This is so Totally Me

From Nataliedee.com

This is so me! I would make sure I was fashionable for going out for a run. In fact, I'd put more time into my outfit than my running. In college I really wanted to become a snowboarder-- and it wasn't because I thought snowboarding was cool. I wanted a cute snowboarder outfit. I quickly thought otherwise after I tried snowboarding. I love Natalie Dee! And fashion.

Much Ado About Nothing

Last week the big story in MN was the baseball player on the Coon Rapids Little League team who spit in his hand before shaking hands with his opponate after loosing the big game. Everyone was so upset about this. The horror that the boy would do something so appaling! He ruined his teams image... Not to mention Coon Rapids. What will people across the nation think of Coon Rapids and MN. Not so MN nice anymore, are we?

It really must have been a slow news week. Seriously. The boy didn't kill the other boy. He spit in his hand and shook hands with the other kid. Yeah, it's disrespectful, but as far as the spectrum of awful things that kids do, it's not that bad. He probably should know better, but it's just kids being kids. Maybe he was dared by a team mate or just thought it would be a funny thing to do. It wasn't something that was done with malice. If you watch the clip of it, the kid was laughing. I think everyone has several memories of dares gone bad or doing something stupid from their own childhoods. I know that my own childhood was full of these experiences. The earliest one I can recall is being the lookout in kindergarten when the teacher left the room. That ended in me spending the afternoon in the hall thinking about my behavior. Or when I was in 8th grade and someone got the bright idea of pouring water on a bag from a player on the opposing basketball team. I was suspended for two games (even though I just watched) and my entire class thought I did it. I just don't think the spitting incident it's as big of a deal as people make it into. It's part of growing up to do things like this. I am sure this kid learned his lesson. And that's really all that matters.

Cringe Worthy Television

Ahhh! Right now I'm watching a Project Runway marathon! I think I've seen this episode, "Everyday Woman" at least half a dozen times. It isn't one of my favorites because it just makes me so angry. In the episode the designers have to create an outfit for one of the designers' moms or sisters. Jeffrey has Angela's mother. He is just such a jerk to her. Very disrespectful. Angela's mom is a lovely lady. Totally a typical Midwestern mom. She seems very nice and sweet. All she wants is a long dress in dark purple or dark green. What does Jeffrey do? He creates one of the worst outfits I have ever seen-- a long navy dress with some weird Periwinkle button down shirt collar. It belongs on the clearance rack at JC Penney. It is so cheap and tacky. Angela's mom needs a dress that she can feel confident in, not self-conscious. What makes me so crabby and angry is Jeffrey has no compassion for Angela's mom. He doesn't care if it looks good or she likes it. The way he treats her makes me cringe. No one's mom should be treated like that. Every time I watch this episode I end up having to cover my face and my eyes fill with tears because I feel so bad for Angela's poor mom. ARGH.

Writing Exercise

I've been having a horribly hard time working on my screenplay lately. I don't know what it is, but I haven't been able to even write a sentence. Well, last night, I made an attempt to break the writer's block cycle. I went through my old journals and wrote down ideas for scenes. It made me feel a lot better. It was kind of funny to read what I wrote three and a half years ago. I did such a good job being honest and not sugar coating anything. It was all there-- anger, happiness, frustration, etc. I almost felt like I was reading a stranger's journal. I am such a different person than I was back then. I definitely think it will help with my main character. I am so glad that I used to journal everyday. I am feeling a lot more at ease with my screenplay. I am in a much better spot with it .

They're Baaaack!

I have blogged about this before, but the Goodwill radio ads are back and more annoying than ever. My least favorite is the one with a guy and girl talking about her jeans at a party. The guy tries to guess the finish of her jeans until she becomes so ticked off she yells, "They're just jeans. I got 'em at Goodwill." YUCK. I just don't get it. It's Goodwill. Everyone knows about Goodwill. Word of mouth should be their form of advertising. They don't need to spend money on these cheesy ads, just to get people in the door. Maybe getting better merchandise in the stores would be better than spending money on ads. The last couple of Goodwills I've been in, have been less than impressive. One had Target Dollar bin stuff and the other had a really poor selection of clothing. I am hoping that after back to school the ads will stop.

New phone

Today I finally broke down and bought a new cell phone. I always wait until my reception goes to hell and the battery is so shot, I have to charge the phone everyday. My old phone was to the point where it ran in its own time zone. I don't know why I do this. I think I get really attached to my phone and I don't want to get another one. Call me crazy. Also, I don't want a phone that can teleport me to the moon and cook me a five course meal. I am very simple when it comes to my phone. I want to be able to make a call and that's about it. I do enjoy crazy, silly ring tones. I know, I know, so Totally Teen of me. My old phone's ring tone was "California" by Phantom Planet. New ring tone: "Love Song" by the Cure. Slightly more sophisticated. I was able to find a simple, basic, flip phone. It does have a camera on it, so I'll be able to take pictures and shoot videos where ever I go. I think I can play mp3's, too. I doubt that I will ever do that. I just wanted a phone. Is that too much to ask for?

