Oh, life on a college campus… I swear after eight years as both a student and now staff member at a university the cycle of semester beginning to end gets shorter each time around. Move-in… first exams… midterms… registration for next semester… reading week… and then finals. I remember the late nights of cramming for that comprehensive organic chemistry exam or days filled with those 40 page lab papers where you pray that the unknown you’ve identified is truly what you believe it to be. So in an effort to ease the stress of the next week and a half for my 25+ student workers, I put these lil goodies together for them last night with Keri and Lauren’s help. Breakfast on the go food, study snacks, peppermint candy to keep them alert, no. 2 pencils with erasers, and 3×5 cards all to help them survive. When did I become my mother?!?!

Assembly line

The ingredients

The finished project

Eight years ago I left my parents’ home and moved off to Flagstaff for college. Like most college kids, I had a strong case of homesickness for the first semester I was away. I missed my family. I missed my home church. I missed my house, and I missed my pets, a lot. Growing up our pets were always family members and living without a furry friend hasn’t been easy. Since life in Flagstaff was first dorm life and then settling into my first apartment, I haven’t felt equipped to be a pet mommy until recently.

Four weeks ago one of my mom’s cats had two male kittens, and from day one, I staked claim on them. I made the rest of my family pinky-promise I could name them and started preparing to bring them to Flagstaff to be mine and fulfill my long-overdue fluffy need. My mom has been awesome about sending me pix messages of them over the past month, and now that they look more cute than alien, I want you to meet them. In less than a month, you’ll be able to come over and play with them for real!!!

Spacewolf: Distinguished by his dark ears.

Colonel Sanders: Perfectly-round face with white beard.

Playing like brothers.

Checking out the camera.

Ok, I just have to ask…Did anyone’s school ever taken them to a grocery store for a field trip?!?! If not, what was your worst school field trip???

Oh, oh! Check out my pink panda thermos. This IS where coffee was made to live. Doesn’t it make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?!?! (swoon)

It’s 9am on a Sunday morning, and I’m at work. I don’t mean to spend so much time here. I do actually have a life outside of these walls, but lately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Campus is abuzz with activity as frantic students hurry to turn everything in, and while I’m no longer one of them, I still feel the strain and stress of the semester end. In the next two weeks, there are yearly evaluations to conduct on my 30 students, summer projects to launch and manage, an increase in the support we provide as final projects and papers are due, and my own new work project. To top it all off, I’m struggling to retrain my body that work hours are no longer 10am – 6 pm but 7:30 am – 4:30pm.

Truthfully, its not the waking up that’s the issue. (That’s why God created coffee.) The issue is the going to bed. I’m innately a night owl. If I don’t watch myself, it’ll be 11pm, and I’ll think, “Hey, I should do some laundry… go for a drive… reorganize my life.” Then, the next time I look at a clock it’ll be 3:30 in the blessid am and I’ll wonder why I’m feeling sleepy. No wonder I’m the full-time staff member who gets the ’sorry it’s midnight but we need you to come into the office calls’… everyone else is smart enough to be sleeping!!!

So starting tomorrow I’m setting up so new ground rules for my life. No more late-night caffeine, cleaning sessions, or drives to Winslow. Bedtime will be closer to when the sun goes down than when it comes back up. Work (when possible) is to be done only at work and left there. No more hauling stuff home to work on after-hours. Instead, I’ll just stay an extra thirty minutes to crank out what is top priority in the office where there are less interruptions. Also, breakfast is a must. If I discovered anything this past week, it was that going into work mid-morning without a real breakfast is no big deal. However, going into work a few hours earlier without breakfast equals a near-meltdown by 10 am.

I’m a realist.  I know that I’m not going to be able to adhere to these new rules every day of the week.  You can’t change a tiger’s stripes, right???  But, if I manage to do it at least 75% of the time, life will be much, much sweeter.

