Links Would Be Good For Every Friday, I think.

Or at least, every Friday I have a list of them to post. So here you are:

Worth1000 hosts all kinds of media contests, like photography and text. I'd take a look at all of them, but I thought this one for Photoshop was really cool. I'm drooling over the skills of these people.

I love old road signs--here's a site that has loads of pictures of them, and sometimes some history, too.

And in case you don't read the Best Week Ever blog, here's a list of all those politically incorrect cartoons they aren't allowed to show anymore.

Like Coldplay's latest album cover? Generate your own code here. [also taken from BWE]

And, lastly, this guy is taking the blog-update excuses one step further.

Cut It Out

I was checking out my site stats and I know I've talked about it before but it's worth sharing I suppose that if you google "backboarding football players" my blog will be near the top of the results. Plus that search got me wondering, who has time to check online for the appropriate backboarding technique? And furthermore, who has time to read my blog before actually discovering said technique? Also, at Yahoo! you can search "lorenann" and "an eye for detail" and I'll show up (not at the top, but I show up nevertheless). This is a recent development as people have always told me that searching both of these terms don't get you anywhere near my site. So now perhaps more people will stumble upon my little site.

More exciting than that, though, is the fact that I am going to see Dave Coulier do stand-up this weekend, yes, Dave Coulier, from the greatest tv show ever, Full House. I still haven't gotten the first season on dvd, but I'm thinking if I don't buy groceries for a couple more weeks (I'm living off a huge box of pasta right now) I should be able to get it and have him sign it. Of course, that is if I am not too chicken. I'm sort of afraid he'll be one of those people who is bitter about that one great show they used to be in. I don't want to bring back bad memories. Does anyone have anything from The Surreal Life Season 3 they want me to have him sign?

Wherein I don't say anything about my presence in our family being better than any anniversary present you could buy

Today my parents have been married for 25 years. So, congratulations to them for that. I'm not really sure what you're supposed to get your parents for their anniversary, seeing as how you are simply a result of that marriage and weren't really there to be a part of it. For example: I spent a large amount of time recently in the Anniversary cards section at places like Hallmark and Wal-Mart and couldn't find quite the right card for them. I guess I didn't feel "I'm so happy you're still together" or "For such a happy couple" were appropriate. They are my PARENTS, I mean, seriously. I'm glad they're still together, don't get me wrong, but I don't know how you tell your parents, "I'm so proud of you for staying married, although I have NO IDEA what being married is like, so this is a totally empty sentiment because I have no knowledge base."

So...well...have a happy day is what I was going for but nevermind. Sorry you're not getting a card or anything silver. Although I have some gum wrappers I could mail you if you'd like.

Home of the Best Chocolate Milkshake Brendan's Ever Had

I took Brendan home to Loudonville for the weekend, and I took one picture (and I took it with my phone):

Brendan, on the other hand, took about 80. So click here and go see them, I'm sure it will be much more fun to look at his pictures than listen to me talk about the very thorough look at my hometown. I particularly enjoy the big fake cow at Malabar Farm that you can pretend to milk. But there are some pretty pictures, too.

In related news, after repeatedly falling out of my canoe for about five straight minutes yesterday I am BRUISED all over and it sort of hurts today. So...don't let anyone tip your canoe, it's a bad thing.

FYI: for fun

I checked my e-mail this morning and my mom had sent me something with the subject, "FYI: for fun." Now I thought something fun from my mom would be related to books or reading or writing or something like that, and I had some time so I opened it, followed the link, and do you know what it went to?

A GRE practice test. Yes, yes, so much fun I could hardly sit still at the computer long enough to finish it.

In fact I have not yet attempted to answer any of the questions. I'm not sure I will, at least not until I'm a senior freaking out about whether or not I will be able to pass the real thing.

Taken on my way to work this morning

Do you all miss Miami yet?

Update: I put more Miami (cell phone) photos on my Old Pictures page. And I made it match this one too.

Don't get me wrong. I think Newsweek is alright.

When I go to the rec, I like to read magazines like Cosmopolitan or Self while I'm using a spinning or stair-step machine. And usually, this is not a problem. But lately, it has been and it's starting to get a little aggravating.

