Everyone has a friend at work, right? Mine is Janelle. I would quit the day she quits if she were ever to quit - I wouldn't stay a day longer.
I'm 99% sure she would do the same. However, we have a really great job and we know it so we won't ever quit. It's a conundrum.
I would have inserted a photo of Janelle but she refuses to take a picture. So I have chosen my next favorite thing to do at work and that is to eat copious amounts of peanut m&m's. Today, I mixed in some plain too just for kicks. woo.
My husband has been infatuated with crepes since this scene from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Fortunately for Pep, his soon-to-be step-mom gave me a crepe pan and crepe mix for Christmas. Wasn't that nice - for him?
Even though I hate crepes, I love my husband. And because of this love, he gets the most amazing crepes and bacon every Sunday morning.
I never eat coleslaw. gross. But Alison's "slaw" is something different and so amazing that I could not stop eating it. mmmm.
I'm not sure she wants me to divulge her secret recipe but lemme just say it's a little carrots, a lot o'cabbage, some mayo, mustard, pepper, salt, and apple cider vinegar AND IT'S DELISH!
Yesterday afternoon my mom and I had our second great conversation in a row. I kept insisting that she had to "break it down" and instead of listening to me, she kept laughing and thinking about MC Hammer. To which I replied "Put on your Hammer Pants and Break it down, mom". Hopefully, she'll think of it next time she needs a solution. If not, at least it will make her laugh and hopefully get her thinking outside her tiny tiny box.
There may be hope for us after all!
The (blurry) photo is from my 30th Roller 80's Disco party right after Pep proposed. I was really excited, not that you couldn't tell by the size of my smile and my mom's.
Even though she arrived very late to the party that started at 11pm (which she complained about), I forgave her because I know she's crazy ...and she came dressed in full 80's regalia, blue eyeshadow, fingerless glove and all.
p.s. I registered that tag line so don't even think about stealing it!
Pep and I spent over an hour yesterday discussing the new Madonna (Justin/Timberland) song 4 Minutes to Save the World. We decided that while it's good (and super-fun to dance to) it doesn't seem very Madonna-ish. We also agreed that while she usually is a trend-setter and a leader in most categories, this time it seemed as though she was trying to jump on a beat that was a bit played out.
Madonna The First Album was among the first cassette tapes I bought (along with Cyndi Lauper and Lionel Richie) in 1982-84 (let's be honest, I probably didn't BUY them but asked for them for my birthday)and my favorite song to this day is Everybody (Borderline comes in a close second). I was about 7 years old and just starting to want to listen to music outside of my parents range of The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald, Toto, and Chicago.
Madonna was my first musical inspiration. She popped my musical cherry, if you will, and I have bought every single album since (and impersonated her many a time). At my friend Elizabeth's slumber party, dressed in full Madonna regalia (not the first OR last time), I lip synced to Borderline and Lucky Star in her back yard with my black lacy gloved hand up in the air and the other hand gripping a hairbrush (years later I came to realize that a curling iron works better).
While singing Gonna dress you up in NYLON - all over all over in the back seat of my dad's 80's Volvo, my mother turned down the radio and said: "It's MY LOVE, Maegan, "Gonna dress you up in MY LOVE". To which I screamed NO IT'S NOT, MOM - turn it back up!
When True Blue came out in the summer of 86 I sat by my little boom box for hours each day waiting for KIISfm to play one of the songs so I could record it onto a tape because my mom wouldn't buy it for me.
In 1987, my friend Sara invited me to the Who's That Girl concert where we both fought over who got to wear the crinoline and who was going to wear the tight fitted t-shirt skirt. She won the crinoline.
When the Like a Prayer video came out I recorded it (as quickly as I could before my mom knew) onto a VHS tape (that my brother was always tryin' to get his hands on) called Maeg's Videos and watched it over and over AND OVER AND OVER. I LOVED IT! My mom FORBADE it (because of black Jesus and burning crosses) which made me want it even more! She forbade me from MTV too. But it was summer and she was at work all day!
