Hurricane Sandy - Don't be a Bitch!

PAH-TY!  That's what HE said.  hahaha  We woke up in Nic and Meg's house this morning and had no hangover.  I just want to celebrate that fact right now.  I also want to celebrate the fact that I am shaking this cold.  The cough is producing "results" and I can breathe out of my nose.  YAY! 

With this hurricane on the way, I hope it passes through and leaves very little evidence that says, requires a thank you note from "Sandy". 

1. I love that I am meeting so many people through my dating such a gregarious person.
2. Oh, and as a #2 to the list. I'm glad he's as thoughtful and dependable as he is.
3. Talking to my dad today, he told me some stories from when he was younger. I always enjoy hearing these stories because they always have some sort of historical relevance to them.  I said that he needs to start writing those things down and I would type them up. I think it would make for good reading material for a memoir. 
4. Getting the confirmation that campus is closed tomorrow due to Hurricane Sandy is AWESOME!  What might not be so awesome is gettin' hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. O_o
5. We're making progress on the online magazine work.  The bro and I have developed the sections for the first issue.

*what's really funny is that I found this clip art and it has his name on it! bwahahaha!

A Wiggle in My Toes

I have been UBER busy.... well more like preoccupied. Maybe even distracted.  Definitely off my routine. At any rate, it's been a good couple of days. I've shaken the blah mood and I'm pretty much back to normal - aside from getting back into my regular routine. haha  The weather has been amazing so hopefully this weekend I can go out and enjoy it.

1. I just read this on a blog this morning: "As Anais Nin said, "We see things not as they are, but as we are."   Perception!" Such a good thing to remember about ourselves. I need to really put this into context of the last few weeks. Whew.
2. "Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." I saw this pop up on my Facebook news feed. Very true. 
3. I went on a nice "meet and greet" as I call it. hahaha
4. I'm excited about the socks I bought.  Strange I know, but these are cool socks!  They go over each individual toe. LOL
5. I love that I have had another productive day.

Opportunities Await

What a day, what a day!  I woke up and began cleaning my house. I'm going to tell y'all right now - Never let your home go a long time without cleaning.  I cannot stress that enough.  It took me three days to clean!  Dusting should happen regularly - duly noted. hahaha  For 2012, I'm going to work on maintaining a clean/tidy home and committing to weekly cleaning. It takes me back to being a kid and cleaning every Saturday before I could leave the house.  I need to commit to that and make that a standing date with my home.

1. Speaking of dates - I had another great one tonight. Here's to more of the same. Oh, and I love the gift I got. Very thoughtful. You're such a smooth operator. :0)
2. I just saw the new Robin Thicke video for "Love After War" and the new Monica video for "Until it's Gone" - I love both songs and the videos. 
3. Now that I have a clean home again, I have to say that I really love it. I added new lighting to my bedroom and it looks so much better. You can do magical things with IKEA  lighting options. I'll be adding new lights to the living room, too. 
4. OOoh - I have hot water in the house again. Gotta love that!  That's one of those modern amenities that humans have taken for granted.  When you suddenly don't have hot water you quickly realize how much you depend on it being there.  Granted, I had options but I'm happy that I now get to exercise those options in my home again.
5. I love having this sense of feeling good about lots of things. Life. Creativity. Dating. Friendships. Work. Doing this blog allows me to stay positive about things and opens my life up to many opportunities.

Water Heater Heaven.

It's funny how things happen in life.  Today I needed a new water heater. I knew this day was coming - I had only hoped that it would hold out another month or two.  I guess it couldn't go on living this way and after 25 years of service it passed on to water heater heaven. Now I just have to lay it to rest as my wallet gives birth to a new one and birthin' water heaters is NOT cheap!

Here are some other funny (and not as financially draining) things that happened today.

1. A friend of mind decided that she would post pictures she had scanned onto Facebook.  Well, I didn't mind too much. It definitely gave me a lot of laughs. I loved strolling down memory lane.  She says there are more to come, too.  Scary - but it's like a train wreck. You just can't bare NOT to watch. Flashback with me to the late 90s, early 00s with the pictures below.
2. I laughed the hardest tonight I was thinking that VG would say he were most like "Samantha Jones" from Sex and the City.  I probably woke my roommate up because I was laughing so hard. I love a good belly laugh!
3. IKEA was packed today. I guess everyone is still off (like I am).  I got an amazing deal on a desk lamp. Only $5.99 AND it came with the light bulb.  You can't beat that with a stick!
4. When I was at Home Depot trying to buy a water heater, I asked the sales guy how much delivery and installation usually ran.  When he told me it was $350, I couldn't help but laugh.  Laughter helps me relax from shock. I was definitely shocked at that amount considering it was more than the water heater.  It's important that you find humor is challenging times.  I love that I am able to do that.
5. I love that I now have a date for not only tomorrow night but also Sunday. Great idea, VG. I wish I had thought of it.  I'll take care of that next time! hahahaha :0) Great way to kick off 2012!

I'm guessing this was from some formal dance. It's truly a shame that I don't remember. hahaha

What I remember about this photo is that I LOVED this shirt. I had gotten it at Walmart.
Oh, and I'm drinking beer from a shoe. That's just what we did. Don't ask why. hahahaha

Spring break 2000? We were all grad students and went to NYC. I remember it being
crazy cold some days.  We had a blast though. WV - VA - MD - NJ - NYC all in a week.

Whoa! Who is this girl? LOL I remember don't remember - but clearly I knew her.
Graduate School was some awesomely good times!

You're A Fun One, Mr. Hicks

Today was a craving vegetables day.  I've been having these more and more lately.  Maybe my body is saying it's vitamin deficient.  I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that I haven't really cared to eat much meat lately.  Don't get me wrong.  I still love Mexican food with the ground beef, seasoned to perfection.  I guess I have just developed a palate that yearns for good ol' veggies.  Tonight, I made what is normally an appetizer for dinner - grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil with balsamic vinaigrette. Mmm Mmm, good!

Enough of that - let's get to the daily loves!

1. This morning I was scraping the windows of my car (yes, they were covered in frost) and a neighbor I've never met asked me if I would assist her with providing a jump to a car whose battery had died.  I walked over to see what I could do to help out.  My assistance wasn't needed but the neighbor and I introduced ourselves to one another - and THAT was the cool part!  I got to know another neighbor.
2. I got an email this afternoon from the Vice President of University Life with the subject line "You are One Fun Guy".  That alone made me smile. She wrote:
   

   Hey Dennis - just a quick note to tell you how great you are at keeping
   a party lively!  I really enjoyed watching you at the holiday party. I
   really appreciate your fun-loving spirit!
   
   Have a wonderful holiday if I don't see you!

   I didn't even see her there!  Nevertheless, it just goes to show you that you should always put on your best face because you never know who might be watching your actions.
3. Hmmm... text messages from Italy.  I like those!
4. I got my shipment of airplants today and I'm excited for the new projects that will come from them.  I have a few things planned and hopefully they will be well received.
5. Nicole was able to report that she will be going on date #2 with this guy. I love hearing exciting news!