More from the Cloud or, alternatively, how pretentious am I for naming the interworkings of my brain?

Things are a little hectic right now, so my ability to focus and write a well-planned and structured post is severely limited. I'm going to visit my husband this weekend, so I'm getting ready for that (seriously, this distance thing is ridiculous) and my cat has killed four (4!) mice in the past 2 days, so obviously that's a problem I need to deal with. Anyway, other than the feeling that mice are crawling all over me, here are some things that are on my mind right now:

*You know how when you get on a workout kick and at first you can see what a difference it's making almost every day? I love that feeling. But now, I'm in the part where I kind of plateau and I have to either kick it in and workout harder or change something else like my diet, with which I have a real problem. Seriously? Does my body even know how much motivation I had to work up to start working out in the first place? Now I need to find more? I think I need Jillian Michaels to come to my house and start berating me otherwise that's just not happening.

*Beyonce's song "Love on Top" is awesome. Here's the thing though, I don't know if I actually really like the song or I like the fact that every time I hear it, I think how cute pregnant Beyonce was with Jay-Z at the VMAs. I think that might be it.

*I've been watching a LOT of chick flicks lately because my husband's out of town and I can. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm almost at the point where I'm ready to watch some action or sports-themed movies now. Instead of crying, I think I'm ready to watch a movie and yell at the television "Get out of the WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" or you know, something sporty. Although, sports movies usually make me cry, but whatever, my point is, I think I need an injection of testosterone in my movie watching, for a limited time only.

*Looking at the photos of the New York Fashion Week shows has made me really happy. You can check out My Tumblr to see some of the pretty clothes I really like. Of course, on the flip side of the coin, there are a few things that make me sad. 1) I will probably never be able to buy/wear any of these clothes because I am not in the yacht-owning tax bracket and 2) Models are too sickly thin. They just are, I'm sorry I can't get over it.

*I had a Peanut Butter and Jelly Pinkberry not too long ago and I'm not kidding, it was the most amazing frozen treat ever. It honest-to-god tasted like a really well-made PB&J sandwich. You know, perfect PB to J ratio but it was also creamy and had these crunchy lightly-sweetened crouton-like things on it too. Oh. My. God. If you have a Pinkberry near you and they are still making this taste explosion, go get one.

Probably the most hilarious part of ordering this was the Pinkberry employee immediately telling me that the Peanut Butter yogurt was NOT non-fat. I was all, it's cool, I just want this in my mouth.

*Shows like The Lying Game and Pretty Little Liars and really any show that takes place in high school now make me wonder if teenagers actually get that dressed up for high school now. I mean, I remember the days when it was simple, you wore a non-imposing outfit from American Eagle, finished it off with a pair of Doc Martens, preferably the Mary Janes and called it a day. Now the kids on these shows are wearing dresses that I would consider too fancy for a cocktail party sometimes and unreal high heels! Hello? You are not going to be able to run to class and make it before the bell in those. I'm so old.

Seriously? This outfit says "Pre-Calc" to you? *Side note: Just realized how much I say seriously. SO Grey's Anatomy of me. Sorry about that folks and yay blog self-awareness!

*I seriously can barely wait any longer for the iPhone 5 to come out. My current phone is the original model, the one they don't even sell anymore, not even at a super discounted price. It freezes a lot, especially when I play Words with Friends, which makes owning at that game very difficult and I'm convinced that I will get better service with a newer model because Danny's iPhone 4 definitely does. That said, I wouldn't trade this phone for any other phone out there because Apple has me brainwashed and I'm ok with that.

*There is no better clothes-related feeling than trying on a new pair of pants and having them fit you like a glove. Actually scratch that, it has never been my experience that gloves fit my hands exceptionally well, so let's just say they fit like really awesome pants. I've been fortunate enough to have that feeling with the past 2 pairs of pants I bought and it almost makes me get over the 4 dead mice in 2 days thing.

