Be Thankful Challenge Day #30

Today I am thankful for the #BeThankfulChallenge. There's a number of different reason why I decided this was the best thing to be thankful for today. Today is the last day of November (obviously), so it seemed very appropriate to be thankful for something that greatly shaped my month. I have never blogged this much. I won't say that I enjoyed every moment of it; however, I am very proud of myself for accomplishing it. This challenge has pushed me outside my comfort zone. Any time a challenge is met and beat, I think you feel a sense of achievement. This challenge has also allowed me reflect on many of the wonderful aspects of my life. In a often pessimistic world, it's nice to be reminded of all the positive things in my life (little and big). The most important reason I am thankful for this challenge today, though, is because it's OVER! I am very excited to not blog (at least for a week or 2.... I might even miss it!).

Be Thankful Challenge Day #28 & #29

I know that I missed posting yesterday, but I kind of did it on purpose. Today I am thankful for my Mom and Dad. When I was thinking about it, it was just too hard to explain why I was thankful for one of them without the other. To me, my parents have always been a team. I have always been a Daddy's girl, but he wasn't always around when I was young because of his work schedule. My Mom was the one who taught me morals, punished me, and managed my daily schedule. Now that I'm older and they're apparently finished trying to fix me, my relationship with them is a lot more fun. My Mom is the one I tell about my day or go shopping with. We even have a girls' night out sometimes. My Dad is fun to share my medical horror stories with and I've enjoyed getting to hear some of his med school tales as I went through similar things. I'm very grateful for my parents for getting me through my childhood and teenage years relatively unscathed, but I enjoy them much more now and look forward to our next adventures.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #27

Today I am thankful for my sister. Karin and I have had a number of different evolutions of our relationship. She is seven years younger than me, so we definitely didn't always see eye to eye. When I was a teenager and trying to be cool, she was copying everything I did and annoyingly trying to be just like me. Then when she was a teenager, I was in college and not really interested in teenager problems and drama. Now that she's older, it's so much fun. We are very similar people, yet have entirely different personalities (if that makes any sense). Every time we're together we have some kind of fun. She's in college now, so she can drink me under the table. Also though, she's fun to shop with, travel with, or go to a show with. I'm so excited that she's become such a wonderful person and friend.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #26

Today I am thankful for friends. I know this is kind of generic, but I have so many wonderful and different friends that it would take close to a month to give them each their own day. I love how they keep me young and fun both near and far. It could be as simple as going to dinner or a bar or to see a band. Sometimes it's more elaborate like getting me to travel to new places. Mostly though, I'm thankful for how unique each one of them is. I truly feel that each one is a different reflection of some part of my personality and therefore makes me more rounded as a person. Your family is who has been given to you, but your friends you have chosen. The best way to judge somebody's character is by who they choose to keep company with. I'm very confident that I have somehow managed to find some of the best and kindest people in the world.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #25

Today I am thankful for sleep. As is I really need some. I plan to partake in this wonderful activity in a few minutes. For me, its almost always a good thing if I'm lacking in the sleep department. It usually means that I have so many fun activities going on that something has to suffer, and sleep gets cut. It's important to note that I love sleeping, so pretty much the only things that can beat it are fun. If something is not fun, I will pick the extra sleep over it. The last few days have been full of (drunken) family/neighborhood/high school reunions. The best one was yesterday when we had ALL the kids from the old neighborhood together for the first time in at least 5 years. When that happens, boys vs girls flip cup trumps going to bed because I have work in the morning. Now that all the festivities are finished though, I am really excited to crawl into bed tonight. Right now nothing could beat curling up in the nice cool sheets under my snuggly comforter in bed. I'm hoping to sleep for some completely unreasonable amount of time, like 12 hours.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #24

Today I am thankful for family. Now I love all my relatives, but today I am thankful for the family that my life has created. Growing up with relatives far away, we couldn't get to see them very often. However, when I was very young we moved to a new neighborhood that ended up shaping my life. There were three other families that all moved in right around when we did. I grew up with those kids, grade school through high school. They are as much my cousins and their parents my aunts and uncles as anyone is. I love how different we all are, yet we still love each other and make a point to get together even though its no longer as easy as walking next door. We still get together every holiday, so I'm going to go enjoy Thanksgiving with my "family" now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you enjoying it with whomever you consider family.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #23

