Yes!

This movie looks like it's going to be wonderful!  I can't imagine how they are going to make "Where the Wild Things Are" into a feature length film, but I'm willing to check it out.  Apparently the trailer (set to "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire) is coming out next week.  Eep!

Yakkety Yak

I don't feel like going to the gym, as it is too rainy outside, so I am going to blog instead!  Yay!

1) Being unemployed isn't too bad so far.  I mean, yeah, the lack of income is sort of sad, but I get to see Aneil EVERY DAY.  Which is totally worth it.  Plus, I'm becoming very domestic.  I cooked fish yesterday!  I cooked!  I rule!

2) Daytime tv totally sucks.  Instead, I am watching these Battlestar Galactica dvds that were loaned to me like, 6 months ago.  Anyone watch this show?  I can't decide if I like it or not.  It's so DRAMATIC.  I like the sassy pilot, and I caught myself saying "frak" the other day, so maybe it is growing on me, I dunno.  I loves me some Edward James Olmos, so I guess I'll stick with it.  My only issue is that these people are not from Earth, but like, they use the same words that we do, like a "phone" is a "phone" yet sometimes they have their own special words for things.  I don't really get it.

3) I hate applying for jobs.  I am not getting too down about it, because according to the news, it's not me, it's the sucky economy, but it's still hard to not take it personally.  I got a reject from a job I didn't even want, and it made me sad!  What's the world coming to?  Instead, I am thinking about just spending a bunch of time volunteering, since I can technically afford it for now.

4) Did you see Jon Stewart take down Jim Cramer?  It was intense!  I sort of felt weirdly bad for Jim, as he just had to sit there and take a beating.  Then I realized that he is annoying!  I used to hate how U of H's business school played Mad Money on the big tv's in the lobby all the time.  Jon Stewart rules!

5) Speaking of Jon's...As if Jon Hamm could get any dreamier, there is video of him as Lex Luthor, asking the government for a $100 billion bailout so he can kill Superman.  This guy is funny too?  It's almost too much to take.  Here's the link: Jon Hamm, I love you so.

6) The way the Austin weathermen are SO EXCITED about our 3 days of rain is pretty adorable.

7) George Clooney back on ER last night reminded me why that show used to rule.  And Nurse Hathaway still loves him!  And Benton is still annoying/awesome!  Man, I used to love that show.

8) Had fun playing poker last weekend, and apparently I get to play mahjong tomorrow, so I am one happy game-playing camper.

9) Still no wedding dress.  It's fine.

Love to all!

Shells

This is not my beautiful wife!

So I decided to go ahead and join a 24 Hour Fitness here in Austin, my new homeland.  I guess technically I was a Bally's member back in H-town, but I sort of stopped going after a while.  But kept the membership.  Why do people do that?

Long story short, I am getting married, and my mother thinks it would be a great idea for my to lose 40 LBS! by the time I get married (on 1/9/10 for those of you counting down).  I mean, that's a lovely thought, and 40 LBS! would get me down to the smallest I've been in my adult (read: post high school) life, but it seems daunting.  Mom keeps reminding me that I have "totally done this before" and that she knows I've "got it in me", but she doesn't realize that the time I did this before, I had a boyfriend who gave me such low self esteem, I HAD to work out and diet or I would just cry all the time.  Literally, on days I would have to skip my workout I would have little anxiety attacks and obsess about it all the live long day.  But I mean, I was a size 6 so I probably should have been happy about it.  

Now I have this nice boyfriend who loves me a lot.  If I told him that I decided to wear a white trash bag to the wedding, I bet he would say he would still marry me.  And he would mean it.

But I figure I will at least try it anyway.  If I lose let's say, 10 lbs before the wedding I will be pleased.  Maybe 40 LBS! can be a hypothetical goal.  I will keep you posted.  If I get really ambitious maybe I can make a pie chart.  Mmmm....pie....

Today I actually did go to the gym.  I've decided that the biggest perk of the gym is that they have cable tv (unlike Aneil, and I guess now, me!) so I can watch The Daily Show in the mornings.   Today was one of those bizarre Tori episodes of Saved by the Bell.  Have you guys read Chuck Klosterman's hilarious Saved by the Bell essay in his book, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs?  It addresses "The Tori Paradox".  You should check it out.  

