Naked Mondays # 10 My OCD Tendencies

Over the last 10 weeks, you've been privy to some of the weird things about my personality that make me...uh, me. Tonight is no exception.


The following is a photo of the products I use after a shower in the same order, in the same way, every. single. day.


So, what do we have here? (And are you bored yet?) First, hair product, Biosilk silk therapy, then lotion, using a a daily moisturizer with self tanner for a subtle glow, then eye cream for the dark under eye circles (a constant battle), then face moisturizer with spf, tweezers to tame the eyebrows, and the tiny bit of makeup I wear every day; concealer (again with the under eye circles), mary kate and ashley sparkling powder to brighten the eyes and lash discovery mascara with the tiny brush. After all that, Dove Antiperspirant/Deodorant which sits on my bedside table.

Why am I sharing this utterly boring part of my day as a Naked Monday? Because to truly understand the crazy mind of Bri, you need to understand my neuroses. I am easily distracted. I need strictly regimented routine to prevent this inner dialogue, "Wait, did I wash my hair? It's wet. Did I wash it or just condition?" I always, ALWAYS check my pits before leaving the house. I don't want to talk about the number of times I've forgotten deodorant. But, if I follow a routine and use the same number of products in the same order EVERY day, I start the day ok, and not as a frazzled mess. In many things, I have to be organized so that I don't lose my mind.

Scared yet? ;)
So, that's me...Naked....at least a small part of me.

Got an email solicitation that didn't make me laugh

so I decided to try it. There is a widget below the BlogHer ads that links (or is supposed to link) to my profile on Verve Earth. I received an email today from the site and when checking it out, nothing jumped out at me as been scammy or pervy, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's basically a website that lists blogs in map format so that you can find other bloggers in your area or bloggers in a place you'd like to visit. I'm testing it out, we'll see how it goes.

Apartment Update

If you missed it on the twitter, I called my landlord yesterday to tell him about the ghetto neighbors who have caused me never-ending grief. At 4:30am I was woken up from a dead sleep to hear "You Fucking Bitch!!!" and a thump. Terrified, I laid in my bed, waiting for my heart to stop racing so that I could go back to sleep. It took a while.

I was exhausted all day at work and it took me 3 tries to count down my cash drawer. I was so frustrated, I was nearly in tears. By the time I left, I was done. I wasn't going to just take it anymore. They shouldn't be able to pull this crap without consequences.

I called my landlord before I even started the car and told him how frustrated I was, how often I had been woken up by their nonsense, how I had contemplated calling the police, and why I hadn't. He promised to talk to her and that he would tell her it was next door who had complained about noise. He also said that if it ever happened again, I should call him and if it ever seemed like the fighting was getting out of hand, I should definitely call the police.

When I got home, I talked to the woman who lives in the end apartment (she shares a wall with them) and told her what I had done. Turns out, she called the landlord, too, the very same day! Here's hoping they get kicked out, or at least aren't allowed to renew their lease.

To hear about the crap that they've been pulling, you can read here, and here.

The producers of LOST are trying to kill me!!!!

I just finished watching LOST on my TIVO and OMFG! I just...Claire...and then she wasn't...but then Sayid....oh, Sayid he played you and I knew it....and the time travel (that was definitely time travel and you can't convince me otherwise) and Jack...I KNEW it was appendicitis, my Dad did the exact same thing and we are STILL making fun of my Mom for insisting it was the flu and he was being a big baby...Yea Bernard and his skills.....Hugo is the best....oh my god, the smoke monster killing the bad guys, AWESOME...poor what's her name (what IS her name? Damn, I forget!)...the time thing is confusing me still, can't figure out when is the future and when is the past...man, really proves that whole time is relative thing, huh?

Have to be up in...uh, 6 hours...going to bed.

Naked Mondays #9 You have HOW many pairs of shoes?!

39. Yes, that's a 3 and a 9. Together. This doesn't include the box of shoes for good will. Or the flip flops. Oh, the old navy flip flops, how I love you! It's sickness, I tell you!

Here are some of my favorites:

There are more, these are just the ones I found right away.

The background is my favorite chair that a friend gave me years ago when I helped her move. I LOVE that chair. Probably more than is healthy.