Anyone who’s spent any amount of time hanging around these parts lately will know that it’s been an extremely long week. From the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to my first week of split office duties to the Suns losing more times than I can handle to getting called into work at 11:30pm last night and not getting to go to sleep til 3:30am, my plan for recovery this Friday night was simple: music, hot cup of tea, and bed by the end of the game. Yet, even with all my planning and forethought, I should have known such a plan wouldn’t work.

I pulled into my apartment parking lot just after 6:30 tonight and was greeted by my neighborhood children. Sad eyes and pouting faces enticed me to shoot some hoops with them before putting my great plan into motion. I had been outside less than five minutes when I noticed a figure in the distance walking toward us. Thinking nothing of it, I kept playing with the kids until I happened to look up again. I’m not sure exactly how or why but I thought as it drew near that this figure was one I knew. Maybe it was the walk with the hand tucked in the pocket or the fact that it unabashedly stared back, but in an instant, I knew exactly who it was despite the fact that there was no way it could be him. Letting go of the ball I headed off toward the figure knowing that if I was wrong this would be one of those incredibly awkward moments I’ve grown to master.

As I neared and my suspicions were confirmed, all the stress and heartache of the week disappeared. My feelings of inadequacy and loneliness were no longer. Nothing else mattered but hugging Zac who had left work early, driven six hours, and waited in my parking lot for me to get home to see me. Even as he said hi to the kids and a few neighbors and we headed inside, I was too shocked and stunned to truly express how happy I was. It was if I had wished him here and wasn’t completely sure it was real. I had just been talking to him on the phone while he drove around Willcox. How in the world was in he (mere moments later) in Flagstaff with me?!?!

He’s been here just 7 short hours, and already everything is right in my world. We’ve hung out with Jeff, watched Ryan Adams and The Office, eaten Mexican food, and take a late-night drive. He keeps asking if I’m happy, and I think I’m still too surprised to let it soak in. I’m trying not to remember that in too short of a time he’ll have to say goodbye and drive south. But, for now, I’m going to savor every moment with my brother… my rock… my best friend because he deserves to feel as loved as his drive has made me feel. I don’t know about you, but all of a sudden… this has become a pretty awesome week.

Know what that is?!?! Oh yeah, it’s a picture message from Zac of the movie poster for X-Files: I Want To Believe, the much-anticipated, ‘I’m gonna pee-squirt’ X-Files sequel. Never has there been a show that I so religiously followed and unabashedly loved as this one, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the script must be phenomenal if it could draw Gillian Anderson out of her acting hiatus. Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, and Chris Carter are all on-board, and I’m just not sure I can wait until its July release. Guess it’s time to start watching all the old episodes again. Eeek!!!

Originally, I had planned on sharing my undying love for classically bad 80s songs today, but instead I’m going to save that ‘Journey’ for another Thursday. Why? Well, to be honest, I was distracted my another musician this week. As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m in (wanna-marry-it) love with my dvr and the fact that it remembers to record shows every week that I forget (or am probably too busy) to watch. Austin City Limits is one of these shows and if you’ve ever considered yourself a fan of live music… this show’s for you. For 33 years, viewers have had the opportunity to see some of the biggest names in music perform live on an intimate stage. The ACL alumni list includes everyone from pioneers such as BB King, Loretta Lynn, and Willie Nelson to the up and coming Corrine Bailey Rae, The Killers, and Wilco.

Earlier in the week, while perusing the saved shows on my dvr looking for something to fall asleep to, I noticed that I had recorded last week’s episode of ACL featuring John Prine and Amos Lee. Knowing I could always watch it later, I fast-forwarded through Prine’s set to get to Amos, the perfect drift-on musician. I remember the first time I saw Amos Lee back in 2004 when he opened for Norah Jones and captured my musical heart in his 5-song set. There was just something soothing and humble about his music, and since that day he’s been my go-to choice for taking a deep breath and slowing down. Absolutely adorable in his ever-present overalls and acoustic guitar, Lee has a voice that is a graceful mixture of folk and soul and lyrics that are simply refreshing.