Soon to follow was the song Cherish and I was in love with the video - which is also part of the awesomeness that is Maeg's Videos. I sang it day and night and wanted a merman of my own. This was part of the Janeen era. We would pretty much spend our entire afternoons and summers watching and learning the choreography from any music video of the time (very early 90's) - including the dances (um, J-LO) from In Living Color.
Then grunge happened and I was in high school and somehow my Madonna obsession fizzled out. I didn't pay too much attention to her again until the late 90's when I started buying all the albums I missed like Erotica, Bedtime Stories, (which is one of my all time favs) and Something to Remember.
Ray of Light was released and Madonna did it AGAIN! I listened to that album till I knew every word of every song (well, let's be honest, I did that with all the albums). It still reminds me of road trips to Sacramento and snowboarding with Erik and his family, my super-gay ex, and the term "Butts and Weiners" and "Black Ice, Black Ice" and having a mild crush on Erik's HUGE brother Kevin.
Music was soon to follow and was awesome too.
My least fav American Life was probably more for her than for her fans I confirmed.
In 2003 I was 80's Madonna for Halloween and I finally got to wear the crinoline.
When Confessions on a Dancefloor was released it was yet another amazing album by the queen. Pep and I were hugely into Dance Dance Revolution -well, we are masters at it, and her album/vids were hugely influenced by it.
And finally, in 2006, when I turned 30, I invited everyone to Skateland for an 80's b-day party EXTRAVAGANZA - and wouldn't ya know it, dressed very Madonna-ish (and maybe some Molly Ringwald). I got to rollerskate to my favorite Madonna song Everybody just like when I was a kid (minus the lavender pom-poms on my skates). Pep proposed at the end of the Hokey Pokey, down on one knee, in skates and a pink button-down.
We'll see if The Queen of Pop can do it again with Hard Candy. I'm definitely looking forward to its release April 29th, oh it's pre-ordered.
If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don't. If you like to win but think you can't, It's almost a cinch you won't. If you think you'll lose, you're lost. For out in the world we find Success begins with a fellow's will. It's all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are. You've got to think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win the prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins Is the man who thinks he can.
by C.W. Longenecker
...because Kell sent the poem and brought us together again. If it wasn't for Kelley, I probably would have lost touch with most of my high school girlies and slowly, we all reunite! This is from Amy's wedding (2006) and missing a few major players like Heather but it's a great reminder that no matter what we all go through, we love each other. Thank you for being a friend!
LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen are on the cover of the April 2008 issue of Vogue and somehow it's stirring up racial controversy.
Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Seriously folks, WHAT THE FUCK?
I watch basketball. Actually, I'm a big fan of LeBron James - I would say he's my second favorite allstar next to Kobe Bryant (LAKERS all the way!) I have seen LeBron make this face on the court during a game, among others. In NO WAY is he representing King Kong. The only reason I assumed he was bending at the knees was so there was less of a gap between his height and hers. He's so tall, Annie Leibovitz couldn't even get him in the shot if he stood up straight. And by his quotes: “Everything my name is on is going to be criticized in a good way or bad way,” “Who cares what anyone says?”, I'm guessing that LeBron himself doesn't even see it this way. JESUS CHRIST PEOPLE Gisele is not even white!
What century are we in? Why is race even an issue? We are all human. What the fuck does it matter what color our skin is or what our beliefs are? I can't even believe people still worry about it. It infuriates me!
I have this issue of Vogue and not ONCE did I think of this cover as being racist. Not EVER did it even cross my mind that he was black and she was white. It was LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen and that was it. To be honest, the first thing I noticed when I looked at the cover was the Calvin Klein dress Gisele is wearing and how only a woman with a body like that could actually wear that dress.
The comments posted here at The Daily Voice are blowing my mind - just the comments not the actual blog.
...and NBCsports.msnbc.com posted this article with a headline referring to a commenter on the above blog as an "analyst".
