A Hump Day Treat

I look forward to Wednesday evenings - not just because my work week is coming to a close, but because it means I get to kick back with a beer or two, hit the sand, and play some volleyball. I have always enjoyed playing volleyball, and to this day, it is still my favorite sport. I think I could play in a league every night of the week and not get sick of it. It's fun to just get out on the court, let loose, and play.

I am able to free myself from any irritability, frustration, and stress that has built up throughout the week and just laugh and joke and play as if I were a kid again.

It also helps that I have a great team to play with. The Pandas/Penguins have been playing together for about 6 months or so now and I feel like we've definitely grown as a team and are able to read each other better. We are starting to recognize our strengths and weaknesses, both as individuals and as a team. I think each game, we become more and more like a well-oiled machine. Oh sure, we have our 'unlucky' moments, but it's fun to watch our competitive nature come out and dominate. And it's been fun to watch as everyone improves on their game.

Just Dance

So one of my co-workers let me know that I so rudely interrupted him while he was watching this video when I called him to ask him a question. He told me I needed to check it out when I got home and so I did. This is a video of Filipino prison inmates dancing to, "I Need a Hero." Although the whole dance is enjoyable to watch, I really like how they get ready to break it down around 3:29 - the march-like running really gets you amped up for how they rock out to the drum solo.



I feel like this would be a great idea for a musical - young kid on the streets, gets sent to prison, starts to dance, starts an inmate dancing program where he choreographs the routines, they get ready for the big show, gets rehabilitated, gets discovered, and becomes the next 'it' choreographer. I smell a Tony Award winner right there.

There are lots of other dances they perform as well, all found on YouTube, including Sister Act's Hail Holy Queen, Jump, and my personal favorite, Thriller.

We Are Family

I got in touch with my Mississippi roots this past weekend as I headed back to C-town for more family reunion fun!

I've decided, like most things, there are good things and bad things with family reunions. Here are my top 3 likes and dislikes:

Likes:
-Seeing and catching up with family I do not get to see very often
-Holding and playing with all the new babies
-Potluck food

Dislikes:
-The awkwardness that ensues when you don't recognize certain people (I have a huge family, okay, and that makes it especially hard to know distant relatives!)
-The dreaded, "So, you seeing anyone special?" question
-The shortage of cousins present

As with the family reunion I attended a few weeks ago, I was once again reminded of the importance of family and I'm thankful to have such a loving and devoted family.

Adventures in Road Tripping

Yesterday L and I road-tripped it to KC, MO. Believe it or not, that was my first time in KC and what little I saw, I dug it there.

I knew it was gonna be an adventure before we even left the dsm. We stopped to get gas and snacks before heading south and proceeded to be creepily stared at by some 40-something yr old man in a banged up '80's BMW, complete with the bluetooth setup in his ear. After creepshow #1, we were off - KC here we come!

The trip down wasn't bad at all. 3 hours in the car with L and myself goes by quickly, thanks to our quirky sense of humors. As we crossed the Missouri border, we were quickly welcomed into hickville USA when I glanced out my window and saw a construction worker who fits the stereotype of a redneck to a tee.




Our first stop was to Zona Rosa, which has a great outdoor mall. We walked around for a while and did what we do best - shop! I, however, left empty-handed, in which my bank account thanked me. We took a break from shopping and met L's friend Amy for lunch at a local bar&grill. Enter strawberry long island iced tea. Probably the best decision I made all day was ordering that drink - simply delicious!

After a little more shopping, we headed downtown to the Power and Light District to meet my friend Ross for a drink, which was much needed after we struggled our way to find it. KC, we decided, has too many interstates/highways and construction going on. It was well worth it though once we got there, minus the $10 we paid to park, thanks a lot David Archuleta. The Power and Light District is a very cool area and fairly new to downtown KC. There are lots of bars and restaurants in close proximity, which makes for great mingling with strangers. The bar we were at is part of an outdoor area, which has a little sunroof over it and heat lamps so it's a hot spot, even in the winter months. I would definitely like to explore this area more next time I visit.



Then, off we went to visit Andy and the rest of Jack's Mannequin at the Starlight Theater, which L and I discovered, is an outdoor amphitheater of sorts. We again confirmed that KC has too many interstates and confusing signs. We went a little too far at our first attempt of finding the Starlight Theater, but on the flipside, we crossed the Kansas border so we can honestly say we were in 3 states in 1 day! :) We had excellent seats and L and I were both in agreeance that they put on a better show than the last time we saw them in Omaha. I was happy with their playlist and I left hearing all the songs I wanted to hear and even an added bonus of their cover of "An American Girl" by Tom Petty. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor concert with the perfect band. *note, went to Google Images for this pic - the concert was much fuller than what it shows below*



After the show we headed back north...our adventure was coming to a close. We stopped to get more gas and more snacks for the ride home, complete with another creeper. We finally rolled into the dsm shortly after midnight.