Today I am thankful for sweatpants. I truly believe that I'm not really relaxing unless I'm in sweatpants. They are so warm and fuzzy; they are just wonderful. I come from a family of cuddlers and huggers and sweatpants are kind of like a cuddle from a fabric, so maybe that's why I like them so much. One of the best parts of my daily routine is when I get home from work and put on my sweatpants. So thank you sweatpants for being wonderfully comfortable.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #22

Today I am thankful for my computer. I love Macs. I love how compatible all apple products are together; my Macbook, iPhone, and iPod get along so nicely. It's also very easy to figure out how to install, run, or manage any program on an apple product. This post though is also a bit of a memorial service for my Macbook. Soon I believe it will have to retire. They have actually stopped making programs available for it. I called customer support the other day because I was having problems trying to upgrade to iCloud. The technician I was talking to starting looking up the specs on my computer he saw when it was purchased. I believe his exact statement was, "2006?... Wow." Yes, my computer is from my college years. Shortly after that he discovered the problem and told me, "You know Christmas is right around the corner." The end of the story is that my processor (Intel Core Duo) is too outdated to support the new operating systems (Lion OSX) required for the new programs (iCloud). I am extremely thankful (and impressed) that my computer is still running. I love it, but I believe in order to continue to have a functional computer shortly after its 6th birthday I'm going to have to replace it.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #21

Today I am thankful for the small kindnesses of strangers. I know this sounds a little weird, but think how your mood can change by someone holding a door open for you or simply smiling at you. This thankful moment was inspired today by the wonderful cop who did not give me a ticket. I don't know that this qualifies as small but I definitely appreciated his kindness towards me. I was less than a mile from my house on a back road apparently going 48mph in a 25mph zone. For the record, I've never seen a speed limit sign on this road and the road is windy so I'm not sure I could actually go 48mph but I was definitely not watching my speedometer so I wasn't really in a position to argue. After checking my license, registration, and  (perfect) driving record, he let me off with a warning. He saved me probably $100+ and multiple points on my driving record. So thank you Lincoln Park cop. I'm sending some good karma out into the universe hoping some reaches you and makes you smile today.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #20

Today I am thankful for sales. Let me tell you about the awesome sales I have hit this month so far...

1. I really needed work pants. I love The Limited, so after months of clearance rack shopping I finally decided I was going to just have to deal with the cost. I walked in and it was buy one pant get one free day. What are the odds. I found a style of pant that fit well (hard to do) and got one of every color.  That only took me to five, so I got an extra black pair since they were free. With the help of three coupons, the day's final total was $230 for six pairs of pants and three sweaters!
2. I got a flyer for a Macy's one day sale. For some reason I decided to look through it and saw that luggage was on sale. I really needed some new luggage as mine literally has holes in it. I stopped by on my way to work and ended up getting a beautiful teal Diane Von Furstenberg 3-piece set. The final bill was $205 for $720 worth of luggage!
3. We (the family) finally picked out an awesome birthday present for my dad - new skis! Except now we had to find and pay for nice new skis for him. We have all been checking out different ski shops and decided we would be paying about $700 or $800. Then today, I went to one last local place. I found the same exact skis we had picked out but for $450! 

So often stores have sales that I find it really hard to buy anything at regular price anymore. On the rare occasion I do buy something full price, I almost always have a coupon so that doesn't really count either. So I'm thankful for the sales I've hit so far and am hoping I can continue with the good luck for my Christmas shopping.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #19

Today I am thankful for take-out/delivery food. I love good food. I hate doing dishes. The solution: take-out! I can get delicious food that doesn't involve dirtying pots or pans or plates. That is awesome. It is especially awesome on a Saturday after I've worked all day and am not feeling particularly well. So thank you Tiff's Grill and Bar for my delicious dinner tonight.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #18

Today I am thankful for coffee. It makes me feel human in the morning. In the winter, a hot cup can warm my soul. In the summer, an iced coffee is so refreshing. The type of coffee I like really depends on the day. I like both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. Sometimes I want a flavor, sometime regular, and other days a latte. It all is delicious. I think my favorite cup of coffee though is a fresh cup brewed at the lake house that I can enjoy out on the deck on a crisp morning with a book. Perfection.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #17

Today I am thankful for my slow cooker. Whoever invented this was genius. It takes a little preparation time, but then you turn it on and you're finished. I can come home to a cooked meal! This is a marvelous concept for someone who lives alone, because otherwise there is no chance that there will be a prepared meal waiting for me. Today I made chili. I had a number of fresh ingredients to use from my CSA, but in particular I had gotten cranberry beans and the best thing to do with them is definitely chili. So thank you slow cooker for making me a delicious dinner... now could you please clean yourself?

