Beware of Dog(s)

Behind these sweet, cuddly, angelic faces....

..lurk the hearts of wild, untamed animals devouring their prey.

This used to be a snowman.

Fog on snow

Despite the irritation of being snowed in, I've actually really enjoyed the abundant snowfall of the last week. We had six inches last Friday/Saturday and another four to six (depending on who you ask) on Monday/Tuesday.

View from our back porch.

This was just after the first round over the weekend -
the front steps and most of the bushes are covered!

Oliver checks out the lay of the land snow.

Oliver's favorite thing to do in the snow? Snow angels, of course. He does this every.single.time we let him out. Over and over again. You have to keep reminding him to do his business, otherwise he'd just roll in the snow for hours. He's lucky it's so darn cute.


The wind was wicked and blew the snow into deep drifts in some places. This is on the hill behind our house - it's up to Nate's knees! Oliver and Lola love running around in it - especially in the 'tunnels' made from the snow blower.


Then this morning, we had the most bizarre ice fog. I've never seen anything like it. When I first woke up, I couldn't even see the end of the driveway; it looked like a cloud was sitting on the ground. And when the fog lifted - furry, glittery snow all over the trees and bushes. It was absolutely stunningly beautiful.


Every time the wind blew, it was like a hundred tiny snow showers under every tree. I swear it looked like there was glitter in the air. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I know this to be true

If we were ever stranded on an island LOST-style, Nate would be our band's Sawyer....

Sawyer's nicknames - Season 1-3

Snow me once shame on me....

Dear Hamilton County,

It is now Day 2 without a snow plow or mail delivery at my house. Now in case you weren't aware, I actually pay extra taxes for the privilege of living on cul-de-sac. As such, I, your faithful tax-payer, would expect a little extra attention or, at the very least, the same attention provided to the rest of my neighborhood.

For two days now, we have watched the snow plows make their way through the neighborhood, directly toward our street, hit the stop sign and....turn around. Leaving our worth-extra-taxes street under six inches of snow. Is it really so tough to drive a snow plow in a circle? Tougher than the seven-point-turn it took to turn that bad boy around (which he did expressly to avoid driving it in a circle around my cul-de-sac)?

And for two days now, we have watched the mail truck make it's way slowly through the neighborhood, directly toward our street, hit the stop sign and....turn around. Leaving our worth-extra-taxes mailbox empty. Whatever happened to 'neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow' shall stop the mail service?

Since my extra taxes mean nothing to you, I will wait patiently for my tax adjustment in the mail. And keep my fingers crossed that the street is cleared by the time the mailman attempts to deliver it.

Sincerely,
Snowed Taxpayer

May the smartest man win

Well there is certainly no doubt about what a big day it is in this town. The entire city, myself included, is painted a lovely shade of COLT BLUE. Horseshoe flags abound, crowds are nothing but a sea of blue and white, and business marquee's all trumpet luck to the Boys in Blue.

Now normally, I couldn't give two figs about the Super Bowl game itself. This girl is all about the commercials. In fact, a few years ago, I actually brought some required course reading to a Super Bowl party so I could read during the unimportant parts....you know, those pesky football parts between the commercial breaks?

Being older and wiser, I'm actually more than a little bit into football parts now. Put my man Peyton on the field and I'm glued to the screen. But the marketing major in me still can't wait to see what commercial silliness will ensue between those all-important football parts.

I was less than impressed with the offerings last year. In fact, Super Bowl commercials as a whole have gone completely downhill in the last five years. What happened to the days of old, when beer commercials rained supreme? Budweiser frogs? I Love You, Man?

As disappointing as the last few commercial years have been, there are a few shining rays of creative commercialism that make every Super Bowl viewing worth it. Thus I give you, my favorite Super Bowl ad of all time, Budweiser 2007.



Will you be watching the Colts whoop up on those Saints tonight? Do you actually watch the game or are you a commercial crasher, too? What's your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Face Double

So apparently someone decided it was Celebrity Doppelganger Week over on Facebook. Last week was Look Up Your Name on Urban Dictionary Week. Before that it was Post Your Bra Color Week. And that got me thinking: Does anyone know who this Someone is and why they get to decide what week it is? Cause I'd sure like to have that job.

Anyway, since I'm much too lazy to actually change my profile picture on Facebook, I thought I'd post mine here. According to FaceDouble, here's my Celebrity Doppelganger:

{Image found here}

Okay, okay. So if you've actually done the little generator thingie, you know they give you like a dozen options to choose from. Among my choices? Evangeline Lilly (Kate from LOST!) and Sarah Lancaster (from Chuck). Clearly, brown hair and pale freckled skin aside, I don't look much like either of these lovely ladies.