Last week I managed to find an two-month-old Self magazine. Perfect. I got about halfway through it during my workout. So then the next day when I went back I was going to finish it, but it wasn't there. I had to opt for a falling-apart Cosmo. The next day, I had to read a People from Spring 2004, and that's just way old news that I don't really care about. But yesterday, even that was gone.

So you're wondering what's there, if it's not girly, celebrity gossip? Well what has slowly taken over the magazine rack in the past week is POLITICS and BUSINESS and that sort of thing. There were probably two years' worth of Newsweeks and something called The Nation which I thought was a literary magazine but actually turned out to be a very left-wing periodical (if you had seen the cover, you would have thought I was correct in the literary thing). I'm not very good at concentrating on things other than ARE BRAD AND ANGELINA REALLY TOGETHER? Or NEW TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR SKIN HEALTHY when I'm working out so not only did I think it would be pointless to read something political but I also thought it would be a terrible idea to read something politically skewed. Because I'd rather pay attention to how hard I'm working than read something dry and intelligent. That's just the way it is when you're hot and sweaty and have climbed 75 flights of stairs. And when they close the rec for the next month for renovations, they better put back my damn Self magazines.*


*I'm sort of afraid that they aren't going to; after all, this is Miami and most of the people here enjoy things like marketing and political science. I'll just have to start bringing my own.

[Insert your favorite Oregon Trail Fate Here]

For example: No Water. Or, Jebediah is suffering from Dysentry.



Last night I was talking to Christina while I added cd's to my iTunes. When I opened my cd drive, I found the Oregon Trail game Erin had sent with me the last time I visited home. I asked Christina if she was excited, because I was going to bring it with me so we could play it on my laptop while we drove across the (madness-causingly DULL) plains states. I think my exact words were, "We'll have the pioneer experience through the magic of electronics."

And here I have to laugh, mostly because what a ridiculous thing to say in the first place, but also because it is just not okay to say you'll have the pioneer experience in any way while utilizing things like electricity or four-wheel-drive vehicles.

That said, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say we won't die of Cholera or a failed attempt to ford the Platte River on our trip. Whew. I know I can sleep a little easier now.

I'm being watched

Every time I go to do my banking online, I see my dad's picture, and I feel like he's watching me spend all of my money. It's a little bit weird. But probably good for my spending habits.

How I spent a ridiculously muggy 48 hours

I've had a good weekend. I was going to finish it out with a trip to Miami's summer theater production of Seussical the Musical, but decided to sit it out. Mostly because I got up about an hour before I would have had to go.

Last night we went to Newport, KY to see Shadowbox Cabaret--Brendan had won some tickets. It was a lot of fun, sort of an SNL/Second City kind of thing. We also had dinner at this cute little Irish pub. Also, Newport has a crazy-looking Hooters, complete with neon-colored palm trees and a dock. Who knew?

During the day, we saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because the tickets had sold out Friday night. It was really good. I love that boy who plays Charlie, I suppose if you have PMS you should not go see this movie because you will cry everytime he talks. I am not kidding! He is that adorable. Also, someone asked me if Johnny Depp was hot in this movie. NO, he is NOT. Don't even consider it for a second.

Friday night we waited around West Chester's Barnes & Noble for our Harry Potter books. It was a madhouse. BOOKSTORES ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT so I was not very happy, but I do love me some time in a bookstore so I made the best of it. We ended up getting other books before we had to line up and reading them in the maps section ("No one wants to look at maps, right? We'll sit there.") while children in witch and wizard costumes ran around like little crazy people. Then finally, FINALLY we were told to get in line for our books. Now, we had gone at 6 o'clock to get numbers (and then come back after chinese and stops at Target and the "every single movie is sold out" theater), so we were in the 60's which put us fairly close to the front of the line (there were like 300 people with numbers and quite a few who were there to get a copy they hadn't reserved), but waiting in line for 45 minutes crammed between obnoxious, faux-wand-waving children and their parents was enough for me. So I did not tackle my book as soon as I got it. I read a few chapters when I got home that night and a few yesterday, but I haven't even touched it today. BUT I am still looking forward to reading it. It was just that it's been a busy weekend.

Now, it's time to do a little cleaning and wait for the good VH1 shows to start. Next weekend Brendan and I are heading to Loudonville. Oh, it is going to be so much fun...

Time for Links

If you are excited about Harry Potter, you are so lucky:

• jkrowling.com
• The Harry Potter Lexicon
• Mugglenet.com

If there was anything you ever wanted to know about it, it's all there.