So, this is me, Naked.....well at least my closet...and under the bed...and on the back of the door...and in the floor...and the car...let's just say you've seen a lot of my life in one little entry. so. sad. ;)

And, now, for the details (or what I can remember through the haze of cocktails)

After being a nervous twit about it for several days (one of my frustrated friends yelled at me over the phone, "Yeesh, it's not a date!!) I left my apartment in a new top and heeled sandals to meet MP at The Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square. I had looked up the address from the website and studied the map (I have a ridiculous ability to "see" maps. It's weird and I don't know how to explain it, but I was a pizza delivery driver for a while and I rocked at it.), but I neglected to write down the number, so I knew that if I took a certain exit and went down two blocks and turned on Park, it would be there before I hit the park. BUT, for some reason I thought it was on the left, rather than the right, so I passed it and didn't see it. So, I knew I was in the right place, I parked and walked, figuring it would be easier to see on foot. MP called as I was walking and she waved me down from the door. We hugged and giggled, because how else do you greet someone you've been talking to for months but had never actually met in person? ;)

She had already spoken to the staff, who other than giving us a couple of odd looks, were very helpful as people trickled in and struggled to explain the group they were looking for. lol

MP

MP and I decided to get started with the drinking (and yes, I downloaded the menu at home, so I would be able to pick what I was going to order. am. FREAK.) and ordered a couple of chocolate martinis. And, as I said last night, took pictures before we even tasted them. Hee. They were delicious, but we'd barely even started when BOSSY arrived with her host, Tempered Woman.

Bossy

Let me tell you, Bossy really is as gorgeous as she looks online, maybe more. She was so funny and just natural to be around, I would NEVER have been able to do what she has done, travel around meeting strangers every day, I thought I was going have a nervous breakdown and I didn't even have to drive, but for a few miles. We all settled in at a back table on their patio and just chatted like we had all known each other for years.

Over the next few hours, I met Angie from Fluid Pudding, Raquita from WOBL in Training(wise old black woman, how funny is that?!), Heather from Three Boys and Me, MP from My Second Journal, Sonrie from 1017, Jenny from Mommymae (it turns out that Jenny and I went to high school together in Southern Illinois, though we didn't know each other), Kelly from Mocha Momma, her daughter, Mallory, Tempered Woman, and her sister. (I can't remember her name at the moment, she doesn't have a blog and for a while, we were calling her Dooce.)

Everyone but Jenny, who arrived later

Bossy, Mallory, and Kelly

Conversation was fast and furious as we chatted about, I swear, everything under the sun. I found myself telling Heather and Raquita about my clothing woes and at one point, we all talked about my eyebrows, again.

Raquita and Heather

We discussed politics and Barack Oboyfriend, and our encounters with Bill Clinton (three of us had actually met him). We argued about education and the St. Louis city school district. Photography and cameras were dissected and lusted after. Bossy suggested that I look for a used Nikon D70 rather than shelling out for the new D40, and it was like, duh, why didn't I think of that?
Proof that I really did drink a beer, and my only photo of Jenny
(not sure how that happened)

BlogHer was brought up, past sessions, and who was planning on going this year to San Fran. Angie confessed to drinking her breast milk in the hotel room last year in Chicago and we all learned Bossy's middle name! As she put it, her parents were hippies, and that's all I'll reveal. As we all loosened up, (some more than others) I realized that I've made a real connection with a truly amazing group of women that I would never have met without the help of Bossy. THANK YOU, BOSSY!!!!!

Angie, Sonrie, and Tempered Woman's sister

With a short bit about The Chocolate Bar, I'll end this longer than normal post. Yay you, if you've made it this far!!!

Even sitting on the patio with this group of rowdy women, the service was quite good, prompt and attentive. Food and drinks were prettily served and the tables set with candles and flowers felt fancy and lovely.

the table

More expensive than a casual night out would warrant, it's perfect for a special date or birthday celebration. The cheese plates were amazing and the drinks strong, I certainly felt like I got my moneys worth. My only complaint? The bathrooms, while completely charming and nicely appointed, are down a set of steep stairs and the bathrooms are unisex, so not marked with ladies or gentlemen. While it is probably more convenient that way, my inebriated self had the worst time figuring out which door to choose. ;)

My inebriated self in the bathroom mirror

I love this vanity!

