as fun.

almost breaking the rules...

I'm one day shy of breaking my goal of the bi-weekly blog. BAD Fat Girl BAD.  

so here's the haps:

I started work last Monday.  I'm working Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 4 pm.  So far so good.  A little scary and a little hectic, but I like it a lot so far.  

I registered for my fall classes, and I'm still a little confused as to what I want to take, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon. (I hope)

My in laws came for a visit this weekend. Lots of fun, a nice way to spend the long weekend. 

And that's about it.  

Oh, since I can finally buy books I'm reading the second in Casssandra Clare's Mortal Instrument Series, which is pretty good so far, for some reason, real life to me sucks a bunch, so I need escapism at it's best... and a fantasy world seems to do that nicely.  :)

Vacation all I ever wanted...

Finals are OVER!  Yes.  I'm officially done with my second year of law school!!! yay.

so how do I celebrate?  by reading cases for my journal submission.  That's right, I'm truly that lame.  

Actually, I'm heading West in the morning to visit some friends, and very much looking forward to it. It's my bit of vacation before my job starts on Monday.  Wow. Job, Monday. SCARY.  

Now I just have to find a little time to add a few pieces to my wardrobe. Apparently I needn't be clad in a suit all summer long, but I do need to get some more dress shirts to go with my assortment of slacks and skirts to be 'semi' professional. Whee for shopping.  

I'll update next week after i start work...

May 1st!!! I made it - well sort of.

I made it through the entire month of April without purchasing a book!!!! I'm very proud, and I, of course, celebrated that fact by purchasing a book today.  Boy was it nice to buy a new book, buy a latte, and sit in Barnes and Noble and read for an hour or so. 

As for not making it, I didn't manage to read the news every day.  I'll try again in August.  

As for what's coming:

I have finals for the next two weeks, so if I seem to disappear, that's where I went.  After finals, I'm off to Seattle for a long weekend.  On the 18th I get to register for my fall semester 3L classes, and start my job working for a Judge.  

Memorial day weekend my in-laws are coming to visit.  

June 9th I have a give a lecture for my externship class (45 minutes of me leading discussion - complete and utter crap in my opinion, but I suppose one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it)

June 21st, I'm back in Seattle for the weekend.

June 29th, my Journal submission is due, if I decide to do it (International Law Journal)

then I get to focus on just work for the remainder of the summer.  I have a couple more visits to Seattle planned, and would like to plan some weekends where my friends from Seattle can come visit me, but we'll see how that goes. 

There's also the 4th of july in there... hopefully to be spent in Seattle... we'll see. 

anyhow... that's why news every day is waiting until August.  

countdown to countdowns

I have a lot things coming up, and therefore several mental countdowns going on, therefore I thought I'd share, instead of adding a couple of countdown clocks to the blog.

First: count down to a new book: 7 days (May 1st)

Second: count down to finals being done: 18 days (May 11th)

Third: count down to home for a visit: 20 days (May 13th)

Fourth: count down to new Stephanie Plum installment: 61 days (June 23rd)

Fifth: count down to new Diana Gabaldon book: 122 days (September 22nd) 

Sixth: count down to New Moon: too many days (November 20th)

so there you have it, up and coming fun things 

NNBM - Progress

well, I'm officially 8 days away from being able to buy a book. I am so excited I cannot wait. 

but I will tell you, I made it in and out of the book store to buy a gift and nothing more. (I was tempted to buy the gift of a specific book, then read it before giving it, but decided on a gift certificate instead) It was a difficult trip, but I was motivated by a friend who thought I would fail. 

what better motivation is there than proving someone else wrong?  (Is it sad that I think that is good motivation?)  

anyhow. 8 days. can't wait. going to go buy a book, sit in the cafe with a book and a latte and enjoy!

Vacation is for suckers.

That's right. I'm supposed to be on "vacation." Do you think that actually happens?  nope.

What is that? Everything goes on in my life when I'm supposed to relax.  instead I'm dealing with tenants try to move, a husband doing his own gig, evidence homework, and no cell signal.  WTF man.  but after finals I'm going to try this vacation thing again since I've got my summer sorted. No classes, just work!  so I'll feel like a real live grown up.  and have evenings and weekends (sort of) off. I can't wait!!!