Alright folks, my brain is empty now, see you after my weekend out West! (I'm going to Salt Lake City, by the way, yay mountains!)

Happy Things This Week(end)

Happy Things This Week(end) by carlyvg featuring vintage necklaces

My Teenage She-roes

I have two amazing 17-year-old women in my life. One is my sister-in-law, Lizzie and the other is a young lady that I tutor in English, Kelsey. These girls give me faith in the younger generation because they are smart, down-to-earth, confident and amazingly drama-free for teenage girls. They are a step ahead of their peers for sure. Of course they have emotions and worries and problems like everyone else, but it's in the way they deal with those problems and don't let them affect their personalities or relationships that make them so wonderful.

First my sister-in-law Lizzie. She's seriously one of the coolest people I know and by cool I mean, truly cool without even trying. First of all, and this is by no means the most important thing about her, she is a great dresser. She wears clothes that are relaxed, fashion-forward and age appropriate all at the same time. Her awesome dressing ability, however, is a reflection of her great personality. She is also astoundingly busy for someone her age between school, sports, volunteering and other extracurriculars, but it seems like she still always invests a lot of effort into the people she cares about, her family and friends. She's got her priorities straight at 17, a feat that I still struggle with at 27. Of course she's still learning about herself and her place in the world, but I feel like I can learn a lot from her too. Oh, and she's gorgeous and tall, so she's pretty much the total package. I'm stoked that my children will share genes with her and look to her as a role model because she already makes a good one.

Danny and I with my siblings-in-law. Seriously, how cute is she?

Kelsey is another young woman from whom I've learned a great deal. Honestly, if she and Lizzie knew each other, I'm pretty sure they'd be friends because they share many similar qualities. I began tutoring Kelsey last year before I got my current job and needed some extra money. Now that I have a full-time position, tutoring isn't really essential financially, but I have no intention of giving it up because I genuinely look forward to my time with Kelsey. I love working with her because she genuinely likes learning. She's also outgoing and fun and enthusiastic, but my favorite thing about her is her curiosity and hunger to learn. I love talking with her about her assigned books from English and seeing her think of something in a different way or suddenly realizing a new point that she hadn't before. Honestly, I also think my working with her has indirectly led to my writing on this blog. She's helped me rediscover my love of expressing my thoughts in writing because I've been helping her do just that for the past year and watching as she genuinely grows to enjoy it as well.

Basically these two young ladies have been inspirations to me and no doubt to the other people around them. These girls are going to do great things, and in fact, I think they already have, just by being themselves. Thank goodness for these girls and others like them, because the world can use every amazing woman it can get.

The New Girl or My Girl Crush on Zooey Deschanel

Seriously, how cute is she?

So unless you've been living under a rock the past few weeks, you've surely seen some of the intense marketing push for Zooey Deschanel's new show The New Girl. Based on my past experience, TV or movies that are marketed this heavily are usually a disappointment and I was worried that this would be the case for The New Girl. However, when I saw that they had made the pilot available for free on iTunes, I had to check it out.

Much to my surprise and delight, I discovered that The New Girl is an adorable and charming show! Huzzah!

I always knew that I loved Zooey Deschanel, but I think this show is going to take my girl crush to a whole new level. She's kind of my hero. She's married to the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie, which is one of my husband's favorite bands (I like them too, but I liked Postal Service better). She's an actress, musician and co-founder of what is quickly becoming my favorite website, hellogiggles.com. She frequently pulls off outfits that I wish I could pull off myself. And now, she is the star of what I think may become one of my new favorite shows. I know, I'm gushing, but seriously I want to be her.

Anyway, back to The New Girl. The show made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions. The pilot contained multiple references to Dirty Dancing, which was enough to secure my loyalty alone. The supporting actors were pretty good for the first time out and I feel like they will gel even more now that they can find their groove. The character Jess, played by Deschanel, is quirky to say the least. She has awesome nerd glasses and frequently makes up theme songs for herself, a talent which I wish I possessed.