To sum up....had a great time....food and drinks were good....company was excellent.

If you haven't already, please visit everyone else's blogs!!!!

So sorry, my computer has sprung a leak

I know I said I would have the Bossy entry up today (yesterday), but between a laptop that starts and stops randomly just to annoy me (turns out I had a virus, wheeeee!), and the most ridiculous hangover on the face of the planet, the only thing I've managed to finish is posting the photos on flickr, which now tells me I'm not a pro member(say what?).

Tomorrow there will be two posts, including a Naked Monday confessional, wait until you see how many pairs of shoes I own!

Until then, I will leave you with this little tidbit before firefox decides to freeze again...I watched The Boondock Saints tonight. Great movie if you enjoy the occasional gratuitous violence. I know a guy who has a quote from that movie tattooed on the back of his hand. All this time that I've known him, I thought I had seen that movie before. I knew of the movie, I knew what the case looked like, but after watching it tonight...not so sure that I've seen it before today. I find this really embarrassing. How did this happen? Maybe I "watched it" with friends, in that, it was on, but I wasn't really paying attention. I don't know, exactly. It's a mystery. A really boring mystery. ;)

My Evening with Bossy

Just a quick post to say that I had so much fun tonight and I couldn't imagine meeting a more amazing group of women! This is my first drink of the night before I even took a sip. MP and I were laughing at each other, because we both grabbed our camera before doing anything else. I will update tomorrow with details and, don't worry, there will be a Naked Monday post as well.

Milk Chocolate Martini (yum!)

Earthquake!!! Earthquake!!!

We (in the southern IL/Eastern MO area) had an earthquake this morning, well, two if you count the aftershock (and, really, why not?). The original was around 4:30AM and the 2nd was a little after 10AM. Nothing really scary, a 5.2 and a 4.5, but pretty interesting for some that are earthquake virgins (as MP so eloquently put it). I had asked a friend to call me this morning to wake me up on her way to school and when I answered, she asked me if I felt the earthquake.

"Oh, that's what that was? I was really confused. I thought maybe a big truck had gone by but knowing the way I am, the whole thing could have been a dream, like the giant red spiders, but I remember the window rattling."

"No, you weren't dreaming, we really had an earthquake."

"Oh, well...neat, I guess."

Not more than a couple minutes after getting off the phone with her, the aftershock hit and I called her back in the middle of it.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's doing it again. Angel's freaked out, and the bed is shaking like I just put quarters in it. I don't know whether to be alarmed or enjoy the ride." (Of course, it was over before I even finished the sentence.) "And, now the mice in the attic are freaking out."

"Eww."

"Exactly"

We got off the phone and I called my Mom to make sure they were OK. (They live closer to the epicenter.) When my mom answered the phone, I asked her how everyone was doing, "Oh, you know, we're rockin' and a rollin'." (My Mom, ladies and gentlemen, this is where I get the bizarre sense of humor.)

"Did you feel the one this morning?"

"Yeah, it woke me up. I thought it was your brother running up and down the stairs, but it just kept going and going, so I looked at the clock and saw it was 4:30AM and thought, well, that can't be right. I figured it was an earthquake. But, then, it was over and I went back to sleep."

Basically, eh, nothing broke, we're good. Hee.

I called my brother a few minutes later to ask him a question and after talking for a couple of minutes, he asked, "Bri, this might sound stupid, but were there earthquakes this morning?"

lol"Yes, Jared, there were two."

"Oh, good, so I'm not crazy, then. I thought I might have been imagining things, but my lava lamp fell on me earlier. Just thought I'd check." That's my brother.

So, the whole morning has been pretty interesting and amusing, but I've got to go wash some dishes. I'm expecting the landlord later about the mice I mentioned earlier. I don't want him to realize how much of a slob I am.

Note: There are no mice in my apartment, just in the building. I've been hearing noises in the ceiling for a while now, but I have a cat, so none have actually invaded my space. (And yes, I know that just because I don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. I inspected my apartment for "evidence", no poop to be found means no mice.) So, the fact that I haven't done my dishes in a while does not mean that I am responsible for the rodent invasion. If I had to point a finger, I would have to guess it is the ghetto neighbors causing the issue, if it is something we have done and not just the natural way of things. I didn't live here at this time last year, so I don't know.

