Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sad News

Hola y'all. Sorry for the blog hiatus. I wanted to post something about being back soon-ish, maybe later in the week.

One of my best friends lost her baby yesterday to SIDS. It's such an awful nightmare, I cannot WAIT to wake up...I hope this happens soon or I might lose my effing mind.

Needless to say, we are all totally, completely, absolutely devastated. So therefore, I'll be back soon....

Love to you all,
Ann

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

I'M BACK, JACK!

Hello, school! You're horrid. I know I used to LOOOOOOOOOOVE you and tell all of my friends about how great you were, how much fun you were, etc. Well, guess what, those days are over. OVER!!! I'm a free woman now. Later, ****er.

Love,
:) Ann

P.S. I will definitely miss my teacher and accounting friends. BUT NOT THE HOMEWORK! Or final projects! :) :) :)

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Oh hi :)

I hate school.

Just thought I would mention this...

How did I go from LOVING IT to HATING IT?

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Yahhhh, soooo...

I just took a little Facebook survey that was like, "Analyze Your Name." So I was like, "Okay." "A N N" It returns the following: "Aggressive Natural Natural." HAH! Hilarious, for real :) I'm soooo far from either of those things. I hate confrontation unless I'm really PISSED...which doesn't happen often. And I'm sure as hell not "Natural..."

Speaking of which, I've been A.D.O.R.I.N.G. my new makeup blog. http://anns-blog-of-beauty.blogspot.com/. Ladies, check it out :)

I don't have too much muy bueno scoop. RANDOMLY we are playing fundraiser trivia again this weekend. We have played three weekends in a row. My friends Bill and Monica, and Kurt and I, have remained constant with us throughout the trio of weekends. Last week our team ROCKED IT and we won Won WON. This has nothing to do with the fact the questions were WAY EASIER than the stupid rowing association questions the week prior.

Back to this original story, I truly believe Facebook is the greatest (or worst) time waster in the world...depending on what you're trying to avoid... I used to make fun of Kurt for doing the "myFarm" but after I started doing it, I realized it really was pretty fun! :) It seems like it takes forever to build up money though so it gets kind of boring...similar to savings accounts. Hah!

On that note, I better go do my homework (a.k.a. Check Facebook). More soon! Much love! Namaste! Etc!

Love,
Moi ;)

Monday, April 13, 2009

OMFG!

First let me say I don't watch t.v. like ever (except Rock of Love Bus) and every once in awhile I watch whatever is on HGTV. I never follow Idol and consider it a good year if I remember to actually watch the CMA's (for Kenny Chesney, of course).

So, seriously, you must KNOW that I wouldn't post this scoop & clip unless it ROCKED:

Here is the story:

"American Idol" isn't the only launching pad for aspiring singers. Across the pond, "Britain's Got Talent" scored a huge boost in the Buzz after an unassuming contestant gave an amazing performance.

Susan Boyle (remember that name) became a Web phenomenon after singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. The performance brought the audience to its feet and left the judges (including Simon Cowell) either speechless or in tears.

Before going on stage, Ms. Boyle admitted some self-deprecating facts about herself (she's never been kissed and lives alone with her cat, Pebbles). For those reasons and more, audiences were expecting the female William Hung. They were wrong.

Lookups on the sudden star posted huge gains. A no-name just the other day, Ms. Boyle quickly surged into our top 5,000 overall searches. Blogs and gossip rags went wild. The Mirror jumped on the story, reporting that while Ms. Boyle thought she "looked like a garage" on TV, she received a standing ovation when she showed up at her local church.

Other sources write that as a child, Ms. Boyle was the target of bullies because of a disability. But, with her newfound fame, she is getting the last laugh. In fact, she's already meeting with officials from Mr. Cowell's Sony BMG label. This may have been the first you've heard of her, but it certainly won't be the last. You can watch her performance below...



Alright now you should watch the freakin' thing! I cried (all ten times I watched it)! Rock it, Susan!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

O to the kay

Hola! Today, I have been working on my over-hyped make up blog, http://anns-blog-of-beauty.blogspot.com/

I'm unbelievably loving it and the fact I can rave & rant about products without killing the spirit of my random blog. Seriously! My MAC makeover was such a success I just couldn't wait to post some details on there :) It was such a success I can't go to the mall for a LONG time ;)

As many know I am moving, so I was also inspired to decorate the new casa by walking through Crate & Barrel and past Pottery Barn (at Oakbrook Mall). = Double Love. Housewares shopping is something I need to do solo because I usually adore everything and can't make a decision on that stuff for AWHILE.

