Possibly Even Better Than The Penis Costume...

... my cousin and her friend were "Rock & Roll".
Yes, they have rocks and empty toilet paper rolls glued to them. I think this takes the cake for most creative!

Tomorrow I'll be toning down my pirate costume for work. A little more black and a little less tummy. I sort of like my job. :) I'm taking my camera because we're going to have some awesome pirates... I'll post what I can tomorrow night!

P.S. I think my world is crashing down... if these two can't make it, who can?! http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1552282,00.html

Halloween Comes Early

After an incredibly long, frustrating week, I definitely needed to blow off some steam. What better way to do that than dress up like a pirate and party it up?!

Friday night we went to Amy and Rachel's Halloween/housewarming party. So much fun. I got to see some friends from high school that I hadn't seen in forever and Amy has the cutest little apartment! Here are some fun pics of us getting ready:

Amber the crack whore:


Kristine the prom queen who came in second:


Brigitte the go-go girl:


Me, the pirate:


Me and Will:


Me and Amy:


The girls:


Then, on Saturday night we got all dressed up and headed over to Brigitte's parents house for their Halloween party. It was a blast and there were definitely some "creative" costumes.

There aren't really words:


Brig and I:


Amber went from crack whore to duck hunter overnight:


Alyse's new dog, Taz - he's only 10 weeks old!


They had some cool ideas - Brig and her mom took pictures of everyone and framed them (right then and there) and then added little tags that said "Halloween 2006". So everyone left the party with a really cute picture! The house was decorated REALLY well and was totally cute!

More exciting news... on January 12, 2007 we will be going to see Justin Timberlake! Woo hoo! I can't wait to see him bring SexyBack live!!! :)

Today is recovery day (and stay the heck off my feet day - holy cow, wearing boots with 3 inch heels all weekend is not a great idea). Happy daylight savings!

WORST TO BEST

Holy cow... today went from the worst day ever, to the best day ever. It started with some major computer problems on my work laptop. To make a long story short, I couldn't access my email all day. I started with the tech people at 7am, ended up in the office with them until 3:30pm. Crazy.

But here's where it gets good. Carrie had invited me to the Kings game tonight. Lo and behold, they no longer have their box seats - instead, we were EIGHT ROWS FROM THE FLOOR! Holy cow, I could almost reach out and touch them! It's amazing, the players look so much bigger from that low! The coolest part was how into all of us Kings fans were... we were cheering like it was game 7 of the playoffs! We had the absolute best time. Here's Brig and I at In-N-Out:



Here's Carrie and Amy at the game:

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h19/annasmithson/KingsGame10-24-06003.jpg

Here are a couple of Mike Bibby (who didn't play because he has mallet thumb):



And here's all of us girls after the game:


Peja and Bobby both play for the Hornets, so we got to see them again - I have some cool pics of Peja! If you want to see the rest, shoot me an email!

We also had "A1" parking. As in row A, stall one. Which meant the only way we could have gotten any closer would have been to park on the front lawn. We felt like superstars!

To make matters even cooler, Amy's boy toy works there and got Carrie down on to the floor to play one of the tie out games (she did really well and won a t-shirt and a mini-Slamson). THEN he gave us all tickets to get an autograph after the game from one of our new players, Louis Amundson. I can't even begin to tell you what an awesome end of the day it was!!! THANK YOU CARRIE!!!

S.A.D.

I am sad to report that Eva has officially been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Here are the official details about SAD:

With winter just around the corner, daylight hours are dwindling along with the upbeat energy that many people feel naturally during the summer months. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects an estimated half a million people in the United States alone, who feel lethargic, grouchy and depressed during the winter months. Women are four times as likely to suffer from SAD than men, and the onset of the condition typically occurs after age 20. The incidence of SAD increases as you move north, where the change in daylight hours from summer to winter is most drastic. While there is no confirmed cause, SAD is believed to be triggered by a biochemical imbalance in the brain that regulates our sleep, mood and appetite. Daylight prompts the release of serotonin, an important brain neurotransmitter. Experts hypothesize that serotonin levels drop in the winter months, thereby affecting a wide range of body functions. At the same time, the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone believed to activate the sleep process, increases, resulting in the following symptoms of SAD:
— Weight gain
— Cravings for sweet and/or starchy foods
— Fatigue
— A tendency to sleep longer
— Difficulty concentrating
— Irritability
— Avoidance of social situations
— Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
— Weakened immune system
— Depression