I just got a look at my statcounter and holy crap!!

My statcounter is just about to roll over to 3000 hits. That may not seem like much, but to me, it's amazing. I started this blog in July of 2007 and it just keeps growing and growing. I'm involved in this amazing community of people, communicating with perfect strangers everyday.

And this Sunday, I'm going to meet a bunch of them face-to-face! It's like going on a blind date with a handful of people! (I'm still not sure how many people will actually be there...6? 10?) I'm equally excited and nervous as hell. The weird part is explaining it to non-bloggers.

"There's this woman, she's a fairly famous blogger in the community and she's driving around the country, meeting other bloggers and encouraging us to meet each other. How awesome is that? "
"Uh, sure?"
"And, now, I'm going to meet her and a bunch of other women who also write on the internet and we're going to drink cocktails and, I don't know, braid each other's hair or something!"
"Um, great? What's a blog, again?"

I don't consider myself an antisocial person or a particularly reserved one, (hello, Naked Mondays?) but I think as bloggers, it's often easier to maintain this community of internet friends when we only have to expose ourselves via the computer. And as a woman who spends a majority of her time in school surrounded by 21-22 year olds, I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to make real live grown up friends. Ugh, I'm not sure what I'm saying here, but I'm excited (and nervous!) about meeting everyone and judging from the other Bossy meet-ups I've read about, we're all going to have a great time. So, look for my reactions Monday, or if you're going to be at the chocolate bar Sunday evening, I'll be the dork drunk from two chocolate martinis, and please, don't let me dance on anything!

Naked Mondays #8 Fun with Eyebrows

Yes, it's that time again...I get Naked and everyone runs in terror! Eeeeek! (Good grief, I'm a dork.)

Today we're going to talk about my eyebrows. Why you ask? Because I said so. Ha! I have very thick eyebrows which I blame on my father. His are scary and resemble caterpillars on his face. My poor brother got them too. I held him down over Christmas and went at them with some tweezers to show him how easy they are to maintain. (And how it doesn't hurt THAT bad!) Why did I feel the need to tweeze my brother's face? Because no one did it to me and THIS is what they looked like until I was 26! Why?! Why did no one tell me?!

That's me in the middle, with scary eyebrows too big for my face and a ratty sweater that I wore every-freaking-where.

This is a closer view...me with an old high school friend, Travis. He's married and if I remember correctly, has a kid. Makes me feel old. sigh.

Something else that's interesting about my eyebrows...not that any of this is interesting, but you're the one reading it...if you've gotten this far...and well, it's my blog and I'll talk about my eyebrows if I want to! (I've lost it, it's ok....deep breath...starting over.)

Anyway, I can do THIS....

It started as a defense mechanism when I was too flustered to have a smart ass reply. Now, it just happens without me being aware of it. I didn't even know that not everyone can raise only one eyebrow until someone commented on it a few years ago.

So, there you go. Me. Naked. Well, a little part of me, anyway.

Weather in St. Louis

Early in the week, they predicted on thursday or friday we would have a combo of snow/rain, by wednesday, the snow had been eliminated.....last night they were predicting rain/snow today, sunday and monday...as of now, we get it tomorrow only...W.T.F?

Walking in Forest Park

I took a walk today in Forest Park, slogging through the mud and muck from all the rain we've had. I got muddy and wet and had a great time. I also took some pictures. Wanna see? I know you do. ;) Here's my favorites, the rest are on my flickr page here.

Loved this bridge....

just for these...

What is this? A mollusk? Something ate it. They were all over the ground.

Waterproof rain boots are awesome.......

One of the geese that I kept a respectful distance from....

Every time the wind picked up, mist from the fountain covered the area

Laying on my belly with the daffodils

Damn bird would NOT be still

Love the color of this water fountain

Papa duck

Mama Duck
I think she was gathering stuff for a nest, but then who knows what goes on in the mind of a duck.

Another tree close up

This guy was making his way to the water when I walked up. He hid in his shell so......

I got down on the ground so we were nose to nose. I think he was annoyed.

These roots make me think of stalactites (or is it stalagmites?)