Did everyone have a good Easter weekend? I hope so! We sure did... Friday I played trivia with some friends and hello, we won first place! Yay, team! Then we all met up with some more friends for karyoke in the West End. Good times!!!

Saturday I survived the yoga princess training. I cannot BELIEVE how much I learned from this 2.5 hour session. She is awesome and inspiring. Hopefully we all took away a lot from the class. I'm not limping and bitching as much as I have in the past but my back muscles are definitely sore. It could be from that cute little backbend/ustrasana (sp?) combo.

The Easter bun-bun visited like 8 times for Belle. I cannot believe she doesn't question it. He apparently knew to leave baskets here at home AND at four grandparents/great-grandparents' houses. Crazy! She of course loves everything and cannot wait to paint the paintable tea set we bought her.

Unfortunately, tomorrow is back to work!! Too bad we didn't have Friday and Monday off. :)

Namaste!!!
Ann

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Better Nights

Normally, I'm not one to be a Debbie Downer, but put an "I've had..." before the blog title and that's the story of my night last night. :)


Had some work drama (related to forecast accounting NOT personnel/co-workers) so I went FLYING out of work to run home, grab the leotard and ballet shoes and get to Gramma's to get Belle for ballet. There's road construction on 70th Street and road construction on 23rd Ave. Literally, no one wants me to (easily) be able to get to JDR and hit the interestate. Argh!


So I roll down the hill and head West through all the Illinois downtowns. Takes forever, I finally get home. RUN inside the house, grab the stuff (and a couple of peanut butter cups LOL), RUN out of the house. Get to Gramma's, where Belle is waiting in a robe. Realize I must have dropped the tights in the yard at mi casa. Make Belle get in the car in a robe (poor girl). FLY home. Get the tights which were yes, in the yard. Lil missy has to change in the car. She was, of course, dying over this. Get her dropped off ten minutes late and end up paying $70 for costume fees and a copy of last year's show. Talk to the owner so long about small business accounting that I missed yoga.


Belle finds her brand new ballet shoe (seriously JUST BOUGHT IT) in the corner of the couch with a hole chewed in it. She apparently forgot to put her shoes away.


I tried to update a work report by logging in. The file was too big so it wouldn't update. LOVELY!!


Hahaha. Just thought I'd share my strange but eventful evening! Not all nights were meant to be easy :) :) :)

Hope everyone got a chance to read the license plate post yesterday!


Love,

Ann

Bumper Stickers

LOL. My fave is #8. My friend, Heather, just sent me this:

Women's Bumper Stickers

1. SO MANY MEN, SO FEW WHO CAN AFFORD ME.

2. GOD MADE US SISTERS; PROZAC MADE US FRIENDS.

3. IF THEY DON'T HAVE CHOCOLATE IN HEAVEN, I AIN'T GOING.

4. MY MOTHER IS A TRAVEL AGENT FOR GUILT TRIPS.

5. PRINCESS, HAVING HAD SUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE WITH PRINCES, SEEKS FROG.

6. COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, MEN. . . SOME THINGS ARE JUST BETTER RICH.

7. DON'T TREAT ME ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU WOULD THE QUEEN.

8. IF YOU WANT BREAKFAST IN BED, SLEEP IN THE KITCHEN.

9. DINNER IS READY WHEN THE SMOKE ALARM GOES OFF.

10. I'M OUT OF ESTROGEN-AND I HAVE A GUN.

11. GUYS HAVE FEELINGS TOO. BUT LIKE...WHO CARES?

12. NEXT MOOD SWING: 6 MINUTES.

13. AND YOUR POINT IS...?

14. WARNING: I HAVE AN ATTITUDE AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT.

15. OF COURSE I DON'T LOOK BUSY...I DID IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

16. DO NOT START WITH ME. YOU WILL NOT WIN.

17. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, SO PLEASE SHUT UP.

18. ALL STRESSED OUT AND NO ONE TO CHOKE.

19. I'M ONE OF THOSE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.

20. HOW CAN I MISS YOU IF YOU WON'T GO AWAY?

21. SORRY IF I LOOKED INTERESTED. I'M NOT.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Holla!

Yo y'all.

Went to Mark's class. It was fun! I was SPEEDING down 92 to get there as I ran (literally) out of work at 5:29. Freakin' closing week.

I could do headstand again! Weird!!! (post-wall flinging).