But I actually have been told I look like Kate Beckinsale before. On more than one occasion. By total strangers. [Insert major ego boost here] It actually happened a lot when the movie Pearl Harbor came out a decade ago. Even my sweet Grandpa called to say it was weird to watch someone who looked like me on the movie screen. Of course, I saw the movie and don't really see the resemblance, but then I don't look at myself all day every day, either.

Oddly enough, it actually happened just a few weeks ago at the hair salon. As the stylist was washing my hair (best part of the appointment, by the way!), she says, 'You know, you look like somebody famous, but I just can't put my finger on who.'

'Oh?', I said, with mild interest. 'What's she been in?'

'I'm not sure about lately', she said. 'But she's been in a lot of vampire movies. And that one a long time ago about the ship sinking? Not Titanic, though; the other one.'

'Um, you mean Kate Beckinsale in Pearl Harbor?'

'Yeah, that's it! You look like that girl.'

Guess who got a ginormous tip that day? HA!


So do you have a celebrity doppelganger? Do share!

IT'S TIME!

{Image found here}

OMG, ya'll! To steal a phrase from one of my favorite bloggy friends (and fellow LOST enthusiast!), Ally - I'm vibrating with excitement today!

And so it begins....the final season of LOST. As any good LOSTie knows, this is bittersweet. I'm both excited (to find out how it ends and what it all means!) and sad (what will I do when there's no LOST to talk about?). This is one of the absolute best shows on television right now - and possibly ever. Or at least in the 28 years that I've been watching television!

I love the spider web graphic showing all the connections between the castaways. After all, that's what the entire first season was based on, and I'm excited to read that the producers are bringing that idea back this season.

I have so many questions that I hope are answered before all is said and done, but here are my Top 10:

1. As Charlie so eloquently put it in the first season, "Guys, where are we?" Good question, C-Money. Where the heck are you guys?
2. Who is good and who is evil? Charles Widmore? Jacob? The Man in Black? Ben? Locke? Jack? I thought I knew, but season five proved that you can't know. Maybe that's the point? A person's inner good or evil isn't for us to know?
3. Who the heck is The Man in Black and why is he running around in Dead Locke's body?
4. Will Sun and Jin find their way back together?
5. What in the world is the smoke monster? Evil incarnate? Judgement Day? A manifestation of conscience?
6. What happened to the polar bear from Season 1? And why was it there in the first place?
7. Where is Claire and who will raise her baby, Aaron? They made such a big deal out of this in Season 1, I simply must have an answer. Also, what is the deal with Jack and Claire's dad? He seems important somehow.
8. Who will Kate end up with - Jack or Sawyer? I'm kind of torn on this one. I want the 'good guy' to win, but I'm not sure who that is anymore (See also Question #2)
9. Why these people? What was so special about Locke, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sun, Jin and Hurley? They were 'marked' by Jacob, some of them as early as childhood, but why?

And the biggest, most important question of all:

10. Why has Richard been middle-aged since well, the Middle Ages? Where is his fountain of youth and can I buy some of whatever he's drinking?

Will you be watching tonight? What are the questions you hope they finally answer this season?

Craving, craving

{Image found here}

For some inexplicable reason, I am craving Little Caesar's pizza today. I didn't see a commercial, I didn't drive by one, I didn't overhear someone mention it - I just suddenly wanted it. A lot.

This happens to me a lot. I'm going about my merry way, doing whatever it is I'm doing these days, and suddenly - BAM! - I get a craving. And they tend not to go away. Last week? I ate broccoli slaw five meals in a row. The week before that? We had toasted turkey and pepper jack sandwiches for dinner two nights in a row. The week before that? I couldn't get enough chicken salad.

And our weekend dinner dates? I usually know where we're going and what I'm going to order by Wednesday. This Saturday night? PF Changs - lettuce wraps and orange peel chicken.

Nate calls this behavior 'weird'. I prefer to call it 'anticipation'. Po-ta-to; Po-tah-to.

Surely I can't be the only person who does this? Do you look forward to your meals with such enthusiasm? Or am I really a weirdo?

Hello, Puberty. Long time, no see.

I don't know what the deal is the last few weeks but my skin has gone crazy. It's like how I imagine puberty is for most people, except that it never actually happened to me back then.

My skin never gave me a bit of trouble. Ever. Not in middle school, not in high school, not in college, not in my mid-20's. I get the random blemish once a month or so, but even those are mild compared to most people. I'll take pale and freckled any day, so long as it comes with a smooth porcelain veneer.