As much as I love his sophomore release, Supply and Demand, the album I desperately need to share with you is his self-title debut. Released on Norah Jones’ Blue Note label and featuring her on two songs, this album is the male version of the first time you heard, “Come Away With Me”. From the funky “Give It Up” to the prayerful “Black River”, there really is no weak link in the chain. While “Colors” had been featured in both tv shows and movies, my personal favorites would have to be “All My Friends”, “Seen It All Before”, and “Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight”. So if you need something new to listen to that will soothe the soul after a long week… day… or hour, pick this album up. When it finds its way onto your heavy rotation, I won’t even say I told ya so.

Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight: “I’m in love with a girl. Who’s in love with the world.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Seen It All Before: “Go ahead baby, run away again.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Arms Of A Woman: “I’m still afraid to turn on the lights.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click To Continue Reading…

Welcome to my new office! Notice the lack of pink, action figures, The Office memorabilia, and space! Well, I did, too. How three of us are gonna coexist in this space remains to be seen… guess I’ve just been spoiled with my current desk arrangement. But, don’t expect a few of my comfort items to not follow me there. (I promise I’ll keep it under control, H.)

Moving on, I finally began the new project at work yesterday that I’ve been hinting at for the past month and am not quite as overwhelmed as I thought I’d be. Then again, it’s early. I’m interested to see how it’s gonna work to spend half of my day in two separate places on campus while I do my real job and run this 20 hour-a- week project, but the learning experience should out-weigh the inconvenience. Right? Plus, look at the pretty new Mac I’ll be using. Makes your heart skip a beat, doesn’t it?

With only six contestants remaining, this season of American Idol is finally getting good. Tonight’s theme was the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and surprisingly enough, the contestants did better than expected with Broadway music. The first performance of the night was my favorite contestant, Syesha, singing “One Rock & Roll Too Many” from Starlight Express, and she was phenomenal. Yay! Jason, dreadlocks boy, was up next butchering “Memories” from Cats. I won’t lie… watching him hurt; I really don’t think he had any idea what the song meant. So painful. When I heard the next Idol-wannabe Brooke White was singing “You Must Love Me” from Evita, I was excited to see if her voice could capture the frailty and emotion of this song… it did not. From the get-go, she struggled, and I’m guessing will end up packing her bags and heading home which is sad because I she was original and I liked her. Oh well.

Crowd favorite David A followed the neutered cat routine of Jason and Brooke’s lyrical mishap, and honestly, anyone would have sounded brilliant after them. But, I won’t take away from Archuleta’s rendition of Phantom of the Opera’s “Think Of Me”. It’s just hard for me to get excited about this kid because every performance sounds the same, however he’s strong and consistent which means he won’t be headed home anytime soon. Irish chick Carly was up next, and thank goodness she ditched her first song choice and went with “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of this ALW tune, but it was perfect for her. Sucks to be me though, I’ll have that song in my head for the rest of the week.

Last up was David Cook. Before we talk about his performance, can anyone tell me what is wrong with his facial hair?!?! It totally reminds me of those women who dress like men and pencil on their beards… like Oprah’s pregnant man-chick. Anyway, David C went with “Music Of The Night” from Phantom of the Opera and really pulled it off despite the few moments where he wandered aimlessly as if he was in rehearsal. Did anyone else pick up on that? Also, as soon as he started singing all I could think about was Will Ferrell singing the same song on Letterman. If you haven’t seen that clip, it’s brilliant and just another one of the many reasons I <3 Will Ferrell... well, that and his sexy bod. I mean who wouldn't wanna piece of that?!?! Exactly!