Be Thankful Challenge Day #16

Again, I'm a little late. Although I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised by how well I've been doing overall with posting daily. This week has been rough though. Finally (as it happens pretty much every year), the sick little monkeys that I take care every day got to me. I get sick very rarely, but when I do I tend to get it bad. I have congestion, cough, fevers, sinus pressure, no voice... just overall suckiness. So last night I got home from work and went to bed (after a hot tottie of course) without blogging. But in that spirit, yesterday I was thankful for my health. Getting really sick always reminds me how lucky I am that on a daily basis I'm healthy. I try to eat healthy, get my sleep, and exercise to promote a healthy lifestyle, but I think I have to give some credit to good genes as well. All four of my grandparents made to their 80s, and three of them are still counting higher! So tonight I will drink my tea, get a lot of sleep, and look forward to the day that I can breath and talk again soon.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #15

Today I am thankful for Hot Totties. Herbal tea, honey, and a little whiskey... nothing beats them when you're sick. Truthfully, when I was young I would sometimes try to convince my mom I was sick to have one (it never worked). Two days ago, all of a sudden I got really congested and my throat started hurting. Not really a surprise since I deal with sick kids all day long. Now after two nights of Hot Totties, I'm starting to feel much better. The hot tea helps steam and clear your sinuses, the honey soothes the throat, and the whiskey knocks you out so you sleep through the night. Oh, and it tastes delicious. Perfection. I might have another tonight.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #14

Today I am thankful for the cutest little puppy in the world, Duke (although I might be biased as he's mine).

When I come home from work he always so excited to see me. He jumps up and down while trying to kiss me and wag his curly, fluffy tail. He can make any day a good one. It's especially wonderful after a long chaotic Monday in the office. He is also an excellent cuddler. He loves to be touching me, either right on my lap or next to me. Thankfully, he's only 15 pounds so he fits very easily on your lap. So now it's time for a short walk and then cuddling up for bedtime.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #13

Today I am thankful for football. First off, what girl doesn't love watching athletic men run around in tights. I also do truly enjoy the game. There's something in the way that a football game is broken up (maybe the first downs?) that makes it continually engaging. I, of course, have my favorite teams (New England Patriots), but most of all I just love a good game. A blow out game, even when my team's up, is never as good as one that comes down to the last seconds. This years been especially interesting coming from a family of Buffalo Bills fans as the Bills have actually decided to play this season. All kidding aside, it has been really fun to watch the Bills develop their team and win some games (except when they beat the Patriots). Now, I better get back to watching the Patriots beat the Jets (hopefully).

Be Thankful Challenge Day #12

Today I am thankful for home cooking. Nothing beats the smells wafting out of the kitchen while things are roasting and simmering for dinner. Today my parents and brother came over for a meal of roasted filet mignon and winter squashes. It was delicious. It smelled delicious in the hours before dinner while it was stewing. Most importantly though, it meant that I had a kitchen full of cooks and a couch full of football watchers. I think its true that food really does bring a family together.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #11

Today is an easy day for me to figure out what I'm thankful for because today is my brother's birthday. So...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

As brothers go, mine is pretty awesome. Of course I love my brother, he's family. He has the regular awesomeness that comes from being part of a super cool family. He graduated from the University of Pittsburg with an accounting degree (which I will never be able to understand), went right into a job at JP Morgan (a huge company thats really hard to get a job with), and is now 3/4 of the way toward getting his CPA (taking tests that make you want to kill yourself). But I also really like my brother. I feel that this fact is even better than loving him. I had the opportunity to live with him for 6 months about a year ago and I'm so glad. We hung out and watched football and drank beer. It wasn't anything special; it was just the first time I really got to know him as an adult and not an annoying little kid. Now he lives right over the river in NYC and it's never more than a month or so since I've seen him.


