DAY fifty-one

It's funny how little "work" gets done at work when one single technological device isn't working properly. We learned this in Office Space, and one of my favorite bits by comedian Eddie Izzard, but it's never as funny in real life. Boy do I wish I could wail on a copier with baseball bats in a field while blasting Geto Boys, but that's just not feasible. Especially when the tech-thingy-majig-doodad that stops working is entirely virtual in nature. I have nowhere for my anger to be directed! Cyberspace is too inaccessible for a n00b like me, so I can't even scream into the void. All this to say that our student groups database (aka the place where ALL of our important information that we access constantly for every aspect of our job lives) is down. Has been since last Thursday. Even our explanation for the problem is fraught with confusing language. The system is "down," but where is "down"? Some virtual Matrixy land where our data is stashed away from us in a sick game of binary hide and seek? Because I quit. I've counted to 10, I've looked in all the usual spots, and now I'm just upset and buried under piles of paperwork I can't do anything with because the database is just too good at this game. Boo.

DAYS forty-eight through fifty

Wedding Weekend 2012! (wrap-up style)
Friday - spent some quality time with a very snarfy Phoebe, rehearsed the ceremony ("say goodbye to Jesus!"), had some cocktails (Carmen is the captain of team G&T), then feasted on calamari and pasta (in an ocean of balsamic). I also made the discovery that Tommy is the only baby to look exactly like himself from day one.

Saturday - lots of hairspray and preparation, and a bit of sitting around anxiously, all led up to the nuptials of one of the best-suited couples in the world. Beth and Tommy are perfect for each other, and their wedding didn't fall short of that perfection either. Much fun and dancing, some bears (yes, bears!), and tons of pictures kept us going until the wee hours. I slept like a baby despite the nest of bobby pins shellacked to the back of my head.

Sunday - I stopped by Rockford on the drive out of the city and picked up my fellow Minnesotan, Alex, saying a quick hello to some long lost Mertzies. After de-briefing one another on our respective wedding shenanigans, we stopped at the most delightful combination gas station/mini-mart/Subway/DQ in Wisconsin and scoped out the souvenirs before picking up some soft-serve. Immediately upon our return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes we stopped to join the Henderson family reunion on the St. Croix river. I'm basically adopted. After finally getting home and showering the can of hairspray off my head, I have never been so ready for bed.

First, a big thanks to Rachie for letting me crash her pad again. Congrats to the Marrinans on the beginning of their new lives together! And, last but not least, sweet dreams, y'all.

DAY forty-seven

Road trip! This journey to Chicago was a much more enjoyable trek because Alex was along for the ride. She is such a delightful person. Thank goodness for Mertz 17 for bringing this adorable Minnesotan into my life. We did lots of sharing, had some good laughs, and the 7 hours flew by. Alex ordered a bunless meal at Arby's (who would have thought they were prepared for that?), we planned my classy wedding in the Gateway to Wisconsin (I don't want to give away any spoilers), and then she changed in the car (I laughed so hard at her struggle with newly washed jeans that actual tears happened). What a great start to Wedding Weekend 2012!

DAY forty-six

I did so much work at work today! I owe this surprisingly productive day to my nutritionally balanced adult breakfast cereal, pictured below. I was even able to pick up my book order...that means school is coming! I'm geekily amped for class, fall weather, sweaters and scarves, pumpkin flavored everything, and the host of new adventures that will bring. While packing for my upcoming wedding weekend in Chicago I found a delightful pocketful of Beerfest tokens. Thanks, Ry, for sharing your spoils with me. :)

DAY forty-five

After lucking out with a free parking spot this morning and blowing through another day at work, I went on a whirlwind adventure to get my bridesmaid dress altered in time for this weekend's nuptials. It began with stalking the UPS delivery man and speeding on my last gallon of gas to a random house in Woodbury, where I became acquainted with the most amazing and accommodating seamstress in the land. She is miraculously going to alter my dress for under $30 in less than a day! If anyone needs a recommendation I'll pass along the favor, just as Ki (and her mom) did for me. Her one downfall? She owns a parrot. A big freaking Blue Macaw that wouldn't shut up while I was there. And we all know how I feel about winged creatures. I rewarded my efforts with some froyo and headed home to pack and start getting ready for my weekend trek back to the Windy City. Oh, and I ate some of these chips. So there.