Please Go Back in the Closet

Yesterday I was watching MTV and I saw an ad for R. Kelly's new DVD "Stuck in the Closet: the Next Chapters." I am not making this up. I thought it was a joke or something, 'cause why would there be more chapters of possibly the worst song ever made. The ad made it seem like it was a parody a la SNL or Mad TV. Alas, it's not a joke, it's coming out on DVD soon. And you can buy it at Target. Why R. Kelly, why? "Stuck in the Closet" has to be the most annoying and longest song ever made. It goes on forever. And pretty much makes no sense. I love the line: "I'm stuck in the closet, got no phone in the closet." It's really funny to watch R. Kelly perform it like he's doing Macbeth. Not to mention it came out around 2005, I am sure that no one cares about R. Kelly being stuck in the closet. I'd like to meet the genius record executive who thought this was a good idea. Perhaps it's a way for R. Kelly to make some money to pay for all of his legal fees. Just a thought. If only he could stay trapped in the closet.

The Ah-ha Moment of the Day

Today while defusing my hair, I had a the best idea for my screenplay: I need to change the p.o.v. / story telling method. Right now it's some sort of ensemble comedy that is sort of focused on the main character. Well, it's all about to change. It is going to be told through Sarah's perspective- with voice over. Maybe even tying in something with her thesis that she's working on is what we see. Or she's reflecting on the past a la "the Wonder Years." I've been stuck on page 59 for months and something has got to change. I am hoping to work on it this weekend.

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style

I am so excited for Tim Gunn's new show! I just saw a preview for it on Bravo. I love him! He's seems so fun. He's always so honest and yet so nice to the contestants on "Project Runway." Plus, he's sorta shark like how he sneaks in on them. I love fashion makeover shows a la "What Not to Wear." Hopefully, he won't disappoint.

What? There Was A Storm Last Night?

Last night I went to bed before the storm hit. I was really tired from work and I was annoyed that the finale of "Hell's Kitchen" was interrupted by Fox 9 news with a storm update. Was it really that necessary to have all that coverage for a thunderstorm? I think it's a MN thing. They don't do that in WI. Sure, run the message at the bottom, but interrupting should be for emergencies only. Back to the impending storm. I saw some lightening, but that was about it. When I left for work this morning before the sun was up, all I saw was some small branches on my front steps. I came home tonight and I noticed that there's two huge tree branches (about 6-8 feet) in my yard. And a third lying on the roof. I never even realized the storm was that bad. I am such a sound sleeper. If I can get to sleep before something happens, I'll never hear it. Although, it is really kind of scary that I can sleep through a big storm. It's sort of dangerous. I've always been like this, though. I recall a vacation where there was a fire drill at the hotel and if my mom hadn't have been there, I'd have slept through it. It was like that in the dorm, too. My roommates had to wake me up. What can I say, I'm a good sleeper.

Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There

Yesterday a check arrived in the mail from State Farm. Since their business is so good and I'm a safe driver they decided to reward me. Wow... I've never had that happen in all the years I've been driving. I love surprises like that. Things like this rarely happen to me. I am so excited! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the money, so I put it in my savings account for a rainy day. Thank you, State Farm.

35W Bridge Collapes

Tonight at about 6:00 pm the I35-W bridge collapsed at University Ave into Mississippi River. So far, there is only 1 fatality and many others hurt. It's a pretty grim situation. I am ok. I was at home when it happened. What sort of freaks me out is I was in that area (not on 35W, but on the 10th Ave. bridge right near by) about an hour before it happened. It's surreal. I've driven on that bridge a million times. Wow... I am speechless. About all I can say is my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

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Soccer Moms and Starbucks

Today on my break at work all I wanted was a nice iced coffee from Starbucks. I hadn't had enough caffeine this morning and I was feeling sorta cranky. Usually there isn't much of a line at Starbucks when I go on my break, but today it was sorta crazy. I can deal with that because it moves fast, however, it quickly became one of the most painful waiting in line experiences of my life because of the woman in front of me. She had three children--two walking and one in the stroller. The kids weren't the problem, it was the mom. I'm patiently waiting in line when she decides it's time to back up her Hummer-like stroller with saying "excuse me" to me. Without warning the woman and the stroller start moving backwards rapidly towards me. I ended up having to wedge myself sideways next to the table of coffee paraphenalia in order to avoid being crushed to death by the weight of the stroller and the soccer mom. All she wanted to do was get her darlings out of line so grandma could watch them. I am apparently invisible. I didn't say anything because I was so in shock from seeing my life flash before my eyes. Soccer mom gets up to the counter and orders a Grande Mocha with no whip. She inquires about the number of shots of espresso. Duh.... three shots. That was too much. She wanted one of the shots decaf. Hello? That makes no sense. She could've asked for a Grande Mocha with only two shots and not three. The barista looked sort of confused but complied with soccer mom. I ordered my drink and moved over to the side to wait for it to be made. Because my drink isn't all foo-foo like soccer mom's beverage, mine was ready before hers. Ha. It was like karma was on my side. The dumb woman took up the entire counter waiting for her drink. I said, "excuse me" to her, but she didn't budge. I ended up having to crawl over her to get my drink. She glared at me. As I was adding cream to my coffee, soccer mom was inquiring about the status of her drink and making sure there was one decaf shot of espresso. She was upset about waiting. I rolled my eyes at her.

Did I mention that I had to order a Venti rather than a grande iced coffee because I was so annoyed by the woman's behavior? Just because she has kids does not give her the right to practically run me over and show zero manners to me and the baristas. Having kids does not make her entitled to better service than the rest of us. As I've said before, if you don't have time to wait in line, don't do it. Go to Holiday and get your coffee.