But okay, I wonder what part of my day will make me happier?  My 40 minute, 400-calorie burning workout, or gorging on crepes with my insanely beautiful friend Kat later today, or when my cutie boyfriend gets home later and gives me hugs...hmmm.

I am going to a "Girls Night Out" tonight with new girls I don't know very well plus all their friends.  Pray for me.

XOXO,

Shells

Who watches The View?

I mean, I know I am a stay-at-home cutie now, but I seriously can't make it through more than 20 minutes of that show.  The women are just too irritating!  I do love Ellen, though.  Maybe if Barbara Walters and Whoopi had some sort of charming dance like Ellen's it would help?  Nah, probably not.

The geniuses over at my former place of employment accidentally paid me for 6 weeks of unused vacation rather than 3 weeks.  Is it any wonder this place is in the red?  When I called to correct it, there were no, oh wow thanks for pointing that out, man, you are great!  Rather, it seemed like they were annoyed that they had to do more work, and asked me to cut them a check (for way more than I owed them!).  What idiots!  Ugh. Lucky for them I have the sweetest, most honest fiance in the world, who convinced me that yes, I should inform them of the mistake, else I may have just kept it.  My dealings with all things HR or Payroll since the end of my stay have been nothing but irritating.  I have to channel all my happy memories with my delightful coworkers to even remember why I worked there in the first place.

End of rant.

In pop culture news, I am perplexed by the American Idol "wild card" announcement last night.  The only real bright spot was that Anoop (my personal fave!) got a spot.  Anyone have any Idol opinions?  Anyone watch this show other than me?  Anyone else shocked that someone actually covered "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range on Tuesday night?  I mean, Bruce Hornsby, really?  Really?  Whatevs, I'll keep watching, of course.  I'm pretty sure that my bizarre need to watch AI is probably Aneil's least favorite aspect of our co-habitation.  Oh well, too late, sucka!

Thanks to Amee I am obsessed with "The Daily Plate", this food journal application within the Livestrong website.  Their database is INSANE.  Much better than any other I have seen.  You basically look up whatever you ate (and can rest assured it's in there) and click "I ate this" and it logs all your calories for you.  Since I'm supposed to be Bride dieting, it should come in handy.  Check it out if you love obsessing and/or calorie counting.

Has anyone tried this Paperback Swap website?  It seems cool.

More soon,

Shelley

Anyone still out there?

Hi, sorry about the demise of blog.  Things got sort of nuts after Bonnaroo, apparently.  Here's the rundown since then...

1)  Bonnaroo was simultaneously fun and exhausting.  I did not shower for like, 5 days.  The sets were extra-long and the festival grounds were great.  But yeah, never doing it again.

2) Then we went to Chicago to visit Amee and take her to Lollapalooza, which was wonderful.  First, we saw Amee.  Second, we ran into Wayne Coyne in the street!  Plus, the festival was lovely and fun and the weather in Chi-town in the summer is awesome.

3) We also visited Val in Philly.  Liberty Bell, water ice, cheesesteaks, Andrew Bird, joy.  We also hooked Val up, so there was also romance in the air.  Lub.  Since our trip, she has actually moved back to Houston, so Texas has definitely cheered up.

4) I left my job downtown to go work at the Channelview plant, which I actually liked, other than the fact that my Nomex was pretty snug after 3 years of cubicle life.  I only lasted 2 months before I left, though.  Because...

5) Aneil and I got engaged in December.  He totally surprised me, but I said "no doi."  Seriously, that's exactly what I said.  He was cute.  Things are looking up.

6) Decided to end my mid-life crisis by quitting my job (which, if you were to ask Barack Obama, was a stupid idea), and moving to Austin.  I am on Day 2 of Real Housewife of Travis County life, and it's okay so far.  I probably need to get a job ASAP, but am sort of enjoying this mini-vacay.

Okay, that should bring the blog up to speed.  Promise to post more soon.

XOXO,

Shells