DAY forty-four

I find forty to be the most confusing number. In light of today's tally of forty-four posts it's weirdness is even more glaring. Why is there no "u"? There are so many American English words (yes, I separated us from our fore-fathers from across the pond, deal with it) that are bizarrely spelled, but forty is just one of those that seems like an unfair trick. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now and return to the events of today.
All in all, not much went down in my world today. I bussed to work, held a kick-ass Officer Training Session, talked wedding/bridesmaid shenanigans with a coworker and fellow sufferer, and headed home to straighten up my apartment and have a much needed and long-delayed chat with my Mom. I also thought about my Grandpa a lot today, on what would have been his 94th birthday. I love and miss you everyday, DC.
Today's picture is kind of a cheat in that I didn't actually take it, but it was something that hit me pretty hard today. For those of you not from the Seattle area, this will mean relatively nothing to you. But anyone who grew up in and around the Emerald City was touched by the news that our beloved KOMO4 local news anchor of the past 3 decades, Kathi Goertzen, died today at the age of only 54. She was an incredible journalist, a caring and compassionate woman, somewhat of a local celebrity, and a familiar and pleasant face on the nightly news for my entire life. I always chose to watch Kathi and Dan on KOMO4 because they were the best news team around, and seemed like the most trustworthy and genuine. She had been battling brain tumors for 14 years and had shared her struggle with her viewers, showing tremendous bravery and strength in the face of such adversity. She will be deeply missed, and my thoughts and prayers go to her family and the "hometeam" at KOMO4 for their loss. RIP Kathi.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018911694_goertzen14m.html

DAYS thirty-five through forty-three

Listen folks, these last days have been a whirlwind of bachelorette party shenanigans, solitary drives, work, grants meetings, time spent with MT, phone chats with Rachel, chorizo bean dip and Alex time at Boca, and Beerfest. I will include a random collection of pictures below for your viewing pleasure, and I really do mean it when I apologize for my absence. I'm getting it together, y'all. I got a little wrapped up in August...this month is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. It's barely begun, too. One thing that won't be a distraction anymore, though, is MT. Dude got axed post-Beerfest for some pretty legitimate issues. I'm single and ready to mingle again! One thing the situation with MT taught me: with the incredible friends in my life and the insane amounts of fun we have, there is no reason for me to have anyone in my life who can't measure up. On to a new week and resumed daily posting!

DAY thirty-four

Today was delightful, playing tourist in one of my favorite cities. Visited the river, Millennium Park, and did some general wandering. (Trying as hard as possible to avoid the overwhelming crowds of Lollapaloozers.) Saw my favorite pregnant friend to shower Nugget with adorable baby gifts and love. Got a new tattoo with Rachel, and generally enjoyed my Chicago Friday!

DAY thirty-three

Driving 6 and a half hours by oneself is not the most thrilling way to spend the day. Having Chicago and fantastic friends be the end of the journey, however, made it all worth it. Hats off to Phoebe for being the only cat I truly love. Seriously, she's too great not to.

DAY thirty-two

As of today I have officially been a Minnesotan for an entire month! What a great ride so far.
Today's humidity threatened to kill us all, but didn't stop Marissa and I from checking out the farmer's market on campus. I made no purchases, but I did catch a few whiffs of Marissa's choice basil. She is domestic and has plans for homemade pesto. Yum. We came across the below featured mammoth zucchini, and then headed to Raising Caine's for some delightfully unhealthy chicken finger noms. Great coworker bonding! Excellent avoidance of actual work! Super hump day!

DAY thirty-one

I finally got my new pants in the mail. Thank goodness. I couldn't stand to wear the too-big work pants another day. Went to Boca with MT to see Alex, and really put away a plate of enchiladas. I was too hungry to stop and take a picture, so all I've got for you are pants. Sorry, that's super lame.

DAY thirty

Spotify has changed my work life. That's all. Let's just hope I don't start singing out loud without realizing. That would be embarrassing. Not that I haven't already let my freak flag fly.

