traitor

I just bought a whole bunch of top 40 songs for my drive to Auburn tomorrow, including (but not limited to) ke$ha, 3oh!3, b.o.b. and justin bieber.

what. on. earth. is. happening. to. me?

I just had to get that off my chest, guys. ugghh.

p.s. I did download some M.Ward. redemption? please say yes.

speculation

I don't understand the logistics of my morning commute. Actually, I don't even know the official definition of "commute". Does a twenty minute drive to work qualify as a commute? Anyways, I don't understand how I can leave my house at 7:18 one day, and arrive at work at 7:40, but then leave at 7:21 the next day and arrive at 7:36. I mean... I'm pretty consistent as far as things like driving speed and running yellow lights go. It's just one of those weird things that happens from day to day that makes me feel like I'm in the twilight zone... or something.

Also, I just discussed with my dear friend - might I even say kindred sprit - Lauren, about how excited I get whenever I meet someone who listens to Mumford and Sons. Not just someone who knows who they are, but who listens to them and knows their lyrics and takes them to heart. It's really a big turn on.* Attractive guys who like good music make my heart flutter. There, I said it.

Speaking of good music, the annual summer music swap with friends from home happened on Friday night, and I'm roughly 400 songs richer. It's a good feeling. Just a few things added to my library are Ra Ra Riot, Animal Collective, and The Grey Album... things that I probably should have already, but just never got around to buying. hooray for friends and free music! woo hoo!

Lastly, I got my hair trimmed on Friday afternoon and I think the next time I get it cut, I'm going to go short again. But don't hold me to that statement - I'm extremely fickle when it comes to making decisions about hair length. It's just speculation.

oh, and my Auburn countdown, which began here is now in the twenties :)

*should I be blogging about this? oh well.

you've really got a hold on me

I'm about to brag, big time.

Last night, I saw She & Him. I saw Zooey Deschanel, in person and got to listen to her talk and sing, and saw her bounce around the stage and get on to a guy near the front who was taking flash pictures of her. It was hot, and sticky, and there were a ton of people packed into the covered area at Sloss Furnace where they performed, but I got to see She & Him.

It was like indie music heaven.

My roommate Katie drove up from Auburn to go with me, and of all of the people I could've gone to that concert with, I'm glad it was her. We dressed up in our cute Anthropologie dresses (because let's face it, we wanted to look really good in case Zooey or M. Ward saw us), and got temporarily lost in downtown Birmingham. Oh, the things we do for live music. We also met our friend Gray there. Gray loves all of the same music that we do, so I'm also glad he was there to appreciate the experience with us.

btw, Zooey Deschanel is just too cute. She's so little. And she's sassy, and she plays the piano and the ukelele. At one point someone yelled out "I love you, Zooey!" and she stopped and said "you don't even know me. we've just met. spend five minutes with me at the end of the night and see if you love me then." And M. Ward is just too amazing. his voice is wonderful, and his guitar playing is amazing... he's just great.

The Chapin sisters opened, then sang backup vocals and did some percussion during she & him's set. They were very talented.

and my favorite part about the night, by far, was when they covered the beach boys' "wouldn't it be nice", which I will upload as soon as the internet cooperates.

silver lining. best friends. bad ice cream.

I should be writing a speech right now. ha.

Last night, I vacuumed my entire house. It happened. I did everything I could think of to get out of doing it, but when it comes to house cleaning, my mother is a maniac, and she used every compliment in her arsenal to soften me up before asking me. It worked. I did it reluctantly, while taking a few breaks to watch So You Think You Can Dance (because why on earth would I miss that show to vacuum!?), and when I finished, received a package of fun sized 3 musketeers bars which I promptly put in the freezer to be devoured at a later date. Yes, my mother still treats me after doing big favors for her. What a silver lining.

Today, during my lunch break, I ate with one of my lifelong best friends, Katherine. We talked about summer, and growing up (oh wait, aren't we already grown up? exactly.) and how we wish that our friends could all just get together and play again. We miss the days of having our moms drive us to each others houses so that we could play with our American Girl dolls together, or pretend to be spies (a personal favorite) or to play in the forts in our back yards... one time when I was eleven, I spent the night at her house, and the next day it snowed! best day of my childhood. now it's coffee, lunch, movies, talk. we just want to play.

We also talked about how girls should never ever use their hormones as an excuse for acting like a jerk. Ever. Satan can use that excuse as an opportunity to attack us and bring out the worst in us in a heartbeat, when really, there is never an excuse for acting that way. Ladies... don't let it happen. Always be prayerful about your behavior.

When I got back to work, the ice cream truck was there as a surprise from our HR and area managers (I wish all administrators would call up the ice cream man just for kicks... seriously, these people are awesome), and I, in my typical fashion, wanted to try something new. So as I was browsing over the pictures on the outside of the truck, the pink panther ice cream bar caught my eye. pink = strawberry, right? wrong. I got back to my desk and realized that mr. pink panther was cherry. with bubblegum eyes. what? Imagine my disappointment, thinking that such a lovely pink treat would be something sweet and refreshing, only to find that it was a flavor that will always and forever make me think of cough syrup. oh well.

I guess I should get back to writing my speech.

btw, I just looked out my window and the sweetest elderly couple is taking a walk down the street. I want to be like that one day.

another summer holiday

my 4th of July celebration included:

hamburgers

hot dogs

blackberry cobbler

grandparents

friends

sparklers

roman candles

my 35mm camera

and... wait for it... Baby Mama. Because what's more patriotic than the American comedy duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler?

I don't really have an extreme love for/attachment to this holiday... no traditions or special plans. But I was so glad to spend it with my lovely friends, eating, laughing and taking pictures.

best friends to the rescue... and other thoughts.

I have the greatest friends ever. Why? Because they responded quickly and effectively to my cry for help in the previous post. My days of boredom and lameness are over: Last weekend was jam packed with dinner at Jackson's, watching E.T. in the park, yogurt lab, krispy kreme, dollar movies, ihop, new wind homecoming concerts, and many, many moments of laughter and awkwardness and general happiness. So, thank you, Emily Grace, Kelsey, and other friends who don't have blogs for making the past week bearable.

other thoughts:

This week at work, I've been filling in for the receptionist, who is on vacation. Talk about a fun job... I've been in charge of the phones, mail, affairs with UPS, and I get to greet everyone with a smiling face whenever they walk through the door. Not to mention the phones have been exceptionally slow this week, so for the majority of the time, I sat, with a book, reading away. See how happy this girl looks as a receptionist? That's how happy I've been the past few days:

I even got to wear a cool headset, but it was wireless. OH, technology.

As exciting this week has been, and as thankful as I am for my summer internship, it has helped confirm that I am without a doubt in the right major, and that I should not be pursuing business or engineering. Not that I've ever seriously considered either of those things anyways... it's still a good feeling to know I am where I am supposed to be.