NNBM - put to the test

I'm 14 days into NNBM.  Almost half way through.  The problem is that I haven't ventured anywhere near a bookstore, so I haven't actually had to test my sense of resolve. However, a challenge has just arisen. The need for a birthday gift of the certificate variety.  Will I be able to go into a store, buy something for someone else and not come out with something for myself?

Additionally, one of my favorite field trips is Barnes and Noble with a cafe.  Get a new book, then go to the cafe, order a latte and enjoy the first couple chapters of the new book. I was really looking forward to that post Lent - but then I had to go and chose April to be NNBM - deprive myself of two things I love at once. Brilliant Fat Girl. Just Brilliant. 

Coffee Day!

That's right!  Lent is officially over.  Unbeknownst to my dear husband, I am apparently like a small child, as at about 7:00 this morning I was wide awake, trying to get him out of bed for "Coffee Day."  He has since teased me about coffee being like my Christmas, to the point that he had to tell the staff at Starbucks that I gave up coffee for Lent. Which prompted the barista to say "Welcome Back," and additionally as we were leaving (after my lovely carmel machiato and a cinnamon roll) to comment to her coworker in an awed voice "that woman gave up coffee for lent!" 

So, I am very glad to welcome coffee back into my life, and the 'Pick of the Week' from Starbucks as well.  This week it was The Boxer Rebellion - Flashing Red Light Means Go, which is pretty good (unlike others which I have felt the urge to delete after only hearing once), and Diana Krall - Boy From Ipanema - which is just like Girl From Ipanema, with slight word modifications, and as much as I love Diana Krall, this one may have to go.  Ipanema gets stuck in my head like nobody's business... "tall and tan and young and lovely..."  I suppose I'll keep it for a while and we'll see what comes of it. 

Anyhow.  Happy Easter to all, and I hope those of you that gave up something for Lent are taking time today to enjoy it's return.  

What the heck is wrong with me?

So far, No New Book Month (hereinafter referred to as NNBM) is going along swimmingly.  It's the 8th, and I haven't bought a book. (of course, I also haven't been to a bookstore, and when I was at Walmart, they didn't have the book I wanted, but still).  So you'd think that NNBM would be a great time to empty out my "To Read" shelf, but have I done that yet?  Not a chance.  

Instead I'm sucked into the online world of fan fiction.  That's right.  I said it.  Now I feel like a 12 year old girl, which is coincidently, the age of what seems to be the majority of the authors of this stuff.  Now, as you know from reading this blog, I'm not a writer.  I ramble, I phrase things awkwardly and my spelling is atrocious.  But honestly, some of these stories have the worst grammar I have ever seen in my entire life. I don't think these writers even read their work prior to posting it for the world to see.  

Yes, I know this makes me sound snobby and probably bitchy. But really, I just want to help.  So I thought about it, how can I help?  IDEA!  (picture Wile E. Coyote and the thought bubble) I can be a Beta Reader.  What is a beta reader? a person that reads the work before it's published and gives feed back.  I'm terrible with content.  I love long drivel describing the scene. But I am great with the grammar/punctuation pencil  [okay, okay, except the comma. I am the queen of the comma splice.].  I may write for crap myself, but I can fix other people's stuff.   So what's the problem with this? I can read other people's good ideas, and make it better.  Where do I sign up?  

Therein lies the problem.  Before one can be a beta reader, one must publish either a) five works of fan fiction OR b) one work of fan fiction longer than 6000 words, AND be a member of the site for 30 days. 

What's a girl to do?  Do I attempt to write 'fanfic?' Do I just accept reading other people's drivel that is full of great story lines but written so poorly that it can't be followed? Or do I go back to real live published books? 

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm going to go read a well written novel for a while until I figure it out. 

One Week From Today...

I will be sitting in Starbucks sipping a nice hot latte. 

that's right. Lent is almost over, and I've made it so far. not even coffee flavored chocolate... yay go me. 

Damn Series Junky

One of my classic flaws as a reader is that I am a total series junky.  

I once said I should only read dead authors or completed series because I hate waiting for the next book. 

some of my favorites are:

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series

J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont Series

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series

I am a sucker for character development.  There are some series I read solely to find out what the characters are up to now, and how their personal relationship has progressed (Anne Perry's William Monk Series for one).  In addition to straight series (which I define as the same characters in every book), I adore cross over series (an ancillary character from book 1 is the main character in book 2, and book two gives the "what's happened since" to the main character from book 1).  

