Creating Our Own Happiness

If you're reading my blog you probably already listen to NPR. Which means you probably know about "Morning Edition." Which means you also probably know about the segment "This I Believe."

I didn't get a chance to hear Wayne Coyne (he of the Flaming Lips) recite his segment on NPR, but I heard about it the following day on a completely different radio station (thanks Joe Escalante!). I really liked it and wanted to share it with you.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7572601

My New Toy

I welcomed iPod number 2 into my life yesterday. This doesn't mean I love video iPod any less. It just became a nuisance bringing that to the gym and having it weigh down my arm when I was on the treadmill. (ha! I say that like I actually go to the gym on a regular basis!) This little guy weighs nothing and just clips onto my shirt. Who wants to start the betting pool on how long it'll take before this thing comes flying off my shirt and goes sailing across the gym?

Now if I can just figure out how to put my workout playlist onto this little bugger.

I'm Back

After spending 8 days in Indianapolis (with an unexpected layover and stay in Dallas) I'm finally back home! It feels good to sleep in my own bed and be surrounded by my own stuff. I think what I'll miss the most is having my bed made for me every day by housekeeping... wait, that happens at home (substitute the word housekeeping with Sean). So, what I will miss most is coming home every night to find 2 chocolates on my pillow.

Rather than write a novella-sized recap about the week, here are a few things that I can remember. As the cloud of exhaustion clears from my head and I recall other funny or memorable moments, I'll add to this list:

• Walking to dinner Tuesday night I was reminded why I left Minneapolis for Orange County: I saw a guy scraping ice off his windshield and digging his car out of the street. Looks like the snowplow came through and cleared the street. Too bad his car was still in the street.
• Carrying a box cutter in my back pocket during set up was the best idea ever. Next year, I'll take the Gerber tool. (Do you hear that? That's the sound of my dad beaming and realizing that I am in fact his daughter.)
• Indianapolis does not plow its side streets!!! According to the newspaper article I read, the city does not make it a habit to regularly plow side streets. So when the mayor made an announcement saying they would (due to the horrendous storm that hit the city) it made the paper. Do these people not have family or friends in Chicago? Mayoral elections have been lost due to unplowed streets. People of Indianapolis - rise up! Demand that your streets be plowed!
• After 8 days of setting up and working the show, the connection between my brain and my mouth slowed down to a crawl. I would think of the words in my head but they wouldn't quite come out of my mouth. I sounded like a drunk 3rd grader speaking a language that wasn't native to my tongue.
• My brand new show pants from Banana Republic? Great. Cramming a walkie talkie, box cutter, cell phone, chapstick, keys and pen in the back pockets of those same $100 pants? Not so great.
• Some how my body found a "college lifestyle" reserve somewhere hidden within the recesses of my body. Even though I only had 2 hours of sleep the previous night, I was able to function like a put-together, well-rested, competent adult. I haven't been able to function on no sleep since college. I have NO idea how I pulled that off.
• Sleeping in a hotel room 8 nights has completely dried my skin out. My skin was never this dry when I lived in Minnesota or Illinois, so it's not the winter weather that did it. Next time I travel I'm going to bring my humidifier. Seriously, my skin is so dry it's scaly. Any suggestions?
• I found another dim sum buddy! Although I think I freaked her out because, and these are her words, I'm 'hard core.' Hard core = getting to the restaurant before it opens to stand in line for 30 minutes (as opposed to getting to the restaurant an hour after it opens and waiting in line for 1 hour and 30 minutes).

All in all, we had a great a show and I'm pleased with how it all turned out. I'm happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed.

My First 5K...

... has lead to participating in one 5K every month.

Sean and I participated in the Pacific Shoreline 5K this weekend. He ran it, while I walked it with my friend M (who can really book it even though she's pushing a stroller with 70 lbs worth of kids in it). It was a lot of fun. And somewhere between the walk from the banana stand to the shuttle back to our car, Sean convinced me to participate in one 5K every month with the intention of eventually running every one.

I'll keep you posted.

Why I Love LA

Random celebrity sightings.

This month's random celebrity sighting:

Saturday night we went up to LA to see the M. Ward concert. As we were waiting in the valet line for the car Jason Lee walked right past us and stood in the same valet line. What makes these random celebrity sightings so cool is the fact that we have them at venues and events that we go to on a regular basis - most commonly at concerts. There's something utterly cool about seeing someone you see on TV at a concert for a band you listen to all the time. Like, seeing Sandra Oh stand in the same line you're in to see Thievery Corporation (random celebrity sighting #1).