Fortunately, says Jazzercise CEO Judi Sheppard Missett, you can alleviate many symptoms of SAD with the following prevention strategies:
— Get outside during daylight hours. Research indicates that a 60-minute walk in winter sunlight is equivalent to 2 1/2 hours under bright artificial light.
— Maximize your exposure to natural light. Sit by the window. Open your curtains. Paint your walls in bright colors that reflect the light.
— Get a good night’s sleep. Try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same times every day. Establish a bedtime ritual, such as stretching, taking a warm bath or reading, which allows you to relax and settle in for the night.
— Eat smart. Load up on fruits and veggies, lean meats and low-fat dairy products. Try to avoid processed foods that are high in refined flours and added sugars.
— Plan a mid-winter get away to a sunny climate. Breaking up the tedium of winter can do wonders for your mood.
— Seek counseling and/or light therapy if your symptoms are particularly difficult.
— Get plenty of exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is particularly effective for elevating mood and relieving stress, and exercising as part of a group can provide valuable social interaction.

I seem to be stuck with the "doesn't want to get her booty out of bed" symptom. There are several things that are killing me right now:
1. The sun doesn't seem to come out any more. At 7am I looked out the window and it was still dark. I got home tonight at 7:30pm and it was already dark. What happened to daylight?!
2. I'm sick of these half cloudy days. Rain, dang it!

In other exciting news, I cut/colored my hair today! I went with my winter brown, some new layers and bangs. Here are some rough pics (I'll have better ones from my performance this weekend). I still say I have the best hairdresser in the world. Not only does he tell me that I'm beautiful (what girl doesn't love that?) but he brought me breadsticks and a glass of wine! Now, THAT'S a haircut!

Baby's Got Her New Shoes On

So I finally got them.

And I have to admit, they're not Nikes.

There, I said it.

Today I made the trek to the sports store to get new running shoes. I've been having all kinds of aches lately and I attributed most of them to lack of cushioning. I tried on almost every shoe they had and finally tried on the Asics Gel Kayano XII.

Wow.

I felt like I was walking on little puffs of air. I'm not kidding. All of the aches went away. Worth all 13,499 pennies. I love them. I came home and took them on an inaugural 2 mile jaunt followed by a 1.5 mile walk. Fantastic. I didn't even want to take them off. Who doesn't feel great in a shoe that has "an advanced system that creates a pocket between the Trusstic System® device and the midsole, allowing for greater midsole deformation and more efficient foot function"? Not to mention that they pretty darn light. And, of course, they're in cool blue! Click here to see my cool new shoes and read about all the cool new things (heel shocks! who would have thought?!). Do the exploded tech view of the picture to see all the cool goodies that are in my shoes!

On that note, I'm a happy, worked out, tired girl who is going to bed. Good night!

"Emo"

Will someone please explain to me what the heck "Emo" means? Am I that old and out of it?!?!

Woo hoo!

What an exciting day! Apparently it's ticket sale Saturday. I'm very excited to announce that Brig, Amber, Kris, Alyse and I will be attending the Sacramento Kings game ON MY BIRTHDAY! I'm so stoked... tickets were only $47 for second deck seats, which I'm perfectly happy with. It's going to be the best birthday ever!

To top that off, we (the five Musketeers) also got tickets to the March 10th Christina Aguilera show in San Jose. Eva and Adam are very graciously letting us crash at their place and we might even make a weekend out of it. What a blast it's going to be! I'm definitely taking my camera to both events!

I spent the rest of today relaxing. Well, not totally. I actually ran again this morning and I have to say I think I'm becoming addicted. I've been running every day for the last few weeks and it feels great! In fact, I actually feel a little weird on the one or two days that I haven't run. I really think it's an addiction. I've made myself a promise to go get new shoes tomorrow... I'm ashamed to say that I'm still running on the shoes that I did my triathlon in. Big no-no. According to most sports docs, you should get rid of your shoes after each major race. An expensive habit? Yes. Saving you from major joint damage? Also yes. So tomorrow is shoe shopping day. I'm a little nerdy and actually get excited about that as well.

