Things to do Before I Turn Thirty

Back in college my friends and I were big fans of the TV show Friends. I remember watching an episode called, “The One Where They All Turn Thirty” where the characters’ thirtieth birthdays are shown. Phoebe, who was always my favorite of the female characters, spent her day catching up on her list of things she wanted to do before she turned thirty.

Well, this month I celebrated my birthday. And, since I’m now a lot closer to thirty than I am to twenty, I thought it might be fun to start my own list of things I want to do before I reach this milestone birthday.

Here are a few of the things on my list:

• Write a book that gets reviewed by Kirkus Reviews


• Go to Hawaii


• Watch my favorite movies in Spanish


• Know enough about my iPod that I don’t have to ask my husband for help anymore


• Know the moves on my favorite dance-workout DVDs as well as the instructor


• Re-read the classics I read in high school


• Go on more adventures with my husband


• Find the perfect pair of jeans


• Be able to lower my heels completely in yoga’s Downward Dog pose


• Learn at least one song on the guitar


• Become a favorite aunt


• Design and sew my own grocery totes


• And finally, because I believe in shooting for the stars, become the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question
  
  So what’s on your list? What do you want to do before you turn 30, 40, 50, 60, 70?

Did You See It?

by Elodia Strain

Last year, as far as I remember, September 25th passed without much fanfare.

Not so of this year. Because if the buzz at my local grocery store, doctor’s office, and library—not to mention hundreds of thousands of Facebook pages—are any indication, September 25th was nothing short of a holiday this year.

Why, you ask. Well, the Season Premiere of The Office, of course.

Yes, I watched it. And then as I read a book just before bed, I thought about the show. And I came to a very strange conclusion: I really should hate The Office.

I mean, in its four seasons (and one episode), the show has managed to make jokes about the elderly, the mentally handicapped, and those who don’t wear size four jeans. Plus, it’s included a number of degrading comments and storylines about women and minorities, and even poked fun at depression and suicide.

When I put it all down like that, I can’t help but wonder: Why the heck do I like this show? Why do millions of people like this show?

Is it because we live in a society where everything we say can get us into trouble? An age of political correctness that causes us to breath a sigh of relief that the ole’ First Amendment is alive and well.

Or is it simpler than all that? Is it the fact that, mixed in with all the non-pc humor, is sheer ingenuity? I mean, Jim sending faxes to Dwight from “Future Dwight”—I’m laughing just thinking about it. Do those moments sort of make viewers excuse the rest?

What do you think? Am I concerning myself over nothing? Or should I be worried that I’m willing to put up with so much that makes me cringe for those genius moments?

I don’t know if I want to know.

Because I really want to watch next week.

Freecycle Rocks!

It seems like these days everyone is looking for a way to save a buck. Recently I found a really cool group online called The Freecycle Network, and I thought I’d share it with you blog readers.

Basically it works like this: people who don’t want things anymore are paired with people who do (and vice versa.)

For example: I wanted some tote bags to use while grocery shopping, and I found a woman here in Provo who was giving some away. I have a really nice brown wool peacoat that’s too big for me, and I saw a woman looking for a winter coat and offered it to her.

And if you’re thinking, “Oh they’d never have the kind of thing I need,” I’ve seen people giving away washers and dryers, televisions, children’s Halloween costumes, even used MP3 players!

So if you’re looking for a fun way to save cash and the environment at the same time, check out your local Freecycle Network! It’s like a garage sale where everything is free!!!!!!!!!!

Black Mark Bloopers

In the book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, author Lynne Truss uses her sharp wit to discuss the “disastrous state of punctuation in the modern world.” (Amazon.com)

The book’s cover features a drawing of a gun-wielding panda bear. And then inside, the book explains that the bear—thanks to some misplaced punctuation—“Eats, shoots, and leaves.”

It’s a hilarious look at the difference a black mark makes. And so, just for fun, I thought I’d list a few of the black mark bloopers I’ve seen lately.

Seen on a local massage therapist’s advertisement: Two Massage’s For the Price of One Seen on a Christmas card: Love, The Taylor’s
Seen on Lorelei Gilmore’s T-shirt on an episode of Gilmore Girls (the season in the purple box): Love the One Your With
Seen in a high school yearbook: Love you’re friend Janet

Seen in an Iowa Airport: The above photo found at passiveagressivenotes.com

So, tell me, have you seen any black mark bloopers lately? Let’s get a list going.

Verbs of the New Millenium

by Elodia Strain

So, I’ve been thinking about how if my seventh-grade self were plopped into a modern middle school she would have no earthly clue what was going on. Case in point, the following conversation featuring a ton of “verbs of the new millennium”:

“So I friended you on MySpace.”
“Hold on, I’m texting my boyfriend.”
“Did you tell him I burned that new Nelly song?”
“No. But I did tell him you Netflixed every episode of The Office known to man.”
“It’s my favorite show! Did he download those pictures of Nikki?”
“Yes. And he said he Googled you too and found a picture of you and the swim team.”
“Ugg! I wish I could have Photoshopped my thighs in that picture.”
“Don’t worry, he says he’s only gonna blog about it a few times this week.”
“If he does, I’m so going to erase all those episodes of Deal or No Deal he TiVo’d at my house.”
“He said that wasn’t him, it was your dad! But don’t erase them…just in case.”
“Uh huh.”

Middle-school me would have a seriously spinning head after that conversation!

It’s absolutely crazy to me how the technological revolution has added a whole slew of words—verbs, nouns, adjectives—to the English language.

Have any you’d like to add to the little list I started above? Post them in the comments. Let’s see how many we can come up with!

Confessions of a Blogging Slacker

by Elodia Strain

Well, I’ve been so busy lately that, I admit it: I’ve been quite the blogging slacker. So I thought maybe I’d write about a few of the cool, fun, (and a couple just plain crazy) things that have been going on.Here’s what I’ve been up to…

1) Taking a trip to Texas where I experienced a cricket jumping on me in my sleep, watching my father-in-law taking a shovel to a snake, and learning to drive a truck.

2) Playing with my niece. You seriously wouldn't believe how brilliant and imaginative this kid is. And I’d forgotten how much fun paper dolls and art projects were!

3) Finding a good recipe for chewy homemade granola bars. Thank you Recipe Zaar! http://www.recipezaar.com/

4) Searching for a gradual self-tanner with no parabens. And finally finding one. Coppertone Gradual Tan!

5) Making sure my younger sister had a beautiful wedding. And she did! During a trip to visit me, she found her dress; we searched for announcements, a baker, and a veil online, and ended up finding all of them; and then when the day came, I will never forget what it was like to have her take hold of my hand with tears in her eyes and say, “Thank you for being here with me.”

6) Having my first ever Aveda massage. Worth every penny.

7) Reading some fun books (The Hopeless Romantic’s Handbook had a title I couldn’t resist) and watching some fun movies (Lucky Seven was a pleasant surprise.)

8) Working like mad to finish writing my current WIP.

9) And finally, thinking about how blessed I am to have been able to do all of them!

Take care blog readers. And stay tuned for next week’s: Verbs of the New Millennium

Here’s a teaser: Ten years ago, if a guy had walked up to me and said, “Hey, I Googled you yesterday,” I would have seriously considered slapping him. But not today....