With only an hour left in this day, I still have a blank post on my screen. The problem isn’t that I don’t know what to write but that I really don’t care to say anything. To put it simply, I’m in a horrendous mood and have been all day. It started hours ago. Before I had even made it to work, I was ready to toss in the towel and crawl back into bed. What set me off was simple. I had spent a significant amount of time putting together a gift for someone whose response was less than positive. Someone who knows how busy my life is. How spare moments for frivolity are few and far between, and still the voicemail I woke up to wasn’t one of thanks and gratitude but one of criticism and displeasure. It wasn’t that I did it for their praise but because I thought it would be special and would make their day. Even in such a simple task, I failed.

The rest of the day I walked around with a black cloud over my head. I smiled and pretended things were peachy-keen when needed, but still I’m sure it was obvious something was up. Normal everyday jokes and comments felt like a personal attack, and somewhere in my brain, I felt unappreciated and as if my efforts and time meant less than others. I felt stupid and questioned if everyone I strive to ‘love on’ felt the same about my efforts and just weren’t telling me. To say the least, it’s been a long, hard day.

On the bright side, I know deep down that the gift’s recipient never meant to upset me or make me feel worthless. It’s just not like them. Even now as I sit back and ponder what the other factors might have been that contributed to my foul disposition (two straight weeks of not getting home before 8:30 pm, never-ending work stress, the overwhelming feeling that there is never any time to just breathe), it seems silly that I could have worked my heart and mind into such a tizzy over something so trivial. So as this day comes to a close, I’m more than ready to put it to bed and start fresh tomorrow. As unpleasant as they can be, at least the bad days remind you how blessed you are to have the good ones, and without a doubt, I’ve truly been blessed.

Highlight of the day… the cigarette box catching fire while students still tried to dispose of their butts.

Growing up, my Grandma Vi always told me that drinking water was the most important thing I could do each day for my fair, sensitive skin. But what my grandma didn’t know was that apparently in 2008 water means more than just great skin. As Keri and I were wandering through the grocery store getting the necessities for our Sunday Night Sundaes event tonight, we found these pretty, enticing water bottles. Who knew that those simple hydrogen-oxygen bonds would lead to health, luck and love?!?! At only $2.29 a 20 oz bottle, this ‘life-changing’ liquid seems more like a scam than a bargain. Call me crazy, but I don’t plan on throwing away my environmentally friendly Nalgene bottle just yet. Grandma would be proud.

This is one of the many “Castle Boutiques” in Phoenix. Many of you might know what this place is. Other might see the sign and be able to surmise what happens inside such a place. Until recently, I was not such a person. You see, up until last weekend when I was driving around Phoenix wasting time before I picked Jeff up from the airport and I saw twenty of them, I had only see one such boutique. For years I’ve driven past that white castle-like building without such a give-away sign and thought it was one of the awesome Renaissance Festival kind of places where you watched jousting and ate massive turkey legs. Apparently, I was wrong, and thanks to a caring friend was clued me into what actually took place there, I now know. (Strangely enough the lack of windows and publicity never really seemed odd to me.) Thank goodness, I never stopped there ‘for fun’ or recommended we hold a family get-together there because that would have been awkward and hard to explain. Whowuddya thunk?!?! Guess the old saying’s right… you really do learn something new everyday.

Oh yeah, you heard me right. After its strike-induced hiatus, The Office is back and on a roll. Honestly, I was concerned with how they’d do in their return to Must-See TV, but within the first two episodes, my concerns have been laid to rest. Last week’s Dinner Party episode was easily the most awkwardly painful twenty-two minutes of television I’ve ever witnessed, and despite the pain, I’ve watched it three times this past week. I find myself giggling every time I think Jan sniffing her candles or Jim sacrificing Pam for his own freedom. More than just the awesome banter and office hijinks, it’s these little moments that fuel my love for this show. What never ceases to amaze me is how these actors get through a scene without cracking up. Take the following clip. How does someone not reach over and slap Jan or crackup at Jim sabotaging Michael?!?!

(Beware of Spoilers) Click To Continue Reading…