Some of my favorites of these include:

Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof)

Rachel Gibson (Her hockey players and her writer friends)

Marian Keyes (The Walsh Girls) 

Susan Elizabeth Phillips (The Chicago Stars)

Carly Phillips (The Hot Zone) 

James Rollin (Sigma Force) 

Erin McCarthy (Vegas Vampires) 

I just love knowing what happens after the fact. 

so now, I'm sure you're asking, where the heck did this come from.  Yesterday, I finished Cassandra Clare's City of Bones - the first of a trilogy.  And now, of course, during no new books month (April) more than anything I want the next two books in this series so I can see how it all ends up. Damn you series junky... must you always want to know more? 

Yes, yes, I know, there is this little place called the library, but, by the time I get to the top of the line for the new book, it'll be at least May (book three came out last week).  

man.  somedays I really hate my nature. 

A "new book" free April... what does that mean?

So most of you know that I'm a book-a-holic, but I'm giving up buying books for the month of April.  In doing that, many would wonder what am I going to read... well, here's a short list of what I'm in the middle of, and what's on deck:

Currently Reading:

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen 

The Smoke Jumper - Nicholas Evans  (I'm struggling with this one... but I hate to give up) 

Classics in the stack:

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

Journey To The Centre of the Earth - Jules Verne

Alice in Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll 

Vanity Fair - William Thackeray

The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer 

Contemporaries in the stack:

Several Agatha Christies 

About A Boy - Nick Hornby

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood 

Fever Pitch - (also Nick Hornby)

Anybody Out There? - Marian Keyes

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal - Sarah Strohmeyer 

and several more buried in the stacks... so just because I can't buy new, doesn't mean I'll go unfulfilled.    Really my goal is to get through the ones I'm in the middle of... but my guess is that I'll get through one of those, and probably a couple of contemporaries... but i'll likely do a re-read of something... I am way too set in my ways.  

Two items in one week...

Tuesday night I got "go to [name redacted]" (the local bar) and last night, in continuance of one of perpetual challenges (monthly date night with my husband), I got another "go to [specific restaurant]" off the list.  

Last night I actually got to go out to eat with my husband at a restaurant I've been wanting to try.  The food was decent, and the service was nice. I won't say "I can't wait to go back" but I also won't say "I'll never go back there." 

But, after the completion of these two things on my list this week, I'm officially 20% through with my list of 50 items.  Of course, most of the completed bits are the easy ones... but still 20% is 20% :) and there are several repeating challenges that I won't finish until the last week anyhow, such as:

bi-weekly blogging

a weekly walk with the dog

weekly correspondence with friends (via phone or email, not just facebook)

monthly date with my husband

monthly (small) contribution to savings

So I know the last 10% won't be completed until next May...  but we'll see how far we get on the remaining 70% :)

another thing off the list...

One of the things on my list is a visit to [name redacted], the local bar that everyone at school goes.  Somehow I managed to make it through my first year and a half here without ever visiting said bar.  Until last night.  

Last night my oral competition partner and I won our argument in the second round, and therefore needed to celebrate. So off we went to [name redacted]!  I'm not quite sure that I understand the mass appeal, but the drink was decent and the grilled cheese sandwich was delicious.  I'll totally go back sometime in the future.  

a note on the oral competition:  we lost round one, and won round two; and thankfully (just how I feel) we didn't advance into the next round.  (the people with 2 wins and no losses advanced first, followed by the high scorers in the 1 and 1 group)  Oral argument is scary, but I feel that my character has been built by this experience. 

An Attitude Adjustment...

That's right. I'm in serious need of an attitude adjustment.  I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I'm just feeling snarky and snappy all the time with my poor husband, who has done nothing to deserve it.  

I'm not sure if I'm just feeling overwhelmed (I know I am) or if it's something more.  The husband is out of town for the weekend, and I'm going to try to take sometime to just chill out and reboot.  

I think part of the problem is that my husband is home ALL of the time.  Since he arrived, I don't think I've spent more than an hour in our place without him.  I can understand that to an extent, he's new to the area and hasn't really made his own friends yet, and he's still looking for a job. But after living alone for a year an a half, I've gotten used to my "me time."  This isn't to say that I'm unhappy that he's here (I'm very happy he's here) or that he doesn't leave me alone (he does, I have plenty of time to do my homework and such), but there's something to be said for being home alone, and getting to do exactly what you want, without regard for anyone else.  