I love the colors in this one...

Naked Mondays # 7

Yaaaay! It's Naked Monday!

Today, we are going to take a peek into my psyche. Prepare yourself, this could get messy.

Guess what I had for lunch? I went to Noodles & Company. Why does that give you a peek into my psyche? Excellent question.

I have serious issues with food. You may or may not remember my gag reflex problem, which I told you about here.
I am also an extremely picky eater. I go to great lengths to hide this from people because though I know many people are picky about food, it seems like such a childish thing and I hate admitting it. I will scan a restaurant menu for an item that needs the least amount of altering so as not to be difficult. (I've been a waitress. I know how much that sucks.) Now, it's been a long time since I ate nothing but peanut butter, but eating at a new restaurant is always nerve-wracking. What if I can't find anything to eat on the menu? What if I don't like what I ordered? I stress about this sort of thing. (You see how this is messy?)

So. I went to Noodles today so that I could try something on the menu and make sure I would be ok when MP and I meet there. I had the Wisconsin Mac and Cheese with Parmasean Crusted Chicken on top. Nummy! Noodles and me? We're good.

So, there you go. Me naked. Even if it's only my issues naked for all the world to see. ;)

For any of you disappointed in the lack of pictures needed for this Naked Monday, here's some photos I took today, that are my proof of spring......yaaaaay spring!

I had just picked up my lunch and was on my way home when I saw these trees. I just had to stop and take pictures. Pretty tree. Pretty, pretty tree, how happy I am to see you. Spring is here and I couldn't be more excited.

Losing my mind, that's all....

I was having a bad day Thursday and I went to the mall for a little pick-me-up (shaddup). I was wandering around a bookstore trying to find something, anything interesting when I remembered that some blogs that I read had mentioned this series of books that was seriously addictive. Since I am such a voracious reader, I am always looking for new authors to obsess over. Ok, problem. I could remember the general plotline of the first book. I could remember that it was known as a series and were referred to as the....something. Dammit. The author? Nope. The name of any of the books? Nope. The blogs who had mentioned reading and liking them? Not. a. clue. By today, I was seriously stressed out that I couldn't figure it out and was ready to make an ass out of myself by explaining here what I had remembered and BEGGING one of my readers to HELP ME! Thankfully, I used the truly scientific method of starting at the bottom of my reader and scanning each blog back a few weeks until I found what I was looking for.....violia!!! I found a mention of the series on OMSH's page here. And though I know at least one other blogger in the last few weeks has also mentioned it, I didn't feel like pressing my luck. I went to amazon.com armed with the title of the latest book and wrote down the entire list. And, since, the idea of making an ass out of myself doesn't faze me, I shared the whole ugly truth with the internet because I still have a question for you....what do you read? What authors make you grind your teeth and rend your clothing in agony because the waiting is just. too. hard? Help me out, people. Feed my habit.

Update: Kendra kindly pointed out in the comments that I didn't tell you the series I was talking about! Oops! It's the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Thoughts for the day....

• Teenagers annoy the crap out of me. I didn't like them when I WAS one. This is why I will never teach high school, I'm afraid I would kill them.
• The new job is going very well. It would go even better if customers would stop messing up my shit. I love helping people find something that makes them feel fabulous. Now if they would just stop touching everything when I get it just so. Hee.
• A girl came up to me tonight and said, no joke, "I need a dress that hugs every curve of my body. You have anything like that?" (She ran her hands down her body as she said it, too.) My first thought was, are you sure? Have you looked in the mirror lately? I don't think that's the best plan. What I said was, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that the fashion right now is high waisted and flowing." Her friend agreed with me and they moved on. Lord.
• I'm still laughing about embarrassing Mason at Denny's...and I'm going to leave it at that.
• My hair. I really want a new hairstyle, but I can't decide for the life of me and Whoorl has a really long waiting list. Poo.
• I had to buy a new a new router/modem thingy for my DSL. It was more money than I wanted to spend. I almost cried. But, everything works now and I can chat with my friend Dan again.
  
• My Grandma sent me a card for my birthday and it made me cry. Here, I'll show you.....
  
• My Mom and Dad sent me a card that made me laugh.....It's funny because it's true.
  

That's it. I'm tired.