I Do It All For You.

I was just hit with my first ever blog request. Thanks, Libby, for suggesting -- nay, demanding! -- that I blog about this week's "Biggest Loser". Sadly, that particular blog entry will have to wait, as the show is trapped in my DVR and probably will not be viewed until tomorrow night, at the earliest (no spoilers, please).

I would like to take this opportunity to open the floor for requests from all blog readers. If ever you find yourself craving my commentary on a particular topic, news story, television program, movie, album, etc., please do not hesitate to request a blog based on that subject matter. Just leave a comment anytime!

Speaking of DVRs, has anyone been hit with the fastforward spoiler? Let me explain, using last week's "Loser" as an example. When I fastforwarded the commercials during the weigh-in portion of the show, I already knew one of two things: either no one was going to be eliminated, or the results were going to be continued into the next week. How did I know this? I was already at 1 hour, 54 minutes of programming! Of course, bef0re I realized it, I was terrified that I had once again fallen victim to the horrendous DVR cutoff. I am speaking of those terrible times when a show runs past its allotted 30 or 60 minutes, and you miss the end (most recently, I missed a pivotal point of "er", and although I had watched the episode, was completely unable to understand someone telling me Carter was on dialysis. It took the recap of the next week's episode to fill in the blanks!), or even worse, scenes from the next. NBC is always a culprit, making their shows start at ridiculous times such as 9:02 or 10:58, ruining my DVR lineups and forcing me to find later showings of first-run eps. Also, producers/writers are always saving the good and juicy stuff for the bitter closing seconds (take the discovery of Carter's dialysis as an example).

Well, that was quite the little rant. And so my love/hate relationship with the DVR continues. Have I mentioned I can set it from my phone now? Insanity. And pure love.

And as long as we're being random, a big blogger shoutout to SNAIL MAIL today! I came home to two lovely little packages, one from Lindsey with a fabulous (and helpful!) game/book, "How Well Do You Know Your Groom?". V. excited to get started on that one. And then, a card and LILLY PULITZER post-its from Emily! This was a huge one, because I have been drooling all over the Lilly stationary collection since I noticed it at Swoozie's about a week ago. So exciting. Love you both more than you even know.

Let's get those requests rolling!

Why I Need a Wii.

Reason #317. I am willing to shell out the cash for this "game", despite its horrendous reviews. Too bad I lack the gaming system on which to play it.

Meanwhile, I will keep waiting for the UPS man so I can start banishing fat and boosting metabolism.

Side Effects.

I thought I was handling this whole Diet Coke cutback pretty well, but I think it may be affecting me more than I realized...

Exhibit A: Tuesday, I was leaving Wendy's at lunchtime, looking at my PinkBerry as I was walking to my truck. I hit the unlock button on my keyfob repeatedly, and happily climbed in the driver's side. Upon settling into my seat, I went to put my water bottle in the cup holder, when I noticed it was already occupied -- by a Diet Mountain Dew can!! I have never, ever, EVER purchased or consumed this product. I took a quick glance around, and, sure enough - NOT MY TRUCK. Same year, make, model, and color, but no little chrome surfer girl on the back. I sheepishly backed out of the truck, hoped no one would notice (2 girls at the drivethru were cackling at me), and proceeded to my own truck, 2 spaces away.

Exhibit B: Yesterday I tried to use 'warmth' as concealer and mineral veil as foundation. If you're a bareminerals fan, you understand the disparity of this situation. I had to wash my face and start all over -- twice.

Exhibit C: Last night, I was having issues setting the alarm at work. I had to go find some phone numbers to resolve the sitch, and in the meantime, I misplaced my store keys. We (thanks for being such a trooper, Seth!) looked high and low and couldn't find them. Then I realized -- I must have accidently locked them in the office (don't even ask me why this is a possibility, the lock scene at this place drives me insane). I had to call my boss to drive the 20 minute trek from her house to the store to open the office for me. She opened the door - and there were no keys. The 3 of us began a new search, and about 10 minutes in, my boss picks them up, right from atop the ottoman on which I had left them. RIGHT NEXT TO THE FRONT DOOR. I felt like a total fool, apologized profusely to all parties involved, didn't get home until after 11pm, and had to be back at work at 7 am this morning.


Exhibit D: Because I was functioning on less than 5 hours of sleep, I swung in ChikFilA this morning for a large unsweet tea (not a DC, but a source of caffeine). I stirred in my 4 splendas and took a huge sip, when I quickly realized that they had given me already sweetened tea. It was a disgusting mess and I had to throw the entire thing out.

What is going on with my brain? I have always had the random ditzy moment, but this string of atrocities leads me to believe that I have cut back too much, too fast.

What a ridiculously embarrassing week.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do.

I'm Mary Ann... and I'm a Diet Coke-aholic. I will down a DC at any time, any day, any occasion. My love for this carbonated wonderland cannot be replaced or supplemented by any other diet soda (though the short-lived Diet Pomegranate 7Up gave it a run for its money). I am a connoisseur of the differences between cans, bottles, and fountain DC, and I recognize the subtleties between them. Raging hangover? A can won't cut it (I find Sonic's SonicSize DC, with best-ever ice crumbles and a splash of cherry is the best cure). Road trip? 20 oz. bottle it is. 2 liter? Never stands a chance of lasting over a day in my fridge. 12 oz. aluminum silver bullet? A staple that I reach for every morning.