For me this weekend will probably filled with TV on DVD, watching the 6:00 episodes of Bones on TNT, reading in bed until late at night, making food my husband doesn't like for dinner, and who knows what else.  Now I know most of this stuff I can do with my husband around, but out of consideration for him, I chose not to.   Hopefully next week I'll be in a better mood!

Another item off the list, and upcoming month long goals

This last weekend I spent the weekend in Seattle with my friends!  It was a great weekend.  I saw both of my parents, my former coworkers, and my very closest friends!

One of the things on my list was "a girls weekend in Seattle"  and now it's done! It was so wonderful that I'll probably have to do it again soon!  

next up... there are two month long challenges on my list.  

1.  not to buy any books for a month.  

Now for most people that's not a big deal, but for those of you who know me, you know I can hardly make it through Target without a book.  (I will confess, I've already purchased probably 7 books this month alone - but 4 of those were overstock sales for less than $5 each).  but  it is one of my goals to try to make it an entire month without purchasing a book.  And I think the month is going to be April. There's only one book on my list of wants that is coming out in April, and it's coming out on the 28th... I bet I can make it til May to buy it.  So we'll see how it goes.

2. read cnn.com (or another online news source) every day for a month.

I am very out of it when it comes to what's going on in this state, let alone the country or the world.  So it's my goal to try to bring myself up to date a little by reading the news every day for a month.  Now this is not to say that I currently never read the news, but I will admit most of my news is of the celebrity variety, entertainment stuff and who's dating who(m?).  So I figured since I'm giving up books for April, maybe I can add in news instead. 

I'll let you know how it goes...

Coffee Free for Two Weeks

That's right... it's been two weeks since I've had coffee, no drip, no mocha, no latte, no caramel machiato, not even any coffee ice cream or tiramisu.  

I've decided I'm not addicted to the caffeine, because if that were the case I'd be going crazy and be overly bitchy to everyone first thing in the morning. I really just miss the ritual I think.  The warm feeling of the paper cup from Starbucks, or the smell of the coffee as you stir in the cream and sugar (or coffeemate in my case)... curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book on a saturday morning, or the latte to get through the tiresome hours in the library on a long project. 

I'm not sure if the point of lent is to give up something for 40 days, and then make that sacrifice permanent, or if it's just to practice the art of deprivation for shortish periods of time...  I'm surely hoping it's the latter, because on Easter, I'm bringing coffee back.  BIG TIME. 

until then, I'm going to go make a cup of tea or something. 

Spring Break (WOOHOO)

I am finally on Spring Break.

I made it though the day from Hell (the 5th), and managed not to cry about either mid term or my brief. (a surprise but still).  I still haven't had any coffee... and my office is officially "clean." or well as clean as it'll get for a student, there are books and such everywhere.  

I'm so excited for Spring Break!  My in-laws are visiting (due to arrive in an hour or two), then I'm headed to Seattle to spend some time with my friends and family.  I can't wait.  I'm sure I'll find some time to catch up on my homework too... 

I LOVE Spring Break!

5 Days Without Coffee (and counting)

So I haven't had coffee in 5 days.  Let me tell you what I've learned...

I added a countdown to coffee to my blog so I can see that there is an end out there.

Lent is actually 45 days. 

Sundays don't count - they are mini Easter's and therefore you can celebrate. (therefore I could actually have coffee on Sunday's if I wanted to)

Right now I'm going to try to stay off coffee the whole time, but if I have to, I might have A coffee on Sundays just for sanity's sake. 

It only really bothers me that I can't have coffee at 8 am when I don't want to be awake yet, and when my husband makes coffee at home and I have to smell it. 

Other than that... this is the week from hell.  I have a massive brief due (my entire grade in one class) and midterms in 2 other classes. YUCK.  But, after 4:00 on Thursday all will be well.  Spring break starts Friday (after my one morning class), and my in-laws are visiting for the weekend, then I'm headed to Seattle to visit friends. I can't wait!  But it just reminds me that you have to get through the bad to get to the good :)

Lent

Okay.  I'm not Catholic. At all.  But going to private jesuit law school puts me around a lot of religious people.  So I've decided it's character building to give up something for lent. 