So why, all of a sudden, has Puberty decided to pay me a visit - three months shy of my final year in my twenties?

It's like every pore has suddenly started hoarding dirt and oil and then waving it around in the form of a big red flag on my face. WTH?

I've racked my brain for changes in my daily routine. I haven't changed face wash, make-up, laundry soap or anything similar recently. No new vitamins or supplements. No, I'm not pregnant. I am less stressed than I've been in months and my diet has actually improved now that I'm not eating my misery all day at my desk. So what gives?

Could it be the weather? Am I over moisturizing? Under moisturizing? I seriously have no clue where to even start trying to fix this because it's never been an issue before. HELP! What do I do?

All the pieces come together....

{Image found here}

One week, ya'll! I am beyond excited! Who's with me?

MIA

{Image found here}

MISSING

One gaseous mass. Answers to the name Sun or Mr. Golden Sun.

Height: 865,000 miles
Color: White, but may appear yellow from a distance
Distinguishing Characteristics: Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen

Last seen approximately 8 days ago, heading West.

If found, please return to the Eastern Horizon.

Well ain't that a pickle?

Task #15 on my attempt to look productive for the sake of my husband To Do list last week was to clean out my closet. As you can tell from the picture above, this project was a smashing success.

Well, except for the fact that it spawned a completely new To Do item. Task #16 - Clean up the mess that my closet clean up created.

Currently this disaster is residing on one of our guest beds. Luckily, we have two guest beds, and no imminent plans for guests, but still...I should get this taken care of. Or so my husband reminds me every evening when he asks if I did anything about the mess I made in the guest bedroom.

In closet purges past, I would simply pack up my giveaway pile and trundle it home to my baby sister, who has long been the lucky recipient of my short attention span when it comes to clothing. Sadly now (for both of us!), the 12 hour drive no longer makes this option number one.

When we moved to the house a year ago, I took a dozen items to a local consignment store to test the waters, hopeful that I could make at least a small amount of pocket change for my almost-as-good-as-new items. Much to my dismay, I didn't sell a single thing. Three months later, my lovely clothes were given to Goodwill. Not that I am knocking donating to Goodwill, but seriously, these clothes were all still in style and worth a decent amount of money.

So maybe it was just the wrong consignment shop? Granted, it was a bit out of the way and I didn't find a single thing I'd want to purchase there, but still. Surely someone with good taste (such as myself) wanders in there occasionally, even if by accident.

I Googled consignment stores in the area and came up disappointingly empty-handed. I'm considering selling some things on eBay, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth the effort. I've shopped on eBay before, and scored some fabulous deals - which is kind of the point. I love it because I pay next to nothing for department store labels that I love. I don't exactly see myself ecstatic over selling my stuff for pennies on the dollar.

What do you do with your still fashionable, but no longer wanted clothing? Have you sold clothing on eBay before? Is it easy? Is it worth it? Is there some other website that's better for that type of thing?

Master of the House

What does this look like to you?


A full bowl of dog food, you say? Funny, that's what it looks like to me too.

"Au contraire, Mama!", says Master Oliver. "Completely unacceptable."




Hear that? That is the noise Oliver makes when the food in his bowl does not meet his liking. You see, Picky Pom here only likes the red (meat) and green (veggie) pieces that come in his food. The tan (barley) and brown (wheat) simply aren't acceptable to his palate. So after he eats all of the red and green pieces, he will sit by the bowl and make this woofing noise until you come and: a) stir the bowl to reveal more red and green OR b) replace the offending tan and brown with a new helping loaded with red and green.

Spoiled much?

Nate says this is all my fault. He only does it when I'm around. Never when Nate is home alone. This happens at least once a week, usually more often. Yes, I know that I should not give in. I know this in the sane part of my brain. I never give in immediately. I am always going to STAND MY GROUND and SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS. This turns into a Stand-off of Epic Proportions, where I continually scream, "Oliver, knock it off!" while chasing him away from the bowl and he defiantly returns bowl-side and continues carrying on.

The longest stand-off to date? 45 minutes. He can keep this up for 45 minutes!! Why is it that when we play fetch, he has the attention span of a gnat, but he won't be lured away from the food bowl with anything less than brute force?

Needless to say, 20 minutes into most stand-offs, the sane part of my brain is no longer functioning and the Dear-God-make-it-stop part has taken over. At which point, I stomp into the laundry room, slap food in the bowl and hurl it at him, muttering "Stupid dog!" under my breath.