I've always thought my love for DC was totally justified -- I never developed a taste for coffee (unless it's smothered in things that are horribly bad for you, like sugar, caramel, sugar, whipped cream, more sugar, and broken candy cane pieces), and (just like the rest of America) I need a caffeine fix to get me started in the morning. I think a lot of my friends "grew out" of their love for soda and embraced coffee, but I guess my tastebuds never matured. I am as reliant on DC today as I was at 3 am in Fellows, writing a ridiculously procrastinated paper on any given night at Denison.

Lately, I've come to realize the realities of my addiction. As my hatred for Diet Pepsi increases, I found myself refusing to eat at Taco Bell (despite their yummy 150 calorie fresco grilled chicken taco) unless we could go somewhere to get a DC first. I am becoming a raging b on wheels in the morning if I don't get a DC within one hour of waking up. I will give up other (necessary) grocery items, such as milk or bread, to make sure I have a 12 can surplus of my little lover on hand.

That said, I recognize that this love affair is past the point of obsession. Having "plateaued" at a 12 pound weight loss, I have to 'fess up and admit that the amount of caramely cola coursing through my bloodstream (calorie free or not) cannot be helping the battle of the bulge. I know that being hydrated is one of the number one keys to weight loss and overall health, and although I do manage to down 10 8 oz. servings a day (thanks, Brita "Filter For Good" bottle!), the dehydrating effects of DC must be counteracting that.

This week, I've limited myself to one serving of DC a day. Since I am still living a normal life, and do not want my co-workers to suffer, that one serving may be a 12 oz. can, but it may also be a 32 oz. fountain. As I work my way out of this caffeine-obsessed spiral, I'm bound to hit some roadblocks, and I figure baby steps is the way to go. Wish me luck!

A lot of emotion for one lunch hour.

Enjoying my 5 piece nugget and side salad at Wendy's today, I noticed an advertisement for the concerts at 'Mardi Gras at Universal Studios', now through April 18th. I know these concerts happen every year, but hadn't been able to find a finalized schedule. When I saw Clarkson at the top of the list (on my tray liner), my thumbs went into lightning mode. After a LOT of browser frustration (f-ing flash!) and almost-very-public-tantrums, I discovered what I was looking for: the performer for Saturday, March 14th, when Linds and I rendezvous in Orlando for "Legally Blonde: The Musical". By this point, my Clarkson hopes were high, so it was a super slam back to reality when I uncovered this fact... Montgomery Gentry is the headliner for March 14th. It may be a slight bit better than some of the other possibilities (MC Hammer, Barenaked Ladies, NELLY), but still a total dis (particularly after seeing them spilling pools of sweat all over the stage before shitfaced Toby Keith played Riverbend this past fall).

Who will come to Orlando on March 28th for Kelly's show? I am going back to work with a heavy heart this afternoon.

90% Sure.

After looking at paint chips, magazines, and countless websites, I'm fairly certain that we have settled on our wedding color palette...I know I was initially leaning towards yellow, charcoal, and white, but how could I abandon my love of beautiful, beautiful green? With a almost-sort-of-in-stone-kinda date set of November 7th (yes, *this* year), yellow just seemed too summery, and I love how adding a pop of deep purple (that I've claimed would be my wedding color since the age of 4, thanks for the reminder Mom) makes it winter-inspired without screaming Christmas.

Thoughts?

February: Failure.

February's over. And, admittedly, a lot happened this past month. But there's also a lot that *didn't* happen: knitting.

This month, I managed to produce one birthday cupcake, another half-finished bday present, and HALF of a washcloth with a wave motif: I couldn't even get it together enough to finish a WASHCLOTH. I remember once, in high school, my crazy asthma-induced art teacher said she was going to draw a single line on a piece of paper, sign it, have it framed, and hang it in the entryway of her house in January. That way, every day that she looked at that measly little line, she would be reminded that, if she didn't get to it, it would be the only art she produced that year. Will this half-finished 8"x8" square be the only thing I manage to crank out in '09?

The answer will be a boisterous "NO!". Truth is, since I got my PinkBerry, I hardly get on the "real" computer anymore, and when I do, I no longer surf my favorite knitting blogs and check out ravelry for new fun ideas. Instead, I search potential wedding color palettes, dresses, venues, and desserts (not necessarily in that order). Don't get me wrong, I am feeling 0% stressed about the wedding, and I am really excited to get down to planning it all, but there is so much out there, I can look at budgets/table linens/bouquets for 4 hours without realizing time has passed. Between working, attempting to work out regularly, my rigorous television viewing schedule, and aforementioned Web addiction, there is little time left for knitting. Not to mention blogging about knitting.

What's the answer? I've always been most productive in my life when I am over-extending myself; conversely, if I have little to nothing going on, I do little to nothing. I'm thinking Excel spreadsheets, color coded into hourly segments, tailored to fit the needs of each week, may be the way to go. Can someone out there help me format my BlackBerry to tell me everything I need? Do I need to set task reminders to TELL me to (*Blogger's note: In the middle of this sentence, Deane stopped me to show me a table centerpiece idea he liked in a wedding magazine, which got us started on the color thing again, which led to me showing him about 197658 wedding color inspiration boards online -- do you see what I'm talking about?!) start knitting? I love this hobby, I want to make more time for it, and in March, I am resolving to do so. But first, I'm off to finish that washcloth...!