DAYS twenty-seven -- twenty-nine

*Disclaimer: I promise to make a rare occurrence of mashing several days into one blog post. I’m still learning how to make blogging part of my daily routine, especially when it comes to the jam-packed weekend days of summer fun. That being said, sometimes I will have to do weekend wrap-ups, and you are just going to have to be okay with that.
Weekend Wrap-Up:
Irresponsible? Maybe. Wreckless? Possible. Completely amazing and totally worth it? HELL YES. Of what do I speak, you ask? This weekend I had the completely unexpected and unplanned opportunity to cross something off of my bucket list, and by God if I didn’t jump at the chance before I could talk myself out of it. I rode on a motorcycle! This may not seem like such a big thing to some of you daredevil types. I, however, have always wanted to throw caution to the wind and hop on the back of a bike but have never been given the chance. My uncle may own a BMW mid-life crisis motorcycle, and my mom’s cousin in Illinois might have been a Hell’s Angel back in the day, but I’ve never been offered a ride. How shocked am I that it happened on a first date? Yes, you read that right, a first date. I barely know this human and he says “Wanna ride my motorcycle?” and I don’t stop to think about anything but the answer “Yes.”
When I told my mom about this experience she first said “Isn’t it so much fun!” and then quickly followed it up with, “Wait, you did this the first time you met him? I’m so glad you told me after it’s over, I don’t think I could have handled that.” Sure, hopping on his bike was essentially giving him free reign to kidnap me, but luckily he didn’t. He did take me on the freeway, though, which I have to say was exhilarating. It’s also quite possible that I gave a really great show to onlookers on the street considering I was wearing a very first date appropriate short dress that was certainly not chosen for straddling a motorcycle and traveling at high speeds. We rode all over Saint Paul, saw some gorgeous views of the Mississippi, and I took some not so great pictures of the skyline. Which, in person, was incredible. It was a great adventure, a fun and unexpected evening and a super first date. And this was only Friday!
Saturday I went to brunch with Alex and then wandered around in Highland Park for a bit. After coming home to watch some Olympic coverage I was surprised to be asked to dinner and a movie by the motorcycle man, who I will further refer to as MT (which are not his initials, and are something only he will understand). That’s right, two dates in a row! MT brought me to a steakhouse that I can only describe as transcendental. Serious NOMS. Instead of a movie, I opted to watch Sons of Anarchy at his place and become best friends with his adorable dog.
Sunday started with an uncomfortably full-feeling afternoon of Panera and froyo with Ki, followed by some unnecessary shopping and iPhone tracking of our friend on his journey to Minnesota. Next I boldly invited myself over to MT’s house for more SoA (I can’t help it…I’m addicted to the show and his dog, and he’s not so bad, either). The day ended with a phone convo with my dearest Rachel, in which we made a super exciting plan for my visit this upcoming weekend. I’m not going to give it away…that would cheapen my picture for that day! Suffice it to say I’m seriously excited to see her and spend a weekend in the city with some not so long lost friends.

DAY twenty-six

My office may not have what I've affectionately dubbed "a lid," and may be a glorified cubicle, but it's got a door that locks, and a window with a view. That's all I could ask for, really. I've got plans to do some more decorating and really make this space more me, but it's still early. At least I've got some of my favorite people to look at! You ladies are a reminder of the amazing friends I have and some of the best memories a girl could make.

DAY twenty-five

I like making people laugh. Sometimes I even do it on purpose. Today I spent some time not working with coworkers, and did some serious giggling. I also talked about Myers-Briggs and color psychology so it wasn't all folly. Working at a university is the best of both worlds: you can work in an office full of silly RA-type people who are also intelligent. This is my tribe, no question. Other highlight of the day: I found a Spanish language version of Monopoly for Susan.

DAY twenty-four

I love books for so many reasons, but one of the defining features of my favorite books is that they can move me - take me to another time or place, show me a completely new world, make me believe in and feel love and wonder and sadness and truth. The books that can make me laugh out loud without realizing, or bring tears to my eyes, or those which boil my blood, the stories that I become part of in my imagination and feel in my own heart. The fact that words on a page can have this kind of visceral effect on a person astounds me.
There are many books that I have read over the years that have done this, and I am forever changed by the stories they tell, the people they have introduced me to, and the places they have taken me. While I love to write, I'm not a writer of fiction. I prefer to dive in to the worlds created by others; I choose to write about what I know, what I think, and what I feel. I like having a voice and hope that someday my writing can touch at least one someone the way I have been touched by the words I have read. It's honestly enough for me to just write it down and put the words out there. Sometimes all you need is a way to let what's inside out.

All of this to say, I had forgotten how incredible The Perks of Being a Wallflower is. A little heavier of a post, but honest and real nonetheless. That's another bucket list item of mine for this year: always be honest with myself and with those I care about, because being real is most important. I'll take Sam's advice, too. I'm going to "do things" and "really be there."

DAY twenty-three

Why is it that as adults we insist on making every work related thing into an acronym? And how come some get pronounced like weird made-up words and others just strings of letters? Who decides these things?

DAY twenty-two

#teamJef

*no picture for today, kids. lo siento.

DAY twenty-one

Let's just say I spent the day on the struggle bus. Lots of cleaning, organizing, bill-paying, and watching an eclectic mix of tv shows/movies. Highlight of the day: finding both Dirty Dancing movies on back to back. BOOM.

DAY twenty

I finally made it to the Como Zoo! Alex and I had an entire day date, starting with animals, wax figures, people watching, and lots of pictures. After Zooing we headed down to Cottage Grove so I could meet the Hendersons, seeing as how I've been adopted as an older sister. Mama and Papa Henderson are delightful, as expected, and Alex and I spent the day listening to the constant chatter of 10 year old girls while we made 106 grad caps. We may have eaten a significant number of peanut butter cups. And some corn on the cob. Good day!