Yesterday we went to my aunt and uncle's (on my dad's side) for Easter brunch and an egg hunt. My aunt Cherie and I got into a conversation about how much my great grandfather looked like my dad and how much I resemble them as well. Which was quite hard to imagine: family members look alike? She took me up her stairwell which is lined with framed photos and into the master bedroom which displayed a very serious old picture of my great grandfather - which did indeed resemble my father - and me.
On our way back down the stairs I pointed to a framed photo of a baby wailing and said it was my favorite of all. She told me it was my dad and I said I loved it. She took it off the wall and handed it to me.
Later in the day I heard my uncle say WHAT PICTURE DID YOU GIVE HER? So of course I felt guilty and offered to give it back ...but it brought back memories of Easter two years ago when I found the golden egg -worth $20- instead of one of the kids. I never heard the end of it and I didn't even take the cash. Needless to say, this year, I only searched for hard boiled eggs but still left their house feeling bad about the picture.
he listens patiently and intently while I tell a story, then responds appropriately. Thus, a conversation begins. It is magic.
I will not explain why this is so insanely important to me but when I revealed this information to him last night and thanked him for his awesomeness, I couldn't help crying a little.
Since I don't partake in religious activities of any kind but want the holidays off from work, I have decided that I will convert to Judaism - because they get the most days off. But ...does that mean I have to go to Temple?
My boss is Jewish and takes days off for all the Jewish holidays but doesn't give Christian holidays off (except for the big ones) to the rest of us - like today, Good Friday. I was born (baptized) and raised (first communion and confirmation) Catholic (not to mention Catholic school) but have since decided that believing in such nonsense is ridiculous. However, I still feel I am entitled to the holidays because I had to endure so many years of being forced to go to mass to watch my mother cry through the gospel as if she was somehow a better person than the rest of us non-cryers. [insert photo of my mom turning to me in the pew with tears in her eyes and nodding her head as if to say, YES, I AM SOBBING FOR GOD]
Day off or not, I am happy it's Friday. Two days of freedom are better than none.
South Park is one of the best shows on television right now. If you don't believe me and you're smart enough to get it - then tune into Comedy Central on Wednesday nights.
If you caught the new episode last night (or heard about it) then you know it was about Britney Spears. But technically, it was about the paparazzi and the media and the terrible people who buy gossip magazines and tune into blogs like perezhilton.com (which I do). We are killing these poor celebrities. And yes, it's true. But who cares? They ask for it, right? If they didn't, they wouldn't call the paparazzo before they leave the house to tell them where they will be in the next hour. Kill them till they're dead! - one of my mom's exes used to say.
What I found most awesome about the entire thing is that "Britney" does not need "Spears" any longer. She is famous enough to go only by Britney which means she is in the ranks with Madonna, Cher and the likes. Even Christina needs "Aguilara" still and sometimes even Mariah still needs "Carey". Hail headless Britney!
LeRoy has the worst farts known to mankind. He can and will clear a room in a moments notice. Somehow, I am the only one who can handle the stink. But sometimes it feels as though I just swallowed one.
I hate to say it but I am wearing green today. In fact, I kind of look like Peter Pan (with jeans). I can't help it.
As with most things, I blame my mother. When I was a kid, she would send me to school in a green dress with a green cardboard crown that said "Erin Go Bragh" in glitter - and I would wear it - ALL DAY! I may have had some sort of wand with streamers - but that memory is a bit fuzzy - must have been the booze. I guess I'm just festive like that - or a total dork. But with a name like MAEGAN KATHLEEN SHANAHAN (maiden name) I really shouldn't have to worry about getting pinched for not wearing green - I have no choice. I am as green as they come -without the alcohol problem- although most of the Shanahan's in my family did not escape that one.
Left: Today
Right: 1980-ish, and so proud
from urbandictionary.com:
Mick: A derogatory term for an Irishman, usually Catholic and sometimes drunk On St. Patrick's Day everyone's a mick.
