Sucker for Reality TV

I probably shouldn't admit this (Micah was pretty appalled when I told him), but here it is: I admit it, if I watched TV, I’d be guilty of being A Reality Show Junkie. So, it’s a darn good thing that I don’t watch that much television, isn't it? Aside from religiously following Lost (which I only discovered part way through the season, and which, by the way, is a GREAT show), I usually steer clear of that silver box in the living room. Unlike some friends (you know who you are =P), who schedule their lives around the shows they watch (haha, yes, people actually do that!), or my roommates, who can sit for hours on end watching things like MTV Cribs, I usually do other things with my time--you know, happy hour, bowling, the gym, shopping, reading, riding my bike, etc. Now, I’m not trying to say that I’m any better than those of you who love your TV. It’s just funny, because I get sucked in so easily (especially to reality shows), and could become one of you at any moment. I’ve shown a few signs of faltering this week alone:
1. Monday. My roommate was watching MTVs Inferno. I sat down, intending to watch for just a moment, but ended up sitting through 5 episodes of it and 1 episode of Trippin’. It was all done before I could stop myself. How sad, 3 hours of my life.
2. Tuesday. I watched American Idol. First problem. Not only did I watch the show, but I voted too. Problem number two. What?! Yes, I voted. I can’t believe it myself. How sad. (In my defense, Bo was so cute and sang so well!)
3.Wednesday. After a sushi dinner with friends, I cut our night short because I had to get home in time for Lost. I even speeded home and RAN into the house. And during the show, I got mad at the roommates for talking-didn’t they understand I needed complete silence, so I could absorb the details? Really, how sad was that?

Next week: must avoid becoming a TV addict, will only watch the 2 hour season finale of Lost. Nothing else…

10 Ways to Save the Earth

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Reduce the amount of trash discarded, Reuse containers and products, and Recycle aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic, cardboard, and newspapers.

2. Save Our Trees: Recycle paper, mail, newspapers and magazines. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels.

3. Drink Responsibly: Use reusable coffee mugs and water bottles at work or on the go--you'll use less paper and plastic.

4. Hoof It: In the U.S., cars are responsible for about 25 percent of the greenhouse gases produced and 20 percent of the global total. Reduce the impact of your car use by carpooling, biking or walking. And if your car trip will take less than 5 minutes don't even bother grabbing your keys.

5. Stop Toppin' Off: Don't top off your gas tank--any gas you spill evaporates and contributes to air pollution.

6. Conserve Water: Do only full loads of laundry and don't let the water run when you brush your teeth or shave. An open faucet pours 5 gallons of water every 2 minutes.

7. Buy Items with Recycled Content: Buying items made from recycled content creates a need for recycled material. Try to cut down on your use of disposable items, like razors, dishes, and coffee cups.

8. Donate your Mobile: Checking out the latest cell phone? If you decide to buy a new phone, put your old one to good use by donating it to a charitable organization rather than throwing it away and clogging landfills.

9. Conserve Electricity: Put your computer in sleep mode and use power strips to switch off TVs and other electronics when you're not using them. Their standby power consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously. Unplug phone and camera chargers when you're not using them.

10. Use Compact Fluorescent Lights: Use compact fluorescent lights and shut off the lights when you leave a room. One compact fluorescent bulb will keep half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
-MTVs Trippin' Website

Hey, look!

Boy, the new things you can learn about people. Found out my roomate Jake modeled. That's him, on Verizon's webpage, in the red shirt:

Jake-Verizon

Like seafood?

Then educate yourself on what not to eat! Go to "Seafood Watch" under links, and check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood guide for the best and avoid lists. PLEASE, make an effort to be a smart consumer, know where you seafood is coming from, and make good enivornmental choices! You can print out the guide yourself, or upon request, I'll even send you one of the cards myself.

The sneeze that never came...

My allergies are killing me today. The wind picked up yesterday, and boy am I feeling the effects of it. There's this constant tickle in my nose, like I need to sneeze, but I never do. How annoying.