Oliver 101, Mommy 0

Book Worm

Many weekends, you can find the Mister and I parked on opposite ends of the couch. He with a video game controller and I with a book or magazine in hand. While this may not be everyone's idea of 'romantic quality time', it works for us. The way I look at it, we're in the same room, on the same piece of furniture, both doing what we enjoy most. That's quality time, right?

Sadly, when I started working in an office again (and commuting an hour each way!), my reading time was one of the first casualties. I normally average a book per week, but as you can tell by my 2009 reading list, I only made it through 41 books this year. My 'To Read' list for 2010 is already a mile long, but luckily with my new Sony e-Reader (a Christmas gift from my darling hubby), I never have to be without a book again! It's so small and light, it slips right into my purse for convenient reading anytime. Here's to making it to 52 books again this year!

Sara's 2009 Bookshelf
*Please note that I never claimed this was worthwhile reading. To me, the entire point of reading fiction is to escape the real world. Yes, I do occasionally read books with lasting meaning, but those are few and far between. Feel free to judge me, I don't care.

Barbara Delinksy, While My Sister Sleeps
Candace Bushnell, One Fifth Avenue
David Baldacci, Total Control
David Kinnaman, UnChristian
Harlan Coben, One Final Detail
Harlan Coben, Long Lost
Heather Gudenkauf, The Weight of Silence
James Nicodem, Prayer Coach
James Patterson, Alex Cross's Trial
James Patterson, Honeymoon
James Patterson, Double Cross
James Patterson, Kiss the Girls
James Patterson, The Big Bad Wolf
James Patterson, The 8th Confession
James Patterson, Cross Country
Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care
Jodi Picoult, Picture Perfect
John Grisham, The Associate
John Grisham, The Testament
John LesCroart, The Second Chair
Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Laura Lippman, Life Sentences
Lee Child, Gone Tomorrow
Lee Child, Die Trying
Lee Child, Running Blind
Lincoln Child, Death Match
Lisa Gardner, Gone
Lisa Scottoline, Look Again
Lisa Unger, Die For You
Michael Connelly, A Darkness More than Night
Michael Connelly, The Poet
Michael Connelly, 9 Dragons
Michael Connelly, The Brass Verdict
Michael Connelly, The Closers
Michael Connelly, The Last Coyote
Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song
Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One
Tori Spelling, Mommywood
Tori Spelling, sTori Telling
Whitney Gaskell, She Myself and I

The One Where Sara Gets Laid Off Again

Oh, the titles I could have given this post....

Don't Cry for Me Argentina Bloggerina

On The Dole Again

I Kissed A Girl I'm on the Dole and I Like It

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish Bosses

Breaking Up is Hard Easy To Do

Sayonara, Suckers


For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (whatcha waitin' for, an engraved invitation?) or Facebook (friend me!) or my other blog (shame on you for not reading that too!) I got laid off on Monday. For those of you keeping count, this makes twice in less than a year.

Unlike last time, though, I am less than heartbroken about this one. In fact, calling me in any way upset by the news would be overstating things. I knew from Day 3 at this company that this was not a long term situation for me. While I didn't talk about it much here (because we all know that's a no-no in the business world) I dreaded going there every day. I fantasized on a daily basis about quitting. It literally sucked the joy right out of me. It's not my nature to be a Debbie Downer, but that's how I felt every time I walked into that place. I hated who I was when I was there.

So it was with something closely resembling elation that I graciously accepted the news of my lay-off. I'd been forewarned by an in-the-know friend on Sunday - and forewarned is forearmed. I was able to put my thoughts together before going in there and was prepared to say what needed to be said to HR before I left. It also gave me the opportunity to say good-bye to the few friends that I'd made while I was there.

Now I'm back on the government dole again, but wiser and more prepared for unemployment this time. I've learned a valuable lesson - as bad as unemployment feels, an ill-fitting job feels worse. I never should have accepted my last position. I knew it was a bad fit before I even accepted it; in fact, I struggled mightily with the decision to accept it at all. But I felt guilty for being unemployed and with no other options on the horizon, I figured I could put up with the job for the paycheck. Big mistake. One that I won't be making again.

I will also embrace this time with enthusiasm, something I didn't do the last time around. I felt so much guilt for not contributing to our checkbook that I didn't enjoy the time the way that I should have. I'm not naive enough to think that the old guilt won't resurface - it's already trying, every day when Nate comes home and asks me what I did today - but I'm trying not to let it suck the fun out of my time off. I've got a long list of things to do, people to reach out to, goals I've put off long enough. It's time to embrace this season in my life and I am walking into with open arms.