I work in an art gallery for an art dealer in Los Angeles as a web/graphic designer and am surrounded by art that I cannot afford. Over ten years ago I fell in love with the artist Mark Ryden but didn't know who he was at the time. By the time I figured it out, his works were out of my price range. But ALAS, I have found an artist (Kathy Olivas) with a similar feel and I LOVE her stuff (and it's still affordable!).
Last year for my birthday, my husband bought me an original painting by Kathy which is hanging in our bedroom. I was just searching around the www to see if she had anything new and found that she sells her prints at Circus Posterus so I bought two! Here they are. I am in love with them.
Mickey Avalon - I can't get enough - Fav song: "So Rich So Pretty". This one ranks in at number 2.
vs
Sara Bareilles - again - I can't get enough - Every song is good ...even though she totally annoys me - and doesn't give her embed code for vids so had to use this one with some other girl's song at the end.
and that is a great thing. I'm over being depressed and anxious about things I cannot change. I'll leave that for the psychos ...but one question; when do you know when it's time to check yourself into a mental hospital? Anyone?
Given that I'm trying to be less negative and not complain about everything, I don't have much to say. What is there to talk about if I'm not moaning about something shitty?
My car is almost ready - YAY. It's one day until Friday - YAY. I am trying my hardest to change my reaction to, well, everything, in hopes of becoming a happier person. Don't roll yer eyes at me! I'm waiting for my Complaint Free World purple bracelets and in the mean time have started reading yet another book called "How to Heal Toxic Thoughts" by Sandra Ingerman. It's good. It's helping.
I've started walking/running after work with the French bulldog, which I hate to admit because I'm a lazy motherfucker, makes me feel good.
I've realized that 7/10 blogs posted should be categorized under "my complaints". However, only 2 are. I have nothing to complain about and that makes me want to complain!
My husband and I got married (well, eloped) September 4, 2006. He proposed at my 30th 80's Roller Skate birthday party at the end of the Hokey Pokey - and it was awesomely radical! I thought soon after we'd buy a house and start makin' babies.
Real estate in LA slowly started falling in the toilet which was a good sign at first because it gave us hope that we could maybe afford to buy bigger and better - and bad because it meant that we would have to wait even longer to buy. For me this basically means putting a halt to all future plans. Let it be known that I am not the most patient person in the universe. Waiting is not my forte.
But waiting means we are being smart. Waiting means we will have more money to use to buy a house we when finally can. We agreed that we wouldn't move out of our (rented) condo until we were moving into our new house. We also agreed that we wouldn't have kids until we were living in our new house. I'm starting to get impatient - to say the least.
Last August, we were almost positive that I was (accidentally) pregnant. Two weeks later, Aunt Flo arrived with the [insert british accent] bloody bad news. We hadn't really planned to start at that point but we got excited and began trying. By December, I was still without child and came to the realization that "trying" sucked! We had much better sex before and after we stopped "trying".
I guess I'm not the only woman who thinks she's going to get knocked up on the first try, but after 14 years of trying desperately NOT to get pregnant, it's a bit confusing when it doesn't happen right away.
We decide to stop "trying" at the beginning of the year because the emotional roller coaster I went through every month was a killer for both me and my husband. We also didn't have the house yet so technically we weren't ready.
So now it's the middle of March. As you may know, there is somewhat of a "baby boom" happening. Everyone and their mother (teehee) has got a baby in their arms or on the way. My mother constantly emails me pics of newborns or "baby news" from friends of the family. My father-in-law has been bugging us since before we were married for a grandchild. Many of our friends have babies now. A friend called the other day and told us they are preggo with their THIRD! Everyone is asking us WHEN, WHEN, WHEN? Every where I look I see a pregnant woman. BABIES, BABIES, BABIES! O M G.
I am starting to get really defensive about the whole thing. A bulging belly waddling down the street is liable to bring me to tears. I feel like a failure as a woman. My brother said to me on the phone yesterday "you're next!" after giving me all the details of their friend's new baby boy. I wanted to scream - NEXT? I WANTED TO BE FIRST! At this point, I can't bring myself to tell anyone if we were trying because what if it NEVER happens?