My big scoop is I'm starting a new blog for beauty products. Everyone who has read this blog knows I have A LOT A LOT A LOT to say about products, particularly during the days of "Ann's Favorites" or "Ann's Hates." I'm guessing a lot of you (Jeff, Brian, Evan) don't want to read about product nor do the product readers care about my Farm & Fleet flowered bootage. Hence ::cues trumpets:: I'm starting a new blog. Of course, annsrandomblog will always be my favorite as it's my first **tear** and takes precedence over all others! This just means any and all yogis, other guys (Josh, Kurt) or any others :) who could care less don't have to read about my AWESOME NEW CHANEL crease brush (it does rock, fyi) or my FABULOUS NEW STILA BARBIE COLLECTION SHADOW QUAD (also rocks)!!! Also, I try to mix up this blog and like to keep my product whoreness on a somewhat secret level. We all know this is hard to do during the Ann's Favorite's sessions. lol. Most importantly, it gives me an "excuse" for buying and "trying" all this good stuff!

If you are interested, though, check here: http://www.anns-blog-of-beauty.blogspot.com/ soon. But not for awhile because I just created this honey tonight and need to set up the layout and my first posting. First order of business is getting a new damn picture. That one is terrible and was only up there to highlight the Louis! Dying!

Finally! Only three more weeks left of horrid class. Ugh! I am more preoccupied with the new job, yoga and blogging than class, to be honest. Hopefully Allison isn't reading this *smiles sweetly*

This weekend, we have a lil trivia night on Friday. Should be fun. THIS TIME I plan to assert myself on the "smooth muscle" answer (ew) and keep quiet during the melanocyte question. Yes, we also played trivia last Saturday for the rowing club. Trivia this Friday benefits my friend, Tedgie's son's baseball team. Also, it happens to be on the West Side, which we ALL know I love. West Side or die, baby.

Okay, Namaste to all!

I better do this homework... ugh

Love,
Ann

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Yoga Update

I have started like 5 blogs since last Thursday. They all suck but this is the best (which isn't saying a whole lot). Truth be told, I'm working a sweet blog about music but it's takin' me awhile (a long while).

So it's no secret I haven't been going to yoga as much (until now). This is unintentional. As soon as these freaking godforesaken classes are over, it's so on again.


It's crazy how a "lil'" time off can really hinder your yoga progress. It's particularly evident in ashtanga since we're obviously doing the same sequence on Sundays. In other words - I used to be able to stay up for the 3 backbends, now I have to take a break in the middle there. LOL. This is not the only pose that has regressed. Even my triangle feels more like a trapezoid.


HOWEVER - an insanely awesome once in a lifetime event for me DID occur in Sunday class, though: I could miraculously do a yoga-style headstand. After I flung myself into the wall, I could just do it. Weird. Usually I'm like back and forth from the wall with at least one foot. IDK... I've been taking a break from headstand for awhile so this is really weird. I can easily do the tripod-style headstand without wall but not the yoga-style. I tried the headstand again when I got home. I have an issue with over-flinging myself up and ending up in a backbend/headstand combo. Not cute nor safe for anyone practicing in front of me. LOL. I'll give it a whirl again in Mark's class tomorrow but not expecting much.

Something like this also happened in Shannon's class a few weeks ago: I could do the freaking feathered peacock. RANDOM. Not anymore. So alas, the headstand gig is most likely over. Oh well. We all remember the fateful garba pindasana pose.

Also, in an effort to spice up the blog in "real time" (yeah right), I JUST tried a drop back to backbend and stood back up. I wasn't stretched and it could have been better but oh well at least I can do it. YAY!

Who's lookin' forward to a lil YOGA NINJA, HUH??????

Namaste y'all!!!

Luv,
~A~

Thursday, April 2, 2009

WE'RE ROUGH! ROUGH!

Double O.M.G., the New Kids hit the town tonight with [what should have been] a sold out show. Hello!!

Tons of people I know are going. I mainly know this via Facebook and from my co-worker Emily leaving work tonight in this adorable black tee her friend made her that said "NKOTB" in diamonds across the front. I wasn't really sorry I wasn't going to attend UNTIL our other co-worker, Bill, pulled up this:



Please don't pretend like you don't have 3:52 minutes to watch this greatest 3:52 minutes of your week. I guarantee you will laugh...a lot lot lot. The 80's was like the greatest decade EVER. How was stuff that was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOL then SOOOOOOOOOOO HILARIOUS now? I wouldn't say this is a good thing?? Thoughts? I mean my parents don't look back and crack up at The Beatles or Creedence Clearwater Revival! Seriously. No one does this! You get killed for that sh*t up in Lodi.

Anyway, so Emily tells us (as we're watching this video) that a missing girl was actually found several months after being reported missing because she was IN the Hangin' Tough video. Crazy!

The bottom line is I should have totally gone to this concert. However, I am home blogging and avoiding my homework, per us(ual).