Why Parents Drink

You know, Mateo, we all can't be witty all the time. Dang it, I'm tired. The last week or so has been exhausting and I've spent whatever "free" time I've had sleeping or laying on the sofa. That's all two hours of it. Ok, maybe I'm being a little overdramatic. :) It's been a busy few weeks for me and I apologize (AGAIN) for the lack of blog.

I just got done with SCSO rehearsal. Things are coming along nicely for our first show... I think it's going to be great! As always, the rehearsals are fun, but draining. I come home on this little singer's high (shut up Matt, there is such a thing) and then I crash. That and the fact that I've been up since 5am. But, I digress. This choir continues to amaze me. We're tackling some seriously difficult music and it's really coming together. There are parts where we sing fortissimo (really loud, for you non-musician types) - and let me tell you, 200 voices singing in harmony at the top of their lungs will definitely give you some serious goosebumps. I love it!

Check out the movie review section for some new updates!

Here's a little Monday evening humor, courtesy of Amber:

A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. "Hello?" "Is your daddy home?" he asked. "Yes," whispered the small voice. "May I talk with him?" The child whispered, "No." Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?" "Yes." "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No." Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?" "Yes," whispered the child, "a policeman". Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer. Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A helicopter" answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered,"The search team just landed a helicopter." Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?" Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle..... "ME."

San Francisco

What a fun weekend!

Friday was my lia sophia jewelry party. Lots of people showed up and Brigitte did an amazing job! I'm so excited - I'm getting lots of cool jewelry!

On Saturday Brigitte, Amber, Kristine and I headed out to San Francisco for the day. We purchased "hop on, hop off" trolley passes - they take you around the city and give you all of the historical details. It was a blast. We started at Pier 39 and went to Ghiradelli Square (yum), through some of the most beautiful houses, to Union Square, through Chinatown, and back to the pier. The kicker was we decided we were going to hop on, ride for the whole tour, then get back on and stop at the places we wanted to see. Apparently that's not the deal with the hop on hop off plan - you only get to go once. So we got a little sneaky and walked to Ghiradelli Square and hopped on there, with a different driver. He had no idea we had already been on the rest of the tour - just thought we had hopped off and were getting back on. Dang it, we got our $18 worth! Here's a pic of the walk to the trolley - we went past all of the little shops along the Bay and decided this pirate needed a little lovin':



After that, we spent a good deal of time at Union Square, looking at all of the things we can't afford. It was actually fun. We went to Macy's, Tiffany's, the Coach Store, and the H&M store. For some reason, I thought H&M would be expensive (after all, Madonna is their new spokesperson), but it was actually quite affordable. Brigitte got the cutest little wool skirt! We shopped for most of the day. At about 4:15pm (we had been there since about 10am) we realized that the trolley service might actually have a cut off time. Brigitte called, only to discover that the last trolley back from Union Square was at 4pm (although, I believe this to be a lie on the part of the trolley service - we saw one go by later as we trekked back). We decided to get our exercise and to walk back to the Pier. It's a LONG walk. We went through Chinatown along the way:



It's not all it's cracked up to be. I can't ever remember having been there before, but it was smelly and mostly junk. Along the way we went past one of the cutest cars I've seen in a while:



We made it back to the Pier and ate dinner at the Hard Rock cafe. After dinner we walked around the Pier, saw the sea lions and got some great shots of the sunset:




We then ended up in a hat store with the giggles. We didn't buy any of them, but we definitely left with sore tummies from laughing!








We left the city at around 8:30pm and began the trek home. Somewhere near Vacaville, my "check tire pressure" light came on. I pulled off the freeway at the one exit that didn't have a gas station, so we had to hunt for one. I filled my tire and we got back on the road - only to hit a DUI checkpoint. Obviously, no issue, but we did see someone getting arrested. Boo for them! By the time I got home it was 10:30pm. What a long (but totally fun) day!

I slept in until 9:45am today - I think that's some sort of record for me! This week was just exhausting! I spent the rest of the day being sluggish and lazy. I blame the weather - it was chilly and overcast for most of the day. I managed to get in a good run this morning (definitely like running in 65 degrees vs the 90 degrees that I was running in last week!) and did pretty much nothing the rest of the day. It was great!