My entire life the one thing I was absolutely sure about was wanting to be a mom someday. I will be devastated if I can't.
*Maybe the "wanting" is the problem. Maybe the "I" is the problem.
2008 signifies the year my husband and I will both turn 32. Fortunately, he comes first!
Yesterday, March 8, Pep (short for Pepe, short for Giuseppe, but actually, Joseph) turned 32. It was a lovely and relaxing day filled with sushi, a visit from dad, and friends and games in the evening.
This has been a rather strange week for me mentally and physically and I am glad that it is coming to an end.
Yesterday, I locked my keys in the car - the 1993 Subaru I'm driving because my car has been in the shop since October 15, 2007. Yes, again, that was since OCTOBER 15, 2007. Luckily, my brother has a spare and lives right up the street.
I am proud to say that I did not shirk my responsibilities this week even though I wanted to more than ever. Every morning upon waking I came up with at least three excuses to give my boss as to why I wouldn't be making it to work that day. But I went. And even while sitting anxiously in traffic, almost turning around to go back home more than once per drive, I did not. I kept going.
I am happy to say that it is Friday and now I get to relax. ...and do some laundry.
note: I am already working on an excuse for Monday.
What if Christian, winner of Project Runway (and my favorite as well) were to join the cast of Ghost Hunters and TAPS crew? He's got the FIERCE look down ...something to ponder. However, I'm guessing if one is a follower of either of the above shows, most likely, they don't even know about the other... *snicker
Is it wrong that I am almost 32 (not to mention, female) and can't wait to get home from work to play X-box? Is it wrong that I have my own bubble-gum pink controller? Is it wrong that when my husband hooked it up in the master bedroom (because this is our second x-box in the same house) I got mad at him for ruining the feng sui of the room? Is it wrong that all I want to do is get home, slip into something a little more comfortable, sign into my account and start playing?
I love having an online account and getting to chat with all the other gamers - well, friends - while playing Burnout, Paradise City. I love that every time one of our friends signs on, a little icon appears that says [EVIL MR PEPPERS IS NOW ONLINE]. You really can keep track of what everyone is doing/playing and when. My favorite game (for right now) is Boogie Bunnies. OMG! The sound effects can take away any bad mood and turn it into giggles and smiles.
Is it wrong that gaming is the only thing (besides my husband and doggies) that is making me happy because I get to think about only IT ...nothing else? It's a stress-reliever, for sure, and anyone who says otherwise, including statements like GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY, are certainly coming from the mouths of people who have never even picked up a video game controller.
I think it's fab!
*Confession* it must be noted that I used to sneak into my (younger)brother's room and play his Nintendo ..FOR HOURS. I also used to get really upset when I lost and would bite the corner of the controller then tell him the dog did it. He knew it was me though. Even at a young age my brother could tell the difference between human teeth marks and a dogs. *snicker
My dad passed away 5 years ago today from skin cancer. He was only 54. It's possible that my bad mood this last week was partially because of this. It's a strange thing.
Spring Nails: Marbled Easter Pastels
DIY Pretty Paper Flowers Mirror
No-Sew DIY: Turn a Scarf into a Vest
Green Speckled Nails
Soft Pretty Waves... Hair Tutorial
DIY Gift: Custom Painted Initial Canvas
DIY Cropped Tank from a Tshirt
Feather Wall Art DIY Juju Hat
Paint Your Shoes with Nail Polish
Metallic Nails Trio
No Heat BIG Curls Hair Tutorial
Pretty Embellished Collar DIY
DIY Hanging Chains Headband
Berry Lace Nail Art Tutorial
Lace Socks DIY
Waterfall French Braid Hair Tutorial
How to Refashion Old Shoes
DIY Hair Accessoies & More!
Miu Miu Glitter Sneaker DIY
Messy Rope Braids Half Up Hair Style
Glitter Tipped Nails DIY Manicure
DIY Tom Binns Style Necklace
Low Side French Braid Hair Tutorial
Glitter Cap Toe Shoes DIY {for kids}