One time, the same Bill and I were in Florida on an audit and we were watching VH1 3 or something when the "Maneater" video came on. I still die laughing when I think of it that day... That was like one of the hardest I've ever laughed in my laugh. Come to think of it, most all of those times were with Bill. lol.



Speaking of Florida, I wish I LIVED THERE. As in RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! This weather is sooooo wretched. I cannot take it for another day! 80 degrees - where are youuuuuu? *Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah*

Thanks for reading my blog! :)

Mucho love,
Ann

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Missed a Day, Eh?

Damn. Missed a day. I was doing so good, too. I started writing a post last night but couldn't think of anything remotely as cool as my Doc controversy. I still can't...but oh well.

I'm getting ready to go to class. It's a really exciting class that covers topics of International Accounting standards.... *crickets*

Nothing a little flowered bootage can't cure...

My friends Bree & Courtnee are writing a weekly blog at fifty2resolutions.wordpress.com that you should check it out. This week they are purging and getting peoples' reactions to their "questionably fashionistic" items. Hilarious!! Again, it's http://fifty2resolutions.wordpress.com

My Doc blog coincidentally coincided nicely with their blog this week so as you can see in my blog the other day, I am publicly re-committed to my flowered docs. I will prove it by wearing them to class tonight and getting everyone's opinion.

*Donning the docs*

Ugh! My potentially cute outfit now feels "awry" "amiss" "etc"

Oh well, I'm wearin' 'em. Wait, no I'm not... they look ridic!! I'll be back...

*please hold for 3.5 hours*

YO!

Well, that was fun. Thank God I left the bootage at home since a couple of JD execs were presenting in my class tonight. Nice!

I did a major purge of my closets JUST last month. I started blogging about it but changed my mind. I was going to make fun of some of the clothing I still owned but didn't want to offend anyone if they owned these items. I realize now that was just an excuse not to admit this lunaticish array of fashion nightmares and that literally everyone threw this stuff out YEARS AGO. At least fifty2resolution's clothing is pretty cute and/or sentimental. Mine was HORRID. E.g. a white tank that had a silver glitter design of snakeskin down both sides of the chest. Um yeah, so I wore this my friend Kate's bachelorette party in 2001. Yeah... A white and black zebra print sort of sequined top from The Limited... hmmm.... Two little sweaters (one pink, one black) that had "A"s in the corner, Laverne & Shirley style. This trend came and went circa 2002.

I also had a collection of "cute" tees with "cute" writing that said "cute" things such as: "It's Not Easy Being PERFECT" "Not Everything in Iowa is Flat" "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" "Teeny Bikini Contest." Not really thinking any of these are "cute" on a 31 year old. Except the one about Iowa, I think I saved that. HAH...j/k (not really). I also had some pretty "cool" little tees from The Cheers bar in Boston and the Avril Lavigne (wtf) concert in Moline. Def Leppard tee = gone, too. Forget not the jeans from Von Maur junior's section that were flare legged and had a leather lace up fly from the "boho shirt" era of 2002. I am realizing that I haven't cleaned closets since the early 00's.

I purged 99.9% of my ridiculous Abercrombie & Fitch collection. Including jeans. Why was I still buying this stuff just a year and a half ago? Ew. I saved a couple of sweatshirts and my destroyed jeans. I also saved a bunch of tanks to wear under stuff....and a couple pairs of capris... Alright so 80% of the collection. Fine 75. Jeez.

Courtnee and Bree mention out of town identity crises. I have these! I buy random clothing and jewelry when on vacation, never to wear it again (or part with it). I purged a bunch of pink sweaters I bought in Argentina (as in like 10+ light pink sweaters). I also ditched the "cool" Argentine shoes I bought that were satin sling-backs with comic book print on them. C'mon!!!!!!!!!

I do have a real issue admitting my shoes and handbags are dorky and although they may have cost some $ back in 1999, the style will never return and even if it did, I would never wear the shoes or carry the bag again. I mean, the Dooney "It" c'mon. I'll work on this soon and take pics to prove the purge. Bree & Courtnee are voting on their items (sooo funny) but mine are soooo bad, no votes required. Just purge.

So why the purge...why not just hoard on? Well, I'm getting ready to move to a house that is like 1/3 of the size of my current house. The yard is 1200 times bigger (literally) so I guess it will be worth it. It does mean that WHILE jellies MAY come back into style, the 1996 Mexican vacation editions (But they're Esprit?? Thoughts?? lol) have to go and I can eventually spring the $20 if they ever come back in.

But the flowered bootage will always remain.

Mucho love,
Annabelle