As a side note, today is Veteran's Day and of course I'm thankful for all the past, present, and future military personnel who risk their lives to protect my freedoms and lifestyle, especially both my grandfathers.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #10

Today I am thankful for chocolate, specifically Gertrude Hawk Chocolate. If you're not from northeastern Pennsylvania you probably have no idea what I am talking about, but let me tell you, you're missing out. It's delicious. They have many varieties like any good chocolatier, but most importantly they have Smidgens. Smidgens are delicious little morsels of chocolately goodness. Realistically, they're about the size of a mini Reese's. Of course, my favorite is the milk chocolate with peanut butter filling, but they come in all kinds: white chocolate, dark chocolate, raspberry or caramel filled. Also, to make them even more fun they're festive. They come in many designs depending on the season; bunnies, pumpkins, hearts, santas.

photo courtesy of gertrudehawkchocolates.com

So today I took an extra moment to enjoy my melt-in-my-mouth chocolate/peanut butter Smidgen.  It was heaven.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #9

Today I am thankful for fall. Hands down fall is the best season. It's warm during the day and cool at night, perfect for a cozy sweatshirt. The leaves change into these beautiful deep hues of reds and oranges and the bug population drops dramatically (yes, the bugs are a factor in determining the best season). This week has been the best fall week. The weather has been perfect, reaching the 60s everyday. Also in Jersey, the leaves have really just finished changing which means they'll probably be on the ground by the weekend because it never lasts long. So for now, I'm going to be thankful for the beauty that is all around me.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #8

Today I am thankful for having the opportunity to be involved in Community Supported Agriculture. Tuesdays are our share pick-up days so seeing all my new, delicious vegetables reminded me that I'm very lucky and thankful to be able to participate in this program. First, receiving a set share of vegetables every week has definitely broadened my food horizons. Before this summer, I never knew what mustard greens were or that there were multiple varieties or that a thing such as romanesco cauliflower existed. Also, it is wonderful being able to support my local farmer. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue this new adventure next summer, but for now I'm enjoying the last few weeks of this season.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #7

Today I am thankful for my job. This seemed appropriate to be thankful for on Monday, the beginning of the work week. For anybody who has talked to me in the past year, this also may seem intriguing as I tend to bitch about my job a lot. However, let me take a moment to say I truly love what I do. I get to hang out with kids all day long and help to make them feel better. It's awesome. I will not pretend that I always agree with the business decisions or the office politics, hence the bitching. What it comes down to though is that every day I get to do something I love. In an economy where simply having a job is a blessings, I am so thankful that I enjoy my work everyday.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #6

Today I am thankful for laughter. Life is better when laughing. Whether it is with new friends or old, laughter is definitely good for the soul. I understand that we can only truly appreciate the good if we have weathered the bad, but I think that makes it even more important to cherish the good times when they do come. So even if it's the little things, or myself, that I am laughing at, I'm going to continue to truly enjoy it.

(And if you notice the time stamp for this post I barely made it in time, but I did make it for today so I think that means I'm getting better.)

Be Thankful Challenge Day #5

So obviously we need the time machine again. Apparently I'm not so good at blogging daily, but the positive side is that I still have pretty much the whole month left to keep practicing. Also, the thing I'm thankful for today is also part of the reason that I didn't make my post yesterday.

Today I'm thankful for wine. First, it is delicious... red or white, I love it (pink does NOT count as wine). It can also help to calm your nerves after a stressful situation, like driving in New York City.  Most importantly, it is an excellent addition to a friendly gathering.  It was definitely the highlight of my Saturday night catching up with Christen Donovan (and Angelique)!

Be Thankful Challenge Day #4

November 4th (for real!)

Today I am thankful for snow. I know this is a weird thing to be thankful for so early in November, especially after the terrible nor'easter that hit this past weekend. The reason I'm thankful for snow today, though, is because tonight is the New Jersey Ski Council's Annual Ski Jamboree. I'm super excited to go and get information on local ski clubs and it also means the ski season is just around the corner!

Be Thankful Challenge Day #3

November 3rd! Wow this month is really flying by; it feels like days went by in minute (lol- I know, bad joke). Anyway, I'm almost caught up....

Today I'm thankful for my amazing Vera Bradley planner. This year's planner had gotten so messy with cancellations and reschedulings that I went out and bought a new one today.  Thankfully (again), the 2012 planner is from October 2011 through December 2012. This planner is wonderful because it has month views but also daily breakdowns.  Plus, it has pockets and it's a 3 ring binder so I can add my own stuff.  It was almost cathartic to sit down and transfer my plans into my new one.