Continuation of a very busy month...

Itinerary for this weekend: Rebecca's bachelorette party tonight, work at the AoP tomorrow, Mother's Day with the family Sunday.

Next weekend: Sara's birthday celebration Friday night, Rebecca's wedding Saturday.

The weekend after that: Wendy's bachelorette party Fri night, work at Aop Saturday, Resh's bellydance show Sunday.

Memorial weekend: toe job & rehearsal dinner Fri, Micah & Wendy's wedding Sat, Kiernan's 1st Bday party & pick up Kat from the airport Sun.

Not that you guys really needed to know all that, but I wanted to share anyway. Guess I picked the wrong month to start back up at the Aquarium again. (Yep, it's true, I'm heading back there for a couple of weekends a month--couldn't stay away. Crazy me, I actually really miss doing the tours and presentations! Double crazy me, I'm going to have 6-day work weeks twice a month.) Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all. It's all busy--but fun--stuff, which is extremely better than let's say, stressing over finals (good luck to those of you getting ready for yours), or dying of boredom....

P.S. Re: Books
After my complaints about reading only mediocre books lately--I really enjoyed the last two books I read, which was so nice. The Kite Runner, as mentioned earlier, was very intense and disturbing. Not the type of book I would normally pick up, and although I cried througout the whole thing and it didn't end happily-ever-after, it turned out to be a great read. The other book was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series--so funny, interesting and quirky ideas about life, the universe, and everything--the only thing is, I don't get the ending. So, if anyone has read it and gets the ending, please fill me in. (I have a nagging feeling that the point is that there is nothing to get...but am not sure...) Gotta see the movie soon too, but when will I have time?...

Weekend Update

Another weekend whizzed by. How is it already May?!

I spent an enjoyable Friday night at the AoP’s Vegas-themed staff party at the LB Convention Center. Meghan was my guest to the event, and while her husband Liam gambled away real money with the boys, we had a blast gambling away fake money at the poker, blackjack, and roulette tables. The fake money we won was used to buy raffle tickets for a number of different raffle prizes that were offered, including a trip to the real-deal Vegas. We didn’t win anything, but it was a great night--with the free drink, food and entertainment—who could ask for more?

Saturday, I worked overtime from 6:45-11:45, then spent the afternoon helping out with planning for a surprise birthday party we threw for an AoP friend, Stef. The party was a lot of fun and she was very very surprised and had no clue, which was how we were hoping it would turn out (some pics are in the photoblog).

Yesterday, I went home to see the fam, did a little bit of shopping at the mall, went for a bike ride with Jake….and all of a sudden….
It’s Monday again!....

Quote-o-the-day

"I used to be afraid of so many things--that I'd never grow up, that I'd be trapped in the same place for all eternity, that my dreams would forever be shy of my reach. It's true what they say, time plays tricks on you. One day you're dreaming, the next your dream has become your reality. And now that this scared little girl no longer follows me wherever I go, I miss her, I do. Because there are things I want to tell her--to relax...to lighten up...that it is all going to be okay. I want her to know that meeting people who like you, who understand you, who actually accept you for who you are, will become an increasingly rare occurance...people who contributed to who I am--they're with me wherever I go, and as history gets rewrittien in small ways with each passing day, my love for them only grows. Because the truth is, it was the best of times--mistakes were made, hearts were broken, harsh lessons learned, but all of that has receded into fond memory now. How does that happen? Why are we so quick to forget the bad and romanticize the good? Maybe it's because we need to believe that the time we spent together actually meant something, that we were there for each other in a time in our lives that defined us all, a time in our lives that we will never forget. I can't swear this is exactly how it happened. But this is how it felt..."
-Joey, Dawson's Creek

(My dad made me go through and clean out my boxes of old school stuff today. I usually jot down quotes in random places, and found this one among my pages of Genetics notes. Thought I'd share the discovery.)