It was a fun day and can't wait for the next adventure!

Denim Declaration

I read this article today and then watched the blip of the interview, which made me chuckle. It's the little things such as this that make me appreciate our President even more - he's just so real, down-to-earth, and seems like your average joe (not the plumber.)

50 Cent Education

While strolling through the school supply section at Target with KC today, I stumbled upon this little gem and immediately picked it up in disbelief.



Not the best picture, I apologize, but this is a folder with a picture of the periodic table...not of elements, but of text messaging abbreviations. Seriously? Is it really necessary to have such a thing on a folder where students will be keeping worksheets, study guides, and papers in? Whatever happened to Lisa Frank?

Comic Relief

I've made the executive decision to take a break from Don Quixote and jump into Are You There Vodka, It's Me Chelsea. This is a very rare thing for me to do - start another book before finishing another. I guess it's my mild OCD that drives me to finish one thing before starting another thing, not to mention how I can't stop in the middle of a chapter but must read until the end. But I decided yesterday that a timeout is needed. My reasons for breaking my own 'rule' are threefold.

1. Labor-intensive. Have you read Don Quixote? This book is 1,050 pages worth (in about 8 pt font) of an epic tale. Although an interesting book, for me, it's not a compelling page turner by any means.

2. Motivation. I've lost my ambitious reading patterns I was portraying earlier this spring/summer. Why, I'm not sure, but I need to get back on track.

3. Comedy central. The last book I read, My Sister's Keeper, was a weeper and after just seeing the sobfest of a movie that it is, which left me a hot blubbering mess, I decided I could use a few laughs from the comedic genius that is Chelsea Handler. I absolutely loved, My Horizontal Life, and found myself 'lol-ing' through just about every chapter.

I have heard that this book will not disappoint and I hope it to be true.

Am I a Dominican or a Republican?*

The dumb blonde. I recently had a conversation with a friend regarding this topic and it has got me thinking....why do blondes have the stereotype of being dumb? The two cannot quite possibly be mutually exclusive, right? I'm sure you can all guess at my answer - absolutely not! Yes, I am blonde (for now), but I refuse to fall into the stereotypical dumb blonde role. Oh sure, I have my 'blonde moments', but I think everyone does, regardless of their hair color.

I am often cynical of the impressions others have about me, namely those who are meeting me for the first time. Sometimes I feel like a person has already decided the level of my intelligence before talking to me and getting to know me. For example, when I walked into the bank to get my car loan last fall, I am not sure if it was my cynicism or not that made me feel like the loan officer wasn't quite taking me seriously. But then I started talking and asking questions. He seemed surprised that I knew as much as I did about the loan process. Was I pretending to know more about the financing than I did? No. But I did do my research before walking in there. Then there was that day in college while working at Younkers. One customer made it certain what she thought of me. After clearing up a misunderstanding that was NOT my fault, she looked at me said, "well, you are blonde." I was furious and offended that she would have the audacity to say such a thing to a complete stranger.

I often wonder if it is more of an act - do blondes take on the role of stupidity because it is expected? "Being pretty and blonde will get me where I need to go and it's far easier than actually having to think. *squealing laughter* Let me twirl my hair around my finger, chomp my gum, and show more cleavage to land that job I applied for." Vomit. Why anyone would want to come off as unintelligent is beyond me.

I don't know if I will ever quite understand the dumb blonde stereotype, but I take pride in who I am as a blonde. Am I MIT, Harvard, or Yale material? Signs point to no. But I am confident in my level of intelligence, regardless of what color my hair is. And for those skeptics who might question why I am considering going to the dark side, it's not because I am sick of the dumb blonde stereotype. It's more about a fashion statement, a style decision, a change.


*In reference to the title of this posting, I know a girl (a blonde) who asked this very question - no joke. This is the same girl who asked, "Is Africa a continent like the United States?" And when asked what her address was responded with, "Third floor." I could go on, but I'm not sure my patience can!

Fam, Food, and Fun

Sun be shinin'
BBQ-in'
It's about to be a family reunion.

It's the 2nd weekend in July and that means it's time to pack up and head north for the annual Harms reunion. I enjoy this reunion because it always means 3 things - Saturday night dinner at the Colony Inn, the family trip to Dairy Queen, and the smorgasbord that is our potluck on Sunday. Besides the indulgence of all the delicious food I'll be partaking in this weekend, it also means catching up with family and reminiscing of memories past; like when we had our 'gospel family picture' taken, the annual summer trips to Chestnut's Alpine Slide with Grandma and Grandpa, and the many games of kickball we cousins played in our grandparents basement.