Be Thankful Challenge Day #2

It's November 2nd! I bet you didn't know that I had a time machine, but...

Today I am thankful for Disney Princess Movies. Now all the Princess Movies are wonderful especially such classics as Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid that helped shape my childhood, but today I am particularly thankful for The Princess and the Frog. It kept me sane at work today. Instead of freaking out over my crazy patient schedule, I was singing and dancing around the office enjoying my day.

Be Thankful Challenge

So I know it's not November 1st, but let's pretend. I saw that a couple of my blogging friends have started an online challenge where every day in November you say something that you are thankful for. I don't really understand these "hashtag" things, but still it sounds like fun. For all of you who follow this blog, this is like a double challenge for me because it means I'll sign on and post EVERY DAY this month! So, to start off....

Today I am thankful for my Deltas (and honorary Deltas) who keep me young and hip. They're the reason this blog exists and very patiently introduce me to things like blogging, tweets, and hashtags.

Rock Paper Scissors - Unraveled

An excellent insight into the childhood game (courtesy of ifunny):

I understand that scissors can beat paper, and I get how rock can beat scissors, but there's no way paper can beat rock. Paper is supposed to magically wrap around rock leaving it immobile? Why can't paper do this to scissors? Screw scissors, why can't paper do this to people? Why aren't sheets of college ruled notebook paper constantly suffocating students as they attempt to take notes in class? I'll tell you why, because paper can't beat anybody. A rock would tear it up in two seconds. When I play rock paper scissor, I always choose rock. Then when somebody claims to have beaten me with their paper I can punch them in the face with my already clenched fist and say, "Oh sorry, I thought paper would protect you."

My First Hurricane

I've never before lived in an area that was susceptible to natural disasters. I've never experienced a hurricane, flood, earthquake, or tornado. In that way, I guess I was lucky growing up in Pennsylavania. That changed when I moved to Lincoln Park NJ two years ago. I've been through two floods so far and I thought they were bad. We had a couple of feet of water in the garages and almost every road in and out of town closed. Then Hurricane Irene hit.

The hurricane itself wasn't the bad. It was a tropical storm by the time it got here so there was a lot of wind and rain, but 12 hours later it was over with minimal damage. And then the rivers started rising.  I'm fortunate enough to live in a town surrounded by three rivers: the Pompton River, the Passiac River, and the Rockaway River. I've never seen the rivers here rise so fast. I had gotten bottled water, cans of soup, flashlights, and candles so I was all set to wait it out. At 10pm on Sunday night Duke and I went out for his walk... except that the sidewalks were covered. That meant that all the roads within my complex were completely underwater and my garage had 5-6 feet of water in it. At that point there was no way to leave except maybe to swim, so I went to bed. I was woken up by a fireman knocking on my door at 3am. The water had risen another 1-2 feet; we were being evacuated. Two hours later, with the help of the fire department and army, a boat and a very large truck, I was out. After a three day hotel stay, I was allowed to return. Thankfully the apartments are raised up half a floor, so the water never got inside (and I'm on the second floor anyways). However, almost everything in my garage was saturated with flood water. We also didn't have electricity. The transformers for almost all the buildings had flooded as well and were ruined.  The power company, apartment management, and town officials responded quickly; however the fastest solution was to replace everything. They put in new power lines and moved our transformers up telephone poles. Ten days after we lost power, we got it back. Now two weeks later, two of the rivers are still above flood stage, I still have no hot water, and I've registered for FEMA assistance.

Never Forget

A brief moment to pause and reflect on how our world has changed in the last 10 years.

There was no Ground Zero. No one knew who al Qaeda was. Acronyms such as WMDs didn't exist. Until 10 years ago, September 11th was just another fall day.

I was in my junior year of high school in my second period class, American History. The class lesson for the day was on terrorism. At the end of the class, we turned on the news and watched the Twin Towers fall - live.

It's a Lake Kind of Summer

My parent's have a beautiful new lake house....

...on a beautiful private, quiet lake....

...and they stated this summer they were not going anywhere. They would stay at the lake and let everyone come visit them. Thus, I have spent pretty much every free weekend I've had this summer at the lake.