See? Freakin' cutest nerd glasses ever.

So to sum up: I love Zooey Deschanel and everyone watch The New Girl so it stays on television and doesn't get cancelled like Running Wilde. Kthanksbye!

The Cloud: Also Known as the Inside of my Head

Since I'm just not in the mood for a traditional and possibly too-wordy post (sorry about that readers, I'm working on it), here are just a few random musings I've been having:

 
*It's listed on the sidebar of my blog, but I want to talk about it more because it's that great. HelloGiggles.com is such a triumph for female voices (but there are awesome men who write for it too!) This website's articles make me think, laugh and, twice so far, cry. I feel empowered to put more of myself out there because of this wonderful forum and it's my goal one day to submit a post and get it published on this site.

*They're remaking Footloose. My current position on this is somewhere between indifferent and disgusted. However, it inspired me to watch the original last night. ZOMG I love this movie. I danced along with about 5 scenes. Also, Kevin Bacon is a pretty tiny guy in this movie and still SUCH a stud. Good work KB.

*Don't you hate when something about a person annoys you and then you're alerted to that annoyance so that they annoy you at an intensity that increases with each interaction? I need to do some kind of voodoo mind trick on my own brain so I desensitize myself to these tics.


*Why do I own so many fancy (aka purchased at Sephora) lip glosses when I primarily use Cherry Chapstick? Seriously, do I need 3 different kinds of Lip Venom?

*Sports fan is never really a phrase used to describe me, but lately I've been getting interested in football. Not just in the final score either. I'm paying attention to actual plays and you know what? I'm kind of riveted. Running football plays is not unlike executing a well-blocked scene in a theatrical production and that warms my Theater-major heart.

*I appreciate my husband for lots of reasons, but one that's been cropping up a lot lately is that he makes me want to cook for him. Now that he's gone, I don't have that inspiration. Cooking for one is really difficult to get motivated for, especially because I'm kind of a leftover snob. One more reason he needs to come home soon.

*My latest DVD purchase was Season 3 of Parks and Recreation. I told my husband we had to get it for the betterment of our marriage because Ron Swanson brings out the best in each of us.

Not from Season 3, but come on guys, BREAKFAST BUFFET.

*Do you have those things you wish you liked but no matter how many times you try them, you just can't? For me, those things are running with no other purpose (i.e. not soccer or basketball or something with a goal other than getting to another place), coconut, American Idol and any type of shorts on myself, even if they're considered "flattering for my body type." I have changed over on some former items in this category however, so who knows, maybe in 10 years I'll be a marathoner. HA! I seriously just laughed out loud at the thought.


*Finally, I titled this post The Cloud because I still don't have a very accurate understanding of what the Cloud is. In my head it's just a bunch of Internet thoughts floating around out there somewhere in a pretty blob that in my version includes glitter and/or sparkles (See below for a loose approximation). This post (and really, my blog in general) would be a good example of my idea of the Cloud: stuff I like out in the land of Internets.

 

In Appreciation of My Parents

I've been away from the Internets for the Labor Day weekend and I missed it, but I didn't. The main reason I did not really miss the Internets is because my parents came to visit. I'm just going to get this out of the way and sorry if it sounds too braggy, but My Parents Are Awesome. For real, they are two of my best friends (and that's not because I have no other friends) but they still manage to be parents too in the support me all the time, give me candid advice and not spoil me rotten kind of way. I love them and not just because I have to.

My dad is hilarious, generous and protective without being overbearing. My mom is truly kind, fun and is my willing sounding board whenever I need to vent, which is often. I should also mention that I'm an only child, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Not because I get everything I want and am super spoiled but because we are a team, the three of us. I'm sure siblings are awesome but I didn't feel like I was lacking anything from not having them when I grew up other than a well-developed pain tolerance. (No really, I immediately cry when I get smacked on the butt. It happened twice in high school. Twice.) The reason my childhood felt so full is because of my mom and dad and the choices they made in raising me and the people they are as role models.