And if you're not so excited:

• At Cliches explained, you can look up just about any figure of speech. (courtesy of Christina)
• Very random: Virtual Drum Set
• Beautiful photos from all 50 states. Ohio's alright (there's one from the College of Wooster), but some of the other states have really great pictures.
• Support your favorite Wonka brat . Link goes to my personal favorite, Veruca Salt. I probably have an affinity because growing up we often told each other, "you're being a Veruca!"

It's not okay to wear mittens in July, is it.

One of my most favorite things in the world is air conditioning. Oh, how I love it. I love, love, love it. Coming into a warm house in winter might feel nice but it does not compare with the joy I feel upon entering a house with central air in the middle of a hot (and humid, oh so humid) summer afternoon.

Guess what! I do not have air conditioning in my otherwise super wonderful house in Oxford. I have a semi-cooling window unit. (Which does nothing for the humidity.)

But actually my post is not about my house, because actually I have learned to cope with that by using lots and lots of box fans and sleeping at the foot of my bed where the fan reaches. It's not so bad.

However at work we have been having some AC issues. They have come to fix our system four or five times since I started working here and every time, about four hours after they leave, it shuts off and won't turn back on. But when they turn it on, they run it at like 60 degrees and my body! It has adjusted! It can't HANDLE 60 degrees anymore! (I suppose it's learned how to absorb water from the air and is getting 50% of its necessary liquids from the air, as well.) So when I dress for an 85 degree office setting but then end up getting a 60 degree office setting, well, it is not good. I get very cold.

I am in fact wearing a big sweatshirt right now which was, in fact, a big pain to carry to work because it is just that miserable, hot, and humid outside. I didn't want to even be near anything that was used to keep you warm.

But now, now I am not warm enough even though I actually wore shoes and socks today (I skipped the usual flip flops but that's another story) and have on the sweatshirt. And while I would not have stood to go without AC in the past, but I think about five minutes ago I said to myself, is it even okay to be THIS COLD in the middle of July!? And I don't know what's happening to me but I do know that I don't like it.

Taking the geek thing one step further:

Another one about how I'm living alone

Since I locked myself out of my house the other day, I have been really, really cautious about locking the doors. That is, I sometimes fail to lock them back up when I come in. After typing that out I realize that it does me no good. But it usually makes me feel better, so we're going to go with it.

So. I miss having the other 14,999 people on campus, I really do, but I am going to let you in on a little secret, and that secret is that I absolutely LOVE living by myself. As my mom would tell you I am not good at sharing, so this is all working very well for me.

However, there are a few drawbacks, the first being sole responsibility for the cable bill, which is $48.47 no matter how many people are using it. The second is that I am a total chicken.

I am a big wimp. For example, my friends came to visit at about 11:30 the other night, and I was just sitting on the couch watching t.v. (I have to make that cable bill worth it, you know) when I see this ARM opening MY FRONT DOOR. I had no idea whose arm it was. It could be a serial killer or a crazed rapist or someone angry at me over their internet connection (it is not my fault!). The arm did not belong to any of those sorts of people, in fact it belonged to my friend Mike who is quite harmless. Which is good because I didn't jump up or anything when I saw him open the door, I was just sort of frozen in terror. So that's always good in this sort of situation.

So, like, if you are going to come see me? It would be great but please, please, PLEASE knock.

A story in pictures

I just booked my plane ticket to go here:

(COLORADO)

And then spend a couple of days staring at this from the car window:

(The nothingness that is the plains states)

Hopefully, there will be a stop here:


(Chicago)

And then we'll be back in Oxford.

This campus doesn't have a soundtrack? What?

I love my iPod and I always listen to it on my way to and from work. The other day, I was on my phone when I left for home and several moments after I hung up I was struck by how quiet it sounded. And then I realized, I wasn't listening to music while walking home for the first time in almost a month. And I couldn't really decide if that was good, bad, or just sort of funny.

Observation

I think the architects Miami University hired were really happy with the assignment "Build us a new [fill in department] building" until they heard the stipulation, which was "oh, yeah, and all of our buildings are red brick." Because for all the creativity that was stifiled on the outside of these buildings, the insides are COMPLETELY. SCREWED. UP.