It is awesomely beautiful. First thing in the morning, the lake is so quiet it looks like glass. The temperature here in the hills of the Poconos is a little cooler; during the day hits the 80's but at night (even mid summer) it drops to the 60's. There are few things in the world better than a morning cup of coffee on the deck as the day is just starting to warm up. After that, I pretty much live in a bathing suit. It's been an entirely new experience for me as I've never had a lake or pool or beach at my house before. You use a lot less clothing. We have this amazing float called The Caribbean Island that fits up to 6 people and is perfect for laying out in the sun and reading.  My parents have also invested in a new (beautiful) boat that has been in constant use this summer for tubing and even more so water skiing.

I love water skiing. My sister was home from college all summer and my brother came to visit very frequently like me, so we have had lots of family fun on the lake. The entire family's water skiing skills have greatly improved this summer, as at least 1 or 2 people are skiing every day, multiple times a day. The 3 kids can all slalom water ski (only 1 ski is used), and my mom can as well! In true Emanuelson style though, this did not occur without much comedy and a few injuries. Most injuries have been bumps and bruises (some very large), but most notably we have broken 2 ski ropes and 4 ribs. The most common phrase used at the local boat store when we walk in is, "Have you ever seen this before?". This mainly relates to the 2 destroyed water skiing tow ropes we have brought in. Apparently it is very hard to break a handle in half or completely tear the rubber handle lining off, however we have managed to do both in one summer. The 4 broken ribs would belong to my mother following a very rough fall. Who new water could break bones? Not to worry though, she is recovering well and has stopped golfing and lifting heavy things after seeing the x-ray.

Most importantly though, this should entice you to come visit. The only way to truly understand the lake house experience is to come, have a margarita at noon, and try your hand at tubing or water skiing. So everyone start making plans for next summer...

Paperbacks

I will always love books. This is a very definitive statement; however, I cannot see this fact changing in the near future. The e-books can run a nice ad, but so far the nook/kindle/etc does not hold up to my life. Aside from the fact that I am a true book lover who needs to turn a physical page and not get headaches from staring at a screen, I tend to submerge my books in water at least once a year. Usually it's nothing special, just me dropping my book in a pool or something equally lame and stupid. Occasionally it is incredibly fitting, such as the year my Treasure Island book was almost washed out to sea by a wave on the beach.  This year (and I know it's very early in the summer to have happened already) it was particularly memorable...

This Memorial Day weekend was incredibly hot and therefore was spent mostly on or very close to my parent's dock on Elk Lake. My mother was coming to the dock to join us and had nicely brought my book down with hers and a camera for some fun pictures. She grabbed a plastic chair to sit and read. The next 10 seconds will last forever in my memory. She set the chair down on the dock with her arms still full of everything else. Unknown to her and the rest of us, one of the back legs of the chair was just off the dock. Then she sat down. In slo-mo (or so it seemed), she tumbled feet over head backwards off the dock. Yes. It was awesome! Hilarious. She did pop back up very quickly so there were no worries of injuries; but her, the chair, and everything she was holding were soaking wet. Thank you very much mother for reminding me why I have not and will not invest in an e-book.

*On a side note, everything including the camera and my mother survived this little dip in the lake just fine.

#8

I ran across this article today,Top 10 Evil Animals, and this part is just too funny not to share...

8. Pandas

This may sound heretical, maybe downright mean.  But let's not mince words: pandas are evil.  Oh, but they're so cute, you say, they're chubby and fluffy and bumbling. They have those sweet, complacent smiles; they eat bamboo! Well, listen here.  The first step to getting over pandas is to imagine the coloration of their black-white fur as being the inverse of what it is - you see? Now it's less cuddly exotic woodland creature and more of a freakishly large raccoon. Slothful to the point of being circumspect, pandas loll around, knowing full well that most of the humans in their midst will fall for their deceptive, charming spell.

What most people don't realize is that pandas have us duped.  They are the one species in the animal kingdom that seem to live outside the realm of Darwinian science. Most creatures in the universe follow German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's axiom: a creature "will strive to grow, spread, seize, become predominant... because it is living and because life simply is will to power." Pandas, though, didn't seem to get the memo.  They have no will to live or reproduce. To this day, scientists have to perform grotesque procedures to keep the panda population from collapsing into oblivion. Forget about the fact that pandas are mean-spirited, mate-abusing, progeny-mauling, deviant monsters. Forget about the fact that these hoodlum bears have conned humanity with their supposed cuteness.  The most evil thing about pandas? The cunning with which they expose the stupidity of us humanoids.