Last year it was soda.  (by the end of 40 days I really, really missed carbonation) 

This year, I've upped the ante.  I'm giving up coffee.  

so if you see me in the next 40 days, and I seem frazzled or annoyed, just remember, I'm lacking in coffee, and offer me something else caffinated (tea or soda) or something else hot to drink.  

let the count down begin, I can have coffee again on April 12...  

Another random couple things off the list

One of the random things on my list was to bake a pie (and this one may still be partially on the list... you be the judge)...

This last week I baked an apple pie.  I sliced all the apples and made the filling. so I think that counts... but to be technical, I didn't make the pie crust. does that still count as baking a pie? (I mean I didn't just buy one in the box and put it in the oven - therefore technically satisfying the "baking" part). 

The other random thing from this week was owning the Annotated Pride and Prejudice. I bought it this weekend (yay for tax refund), so that's off the list... but it sort of feels like a cheat, since the goal wasn't to read it, but just to own it. 

oh well. maybe 2 more off the list???

Confessions of a Shopaholic - a review

I saw Confessions of a Shopaholic today.  I was very curious about this movie, as I've read the whole series of books.  So here's the breakdown (for those that have read the books):

It's a combo of the first 3 books. 

Suze and Tarquie are already together (and their names are still Suze and Tarquie) - but there's no mention of them being cousins, and they're both American. 

Luke doesn't have his own company. 

Becky is American (her parents are played by Joan Cusack and John Goodman) 

Luke however is still British. (and delightfully played by Hugh Dancy)

It's set in New York 

(there are other spoilerish things that I won't share)

OHHH and best of all, there is an Alicia Bitch-Longlegs :) (But Bex and Suze don't know her from anywhere before the start of the movie)

oh, and this annoyed me: Becky is "the girl in the green scarf" instead of "the girl in the Denny and George scarf" which somehow has less zazz to me especially since it IS a Denny and George scarf. 

If you haven't read the books:

The movie makes sense anyhow, and even though the first three books are combined, you won't feel like you've missed something or time has moved too quickly.  (probably because you don't know what you're missing, but then you can always go back and read the books)

anyhow... totally worth 7.75 to see for me (matinee), but probably not 10.

Run A Mile - Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure

One of my goals is to run a mile.  another (which I've already completed, but wouldn't mind adding more to) is donating to charity.  

The Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure is going to be in Spokane in April.  There are two options, the 5k walk/run and the 1 mile walk/run.  Now I could do the 5k walk, no problem... but I know there's no way I can do a 5k run in 2 months. However, I bet I could run a mile in 2 months time if I started practicing now.   

So now I just have to figure out if i want to do it or not... I'll let you know.

Two Down, About A Billion To Go...

1. I finally watched An Affair To Remember.  I've heard about this movie for years, and have seen many references to it in other films (namely Sleepless in Seattle)... now I've finally seen it.  It's a GREAT movie.  it's not as fast paced as movies that are made today, but it's so good.  So much is said with so little... you really want to root for Terri and Nicky to get together in the end. 

Yay one more thing off my list. 

2.  I donated to charity.  I'm not a stingy person, I just don't find a lot of charities that speak to me... but this year I donated to Go Red for women's heart disease.  This is a charity that is actually near and dear to my heart as one of my mother's dear friends is a spokesperson for the cause.  In addition to Go Red, I've donated plenty of extra household items to our local Value Village, but that is more for my convenience than theirs... so I didn't count that as my charity. :)  

Anyhow... happy Valentines day to all.  and if I keep it up at this rate, I should have no problem hitting my 50 items before I graduate!!! (too bad some of them are going to be much more difficult that watching a movie or donating... but I'm always up for a challenge)

A New Toy Makes It Easier To Get One Item Off The List

My cell phone died a couple of weeks ago.  Well not really died, but started a very slow and unrepairable death.  The charging port on the side of my Samsung Blackjack broke.  Therefore I could no longer charge it... thus the slow death.  Being as the Dear Husband (DH) and I live on cell phones alone, it was necessary to replace the phone immediately.  