You Oughta Know

Yesterday at 4:28, some girl called who was mad about her service. Fine. I dealt with it but didn't get to leave at 4:30 when we actually close but instead at 4:45. No big deal. Then I got home and realized that I have locked myself out. Awesome. I called my landlord, who had just left the house fifteen minutes ago and was now on the way home. So, if the girl had not called, I would have been fine.

Grr.

I drove to Ross, OH, which is about 20 minutes away from here. I was not very happy. I was really mad at myself for forgetting my keys, and mad at the girl who WOULD NOT ACCEPT that sorry, Time Warner is charging us so we have to charge you. I was mad at myself for thinking it was a good idea to live here over the summer. And then, of course, the inevitable happened and I started thinking about every single thing that I could possibly think to be angry about, and specifically all the things I could be angry at myself about.

At this point, I put in Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill cd and wallowed in how unfit a person I am.

Well that only lasted about ten (okay, maybe fifteen) minutes before I told myself to suck it up. It is SO EASY to be unhappy and complain, and I will be the first to admit that I am able to do my fair share of whining. But this is not about the inner workings of my psyche, so I am going to change directions.

I decided that it was not so bad. Just in general, things are not bad. It was not bad that I was patient with the girl on the phone and got things fixed up. It was not bad that I was locked out, because of the key situation at my house: We have two doors, but I only have one key. Since I got the other key from my landlord, I was able to make a copy of the key and now I have one to each door, which is way more convenient. It is not bad that I am on my own; I mean, really, it isn't--pickle jars and all, I do like playing homemaker even if it is only for myself.

So I put away my Alanis cd and I'm hoping I don't need it for at least the rest of the summer. Although I guess she started touring again, performing all the songs from Jagged Little Pill, only acoustically. Which just can't be as good. Now there's someone who was served well by being totally pissed off.

I talk about being bored, and also there's a picture

Would someone please send me some e-mail? There's a link over there, all you have to do is click it and PRESTO you are writing to me. Yes, it is that easy. I am not going to disclose how much time I spent perusing Facebook today; however, the fact of the matter is that I would much rather have spent that time corresponding with my friends instead of joining the I Heart Flip Flops group. So please, write to me.

And now it's quiz time. Okay. Can you guess which member of my family was NOT present last night when this photo of Times Square was taken?

If you guessed me, you would be correct. My family is spending the week in NYC, seeing Broadway shows and periodically sending pictures from their trendy cell phone camera. But I am not jealous. I got to go for the Macy's parade and that was enough New York for me for a while. (What can I say? I'd rather go to Chicago.)

So you see there has really been very little happening around here lately. I brought back the other half of my belongings from home this weekend, so I've been shelving books and washing dishes (yeah that's weird, I know, my two favorite things to buy are pretty drinking glasses and novels) since Monday night. Boring, I know. Not what you expected to find a week after my 21st birthday? Yeah, me neither.

"I can make it on my own"

A couple of weeks ago my dad asked me who opened my jars for me when I was at my house down here, and I said, "I do." He asked what happens when I can't get them open and I said that that doesn't happen. That was because I hadn't opened a jar yet, and then I opened jelly and pasta sauce jars and was feeling all smug. But I believe Rachel opened the pickle jar when she came to visit. So I guess the real answer to my dad's question was, I invite my friends over and they do it for me.

So as you can see I am definitely GIRLY. I like to pretend I'm not but I am. Here is my confession. I will play video games with you, I will watch movies like Die Hard where there's lots of blood and destruction and the like, and I will join in when you make fun of too much mushy romance. But I love being a girl, I love feeling pretty, I like the color pink and I don't really enjoy being dirty.

However, I do like to be self-sufficient, which is why I don't buy things in jars. Another thing I like is having a clean windshield and a safe-to-drive car. So when I was getting ready to go home for the weekend, I realized I needed to buy some windshield wiper fluid and put air in my car tires.

The tire filling was not so bad. The windshield wiper fluid, which I had assumed would be very pain-free, was not. Why? Because I could not get the hood of my car to open. I mean, I finally did, but it would NOT open no matter how hard I tried. I finally got it to budge and then successfully dumped about half of that precious, window-cleaning solution onto my car battery. Is that bad? I don't really know.

I know what you're thinking, let's come to the conclusion so we can get this post over with, and that conclusion is, I can take care of myself unless I have to open things, at which point it is likely that I will die either of starvation or frustration.