The older I get, the more I realize how lucky I am to have such a strong, supportive, and loving family. We are real, we are fun, and we are united.

Meese

While checking out the free downloads of the week on iTunes, I came across the band Meese. As I was listening to the song, Next in Line, I was super excited to read that they are currently touring with Jack's Mannequin and the Fray. Since I'll be going to that concert on July 22nd, I wanted to find out more about the band. I'm digging their sound, enough at least, that I decided it was worth the $7.99 to purchase their entire album. Now I have another reason to be excited for the show, as if I needed any other reason besides Andrew McMahon :)

Scream

In an attempt at another Dear Journal moment, I present to you my feelings for the week, courtesy of some of the lyrics from the song, "Scream."

Sunday:
Oh my God, can't believe what I saw as I turned on the TV this evening. I was disgusted by all the injustice.

Monday:
Tired of telling the story your way

Tuesday:
With such confusions don't it make you want to scream

Wednesday:
Kicking me down and I got to get up

Thursday:
You keep changing the rules while I keep playing the game. I can't take it much longer. I think I might go insane.

Friday (hopefully):
I've got to get stronger and I won't give up the fight.

But right now:
Oh brother please have mercy cause I just can't take it. Stop pressuring me. Just stop pressuring me.

Delicious Dish

L and I had a great Sunday night dinner - so great that I wanted to share the recipe.

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu Portobello Stacks

1/3 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper
4 portobello mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound)
2 zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
1 pound chicken cutlets
4 slices Canadian bacon
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded

Preheat grill to medium. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup water, the mayonnaise, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; brush onto the mushroom caps, zucchini slices, and chicken cutlets. Transfer the zucchini, chicken, and Canadian bacon to the grill, cover and cook, turning once, until the zucchini are browned and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Off the grill, top each mushroom cap with zucchini slices, a chicken cutlet, and a Canadian bacon slice, sprinkling each layer with some of the cheese. Using a large spatula, transfer to the grill, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

2 Sporting Upsets

2 different sports, 2 different disappointments.

The first upset was last night. We celebrated the 4th of July in an unconventional way by attending our first Menace soccer game. It may seem like a funny way to spend the 4th of July, but it was fun to do something a little different, rather than the usual bbq-ing, boating, etc. (Not that those aren't fun ways to spend the 4th) We were seated in the VIP section, which made it even more exciting and entertaining. We were right there, it seemed, in the action of it all. And a bonus - we had a great view of all the cute players and their soccer legs. *sigh* Unfortunately, the Menace did not get the W and it was their first loss of the season. Although that was disappointing, spirits were lifted as we watched the fireworks display they had for us after the game. I was not expecting such a great display, and let me add, that the music selection was especially pleasing to the ear! (kudos to Bobby G) I definitely recommend attending a Menace game if you get the chance. The family-friendly atmosphere, cheap entertainment, and competitive play proves to be a fun night for all.

The second upset occurred this morning. I watched Roger Federer and Andy Roddick battle to the end for the Gentlemens Singles Championship at Wimbledon. After hearing that my favorite tennis player, Rafael Nadal, would not be participating at this year's Wimbledon, I focused my attention on my second favorite, Andy Roddick. I was thrilled to see that he had made it to the finals. I started watching the championship during the third set and sat on the edge of my seat until the end. It was a hard fought battle and a surprising one perhaps to some, being Federer has beaten Roddick in 18 of 20 matches. I was disappointed to see Federer win, but I cannot discount his impeccable performance; 50 aces and a record-breaking feat - earning 15 grand slam crowns, which beats the record Pete Sampras once held. Well done!

Escape Route of Sorts

I have to say that there is one constant motivator for going to work everyday, my co-workers. Okay, so maybe we are a little childish, quirky, over-the-top, obnoxious, and sometimes crude. But we have fun! My co-workers have the ability to help me escape from a bad day. They make the horrible days not so horrible and the good days great. I laugh until my stomach hurts and tears come streaming down my face. I look forward to all the shenanigans I know we'll be getting into each day - seeing how much we can make "Big E" squirm, witnessing the pranks pulled on Billy, quoting Mean Girls with Darrell, and plotting more evil stunts with Jos and Sarah.

I was dreading coming into work today but as I opened up my email and found a few fun surprises, I was once again reminded that even the bad days have their good moments - especially with these to look at whenever I need cheering up. :)