DH has had an iPhone since they came out, and loves it more than life. (somedays I think the list goes: dog, iPhone, wife).  so while shopping, I looked at the iPhone, among others.  The upgrade to my existing phone, which I loved, was $299.00 with a $100.00 rebate.  The iPhone was $199.00 with no rebate.  Given that I hate the way cell phone companies do rebates (a gift card instead of a check) I opted for the iPhone.  LOVE IT!  I love making personal ringtones for people (or okay, having them made for me, thanks DH), I love the IM style text messaging, and I love having some of my favorite songs right there for my listening pleasure.  

Now, you may wonder, what does this have to do with my list.  One of the items on my list is "Watch An Affair To Remember," and I can store videos on my iPhone as well!  So voila, An Affair To Remember is now on my iPhone, and I can watch it when I'm stuck places (like the oil change place) or on long car trips, or airplane rides.  

I'll let you know how it goes, watching it on the tiny screen, and how I like the movie once I'm done... 

The End of the List...

I think I finally found the last three items for my list:

48 - Get motorcycle endorsement

49 - Go an entire month without buying a book

50 - Call or email a friend once a week

again all across the board.  I've been looking at the list, and there seems to be a few categories showing up:  personal growth (reading certain books, trying certain foods, lent, keeping in touch with friends), financial (a month without buying a book, savings goals, charitable donations) and events (travel to [place], see local hockey game, see local baseball game), and of course there were a few random bits thrown in (finally watch An Affair to Remember, write a fan letter, play Hotel California on expert in Guitar Hero).  So it should be an interesting 15 months.  

I think to not buy a book for a whole month I'll have to pick a month when nothing I want is coming out, and I'm too busy at school to read.  Maybe April. sadly, that will probably be one of the harder goals. But on an up note, I already emailed my friend for the week. 

As to that... I guess I probably sound like a really bad friend... wow this girl has to put it on a list to remember to call or email her friends? yikes.  That's not really the case, but I just find that I end up talking to my friends at home via facebook or text message sometimes, and I feel that I owe them more in depth conversations at times.  so we'll see how this goes. 

Goals of a Fat Girl

I know, I know. Most people assume the first goal on the list of a Fat Girl is "lose weight," and they're probably right. but this is another kind of goal list:  5o Things To Do Before Graduating Law School.  Instead of a new years resolution type list, this is a "One Of" list... things I feel I should do at least one... I won't list them all, because well, some of them are pretty lame, but here are a few:

- Run a Mile (very Fat Girl related)

- Learn how to make a Cosmo (marginally Fat Girl related)

- Read President Obama's books (not Fat Girl related at all)

- Ski at [a local ski resort] (I don't ski so this should be fun)

- Try Sushi (it's all mind over matter)

- Locate an old friend nearby

- Give up something for Lent (I'm not Catholic, but it's character building)

Anyhow, there's a random sample... I'm still short a few things... so if you have ideas, send them my way.  

I've managed not to put "lose X pounds" on the list, or "exercise every day" or "eat more salad" because those to me are more new years resolutiony things. 

actually, this blog is on the list.  Blog bi-weekly.  so if you don't hear from me every two weeks at least, you have my permission to send me angry comments. 

the deadline on this is my graduation next May.  Some of these will be easy, some not so much.  I'll keep you posted on my progress, and if I think of the last few things to add to the list I'll share those too. 

A Bit About the Fat Girl

I'm not sure really what to tell you about me.  I'm not huge, but big enough to be to considered a fat girl, at least in my own mind.  (Like I could lose 30 pounds  and not be considered "thin").

I'm 30. I'm married. I'm a student (half way done with law school). I love to read.  I have a pug. 

When it comes to personality, I'm not overly smart or funny, but I can hold my own in both areas... however, there's no way I can hold my own when it comes to pretty. Aside from being "fat," I'm just awkward.  

So why on earth should this random Fat Girl blog? I don't have much of interest to say... but I still thought I'd chronicle my adventures anyhow.  This started this summer with a tennis game.  Being horribly un-athletic I teased that tennis should be renamed "Fat Girl Chases Fuzzy Ball." And after that, I started thinking of things I was doing in that light. Fat Girl Rides a Bicycle - boy was my arse sore. Fat Girl Goes to an Amusement Park - will the rides close around me (yes).   So here goes my blog.  Some of it is Fat Girl stuff, some of it is every day stuff.