The Adventures of Kinky Reggae: A Vagabond for Beauty

You know how sometimes you get so excited for things that are going to happen, and then it's a big letdown? The past week was not like that AT ALL. Friday: The district's Christmas gift to us was a half day of school, so I used my extra few hours to get a facial (my first one!), haircut, and manicure. Then I went out to Sangria with Nina and Hannah. So delicious! Saturday: My mom came to visit! We went out to dinner in Little Tuscany, then saw Phantom of the Opera. The main reason we went was because the girl who played Christine was so amazing. The guy who played Phantom was really good the first time I saw it, but he was off this time. But it was still nice. Phantom was the musical that got me into musicals and singing. It's definitely not my favorite anymore, but there are still things I love about it. Sunday: My mom and I ordered take-out from one of my favorite brunch places, Hashbrowns. I drove her back to the suburbs, then came back to the city to go see W

It took me hours to do my homework and make candy tonight. I finished a little while ago and couldn't wait to go to bed. Then, I noticed lots of activity outside my apartment. We weren't able to park on the street in front of my apartment tonight, and I couldn't figure out why. So I went outside and asked someone official looking. She told me that they're filming the pilot for a TV show right in front of my apartment. I Googled the show and found out that it stars Patrick Swayze. So Patrick Swayze is somewhere in the vicinity of my apartment. The lady also said that there is going to be a big explosion, which I'm dying to see. But it won't be for a while; they just started setting up. So, do I stay up super late to watch? Probably not... but maybe. I don't know if I can sleep with all the commotion outside my window. I don't know if I'm excited or annoyed. I think the annoyance will win when I get less than 6 hours of sleep.

Yeah, I definitely am. You would think I'd have learned after the near disaster with apple pie, plus the numerous other fiascos I've had in the kitchen. But it's Christmas, so I thought I'd make candy for my coworkers. I found the easiest possible recipes, and it still all went wrong. All I had to do was melt some freaking chocolate. I put it in a plastic bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, took it out and stirred it, and put it back in for 45 seconds. (There were 2 lbs of chocolate, so this was not overdoing it.) By the end of 45 seconds, there was smoke coming from the microwave, and my apartment smell disgusting. I figured I was burning the chocolate, so I put the bowl on the stove and stirred it. I went to put it back in the microwave (because the chocolate clearly wasn't burned) and noticed that there was a trail of chocolate behind me- I had burned a hole in the bottom of the bowl. How is this even possible? Maybe I will just buy something for my c

I'm going to... Do yoga (maybe on the beach, if I could find some kind of cool class that does that) Read a romance novel (maybe even two) Eat my uncle's delicious bruschetta Wear my favorite flowy skirt with sandals Do shots of Patron and make out with a random boy Play my Nintendo DS that I'm getting for Christmas Go see the manatees Take my cousin out for ice cream Go to Sonic every day for drinks (we don't have Sonic in Chicago) I'm not going to... Answer my phone Do homework Grade papers Write lesson plans Worry about money Have panic attacks 9 more days!!!!

I came across this quote by Mother Teresa that I really like. It's from her Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech: " One of them asked me: Say, Mother, please tell us something that we will remember, and I said to them: Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. Smile at each other. And then another one asked me: Are you married, and I said: Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at Jesus because he can be very demanding sometimes. This is really something true, and there is where love comes - when it is demanding, and yet we can give it to Him with joy."

I have mentioned before that I have a little crush on my financial advisor. So I'm sending him a Christmas card; how do I sound flirty and not dirty? And flirty in a way that if he's totally uninterested, I won't be completely embarrassed the next time I see him?

Do you ever feel like you're not pulling your weight in a friendship? I love doing things to help my friends, but I'm not very good at it. First of all, I'm not one of those people who just intuitively knows what people need. And second of all, I don't have a lot of helpful skills. Last night, Nina helped me with homework until 12:30 a.m., despite the fact that she had her own finals to study for. My assignment was on Excel, and I have no idea how to do anything on Excel. This summer, I had to take a statistics class. Most of those assignments were on Excel as well, and my friend Whitney pretty much did my homework for me. When something goes wrong with my car or computer, I call Dave. He gives me medical consultations too, and last year, he and Ken helped me move (even though I hardly ever see Ken!). When I need encouragement, I call Rachel. She always understands exactly how I'm feeling and what to say (because that's what female soulmates do). Nina i

you're in a hurry and you download the wrong version of a song. Last week I really wanted to hear some Oasis, but I downloaded this stupid live version of Wonderwall instead of the original. And yesterday I just had to hear It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp, but I accidentally downloaded the version with no cursing. And it's so annoying, because you know exactly what they're saying anyway! It's not that I love to hear people swear, but it just makes the song lose its effect. Other random thoughts... Do you ever hear a song that just takes you back to a certain time in your life and the feeling is almost overwhelming? I'm listening to my favorite song from junior year of college right now, and those of you who know me well know what was going on in my life beginning of junior year. Such craziness, but we've all come so far... I think romantic comedies have become depressing to me because I don't think I'll ever have that. I don't want to go to b

This week has been completely unremarkable and just flew by. I haven't blogged because I haven't had anything to say. I hate weeks like this because I feel like I can't get ahead; I'm only thinking about the present. I'm so behind on all the boring stuff that needs to be done, like laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, and cleaning. But that's low priority right now; I have lots of homework this weekend, Christmas presents to finish, and I'm meeting my little sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters tomorrow. So I just keep getting further and further behind with all the other stuff. Maybe my mom will come clean with me. She used to do that at my old apartment sometimes. She would pretend she was on some reality show about ladies who go into people's messy apartments and clean. Anyway, the good news is that I booked my flight for Florida today. So I have lots of exciting things to look forward to- Martinis and Manicures with my Bible study group on Mon

Yesterday was the perfect day to be all nice and cozy in my apartment with a cup of hot chocolate. I went to World Market before all the crazy weather began to get some fancy hot chocolate and a nice mug. Then, I stopped by Dominick's for marshmallows. And that's when I remembered- I recently learned that marshmallows are not vegetarian (because of the gelatin). So I can't eat them. I am not happy about this. When I learned the truth about marshmallows, I wasn't too upset. Because honestly, who eats marshmallows on a regular basis? But now, I'm thinking of all the ways this is going to affect me. What am I going to do on campouts? S'mores are the best part! How will I drink hot chocolate? And how can I go the rest of my life without eating another Rice Krispie treat? Well, yesterday I solved the problem by drinking champagne instead of hot chocolate. And today, I did a little research and found that I could buy vegan marshmallows online. I'm a l