This weekend when they came to visit, it was like vacation even though I was technically the hostess. That's because with my parents I have lots of fun, eat great food, laugh a lot and feel completely myself all the time. It's not stressful. Well, it's not stressful except when I'm trying to figure out what to order at the next awesome restaurant they take me to. Did I mention I eat really well when they visit? Thank god my mom and I went to hot yoga too!

The last part that's great about my parents is that I'm self-aware enough now where I can recognize I get some of my best qualities from them. My mom passed on her passion for music, movies and television. I am a pop culture junkie thanks to her. My dad passed on his ability to make people laugh (which I like to think I do) and a desire to entertain. I have my mom's smile and blue eyes like my dad. I sound like my mom when I laugh and talk (so I've been told, a person never really knows what they sound like to other people) and I have inherited a lot of my dad's mannerisms. From both of them I've inherited the abilities to be fiercely loyal, to give really good hugs and to be passionate about what I love. They are the best parts of me and I feel so lucky that I have two such extraordinary people to call Mom and Dad.

My Top 5 Flicks That Make Me Want to Get My Groove On

There are lots of amazing dance movies out there. Most of them make me embarrassingly attempt to perform their signature routines myself. I'd be lying if I said I've never done the "Maniac" routine from Flashdance alone in my apartment. Below are the movies that make me dance along the most (or at least attempt to). Fair warning: 2 of these aren't strictly dance movies BUT they include dance routines that are seriously AH-MAZ-ING.

My blog's first gif! Yay internet!

Center Stage

I have to start with a true classic, or at least a true classic for my generation. This is the story of a girl with bad feet and poor turnout who realized she needs to find her inner rebel ballerina while wearing red toe shoes that I would wear every day if I could get my hands on them. Ok, that's a TERRIBLE summary, but this is a classic underdog story with beautiful dancing, mediocre-at-best acting and boys that dance! What's not to love? If only I hadn't quit ballet at age 9!

You can't tell, but they're doing Thriller

13 Going On 30

This movie is completely adorable but if the only five minutes you see of it are those in which most of the cast performs the Thriller dance routine, your life will be better for it. Watching Mark Ruffalo clearly counting out the beat in his head while he does the moves is probably the most endearing thing ever. 

Now I can't stop with the gifs. They're amazing.

Footloose

The above gif (my new favorite Internet thingie) shows my favorite dance move from the famous scene in Footloose where Kevin Bacon (and his stunt double) is SO MAD that the small town he's recently moved to does not allow dancing and he just has to DANCE. So he goes to a conveniently abandoned warehouse or mill or something and just dances his little wife-beater clad heart out. I'm so obsessed with this movie I can't even describe it. The soundtrack, the choreography and, hello, KEVIN BACON. Love love love.

So Baby's lift was better than Emma's, but it's still the best duo dance move of all time.

Dirty Dancing (and now, Crazy, Stupid, Love)

I'm not even going to get into this one too much. If you haven't seen this movie, I don't think I want to know you. Also, this movie is so awesome that its best and most climatic dance move is replicated in another awesome movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love. I'm probably going to force my husband to learn how to do lifts with me. I think it's something we need to do at weddings, tailgates, what have you.

These two are presh.

Slumdog Millionaire

This movie is incredible not even in a guilty pleasure way. The part that makes me want to take a Bollywood dance class (I made that up, but I think it should be a thing.) is the finale dance routine to "Jai Ho." Also, my husband is obsessed with this dance and whenever it comes on, I think of him doing the sweet Indian dance moves. He even threatened to do the Jai Ho routine flash mob style at our wedding ceremony. A small part of me is sad that didn't pan out, but I don't think the priest would have been too thrilled.

Honorable Mentions: (and by that I mean already mentioned on this blog in previous posts)
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Girl Power Movies)
Newsies (Camp Eberhart's Lip Sync)