Things I Learned in College

A few blogs recently have been in flashback mode due to the impending excitement of a BU Delta reunion southern wedding style. Reading these blogs has caused me to reflect on some of the finer things my friends and I learned from our days at BU....

1. Defenestration - The act of throwing something or someone out the window. Best freshmen orientation ever.
2. Good Cleaning Habits - Better yet don't make the mess in the first place; use a sippy cup.
3. Good Hospitality - Always be accommodating to your guest.  Kegs are heavy; beer balls are just as good and much easier to carry.
4. Beer Marathons - Perfected through college; you must start in the morning, hydrate well (only after your alcoholic drink or you'll lose points), and are best when they involve t-shirts and sharpies for documentation.
5. Phil Sucks - Damn his strawberry kamikazes and his hammer in my head. However, he did prompt the "who's in your bed" game that is of particular relevance to this upcoming reunion.
6. Always be a Knight - But remember its the days of the Quest that matter.

Meet Duke

So I should probably start at the beginning which would be last March.... As many of you know, my family does a rather rowdy March Madness bracket pool every year. Last year my cousin was pregnant and she felt this gave her the right to an extra bracket entry. I felt she should have planned better to have the baby before the tournament in order to get an extra bracket. After a pre-pool vote, I lost and she was given her wish.  To prove my point of how silly this was, I created an entry for Fluffy my unborn dog. I paid the extra $5 for his bracket and everyone got a good laugh out of my funny joke. Fluffy the unborn dog had a throw-away bracket. For those non-March Madnessers that means it was ridiculous and could only win if I was dreaming.  Fluffy picked Duke to win and while they are a good team, they never seem to get far in the tournament- except last year they won.  And so did Fluffy my unborn dog.

I have wanted a dog for a long time and lately I've been much more settled, so I started seriously looking. I also knew I wanted to rescue a dog because my family has had such a great experience with our pound puppy, Maddy. Two week ago I was going to see another dog that a non-profit called Second Chance had, but when I walked to the door I saw this little fluff ball and I was sold. I couldn't allow myself to actually name my new dog Fluffy, so I settled on Duke. He is just 2 years old and is completely house trained. His previous owner had a stroke and could no longer care for him so he was surrender to the pound. He has free rein of the house while I'm gone at work and is perfect all day. He doesn't know any commands yet like sit or stay and we definitely have to work on the begging. He is a complete lap dog, but its so fun to have him excited to see me when I get home and to want to cuddle with me.

Recommended Reading

So alot of my friends (who are hopefully reading this) have made different kinds of New Year's resolutions involving reading more. Over the last year, I managed to start/finish a number of really good series of books by some great authors. I thought I'd put my suggestions and reviews out here so maybe someone else could become as intrigued and enthralled with these authors.

• Stieg Larsson - He is the author of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. This series follows a journalist and a brilliantly odd young girl he employs as they investigate a prominent family's mystery. This of course involves them in scandal, murder, and twisted romances. The trilogy continues to follow the same characters through the repercussions this investigation has on their lives. The book take a little to pick up since first it starts out giving some background information, but the information is definitely necessary to the rest of the story which is well worth the wait.
• Dan Brown - He is the author of Angels and Demons, The DiVinci Code, and The Lost Symbol.  These are very well-known books, but if you haven't read them yet you should. They are about a symbologist, Robert Langdon, as he is pulled into strange journeys surrounding ancient mysteries. These books do not have to be read in any specific order, but Angels and Demons is definitely the best. If you are at all a skeptic, you will love these books.
• Janet Evanovich - She is the author of a series of books following the adventures of Stephanie Plum, a Jersey girl and newly-hired bail bonds agent (aka bounty hunter). The first book in the series (currently there are 15 and growing) is One For the Money. She continually is involved in ridiculous situations, blowing up cars, and 2 beautiful men. You will be laughing out loud.
• James Rollins - He is the author of the Sigma Force series starting with the book Sandstorm. The Sigma Force is an ultra specialized team within the military that combines the training of Navy Seals with the intelligence of a PhD (or multiple PhDs). They get called in for top secret missions frequently involving the combination of modern technology with ancient mysteries.  If you are at all a science geek, these books will amaze you. He also has a number of books not in this series if you interested in a fun quick read (you cannot put them down). I recommend Amazonia; an adventure exploring the medicinal qualities of the Amazon through its terrifying wilderness, naturally while being chased.