Real Words Don't Have the Proper Emphasis: WHWPOWEIHLKJFHD!!

This is going to be a post about how obsessed I am with Mad Men (Mariecus can attest to this-I've watched 9 episodes in 2 days), and HOW INCREDIBLY PUMPED I AM ABOUT VISITING MICHELLE TOMORROW.

Letter leader board update:
Michelle zooms a head with her second letter. That leaves the following:

Michelle: 2
Joe: 1
Ben: 1
Spaulding: 1
Hannah: 1

But this is anyone's game folks. So get to it! If I'm feeling nice, I'll write the freshman one later this week.

But more importantly: TOMORROW WHEN I GET TO SEE MICHELLE!  I need to pack before then, I did laundry for this occasion... That's a real friendship right there. Michelle informed me that even despite the floodings, Duluth is not a nudist colony... how peculiar. But if that's the trend, I guess that's it.

And that sums up my excitement-except not at all. This is beyond epic, and I'm psyched.

It's 4am and I'm Wide Awake Singing a Song

Good news: I survived.
Bad news: I'm exhausted.

So this morning at 3:55am my alarm goes off. It sounds a lot like a fire alarm, so it's pretty effective in making me jump out of bed. But just in case, I set an alarm for 4:00am, and 4:05am too. But I was up and at them at 3:55 and Justin and I made a quick coffee and donut run before making sure that the 4 last poets to the airport. And although they were sleepy, we made it out of there in plenty of time. The only tragic moment of the day was when my coffee cup failed me and proceeded to spill the black gold contents of the magic cup all over my lap-whilest driving. Basically the worst occurrence ever. Hot coffee everywhere and I'm wearing khaki shorts.  Boo that. But the worst of it is that I have lost precious amounts of coffee. Woe is me.

But we got there on time and said our tearful goodbyes. Then Justin and I boogied back home to get some sleep.  Well, actually, I was too awake to sleep right then, so I went for a little walk around the arb.  Wrote a little bit, napped a bit, and came back before it got too hot. And for a good chunk of the afternoon, I took a nap and have begun the 3rd season of Mad Men. So despite being far too early to wake up, I think today was pretty prime.

Themed Thursday: The Pitch

THEMED THURSDAY!!!!

I hope you got yourself pumped up for this-because I did. So I've been talking a lot about writing with slam camp and all. But here, Michelle and I have concocted a different sort of writing for this blog-off spectacular. It all started from this obsession we have with Mad Men. That means advertising, and that means a pitch (no, not the baseball kind... or for you extra stringent feminists out there- softball). So that's what we're doing. We're pitching you a pencil. The regular kind. You know, the one you learned to write with and then had to have in your pencil box all through elementary school? The familiar, sunshiny yellow friend that got you through handwriting books and in class assignments.  Those were the good old days. So here goes, I'm pitching and you're catching. Play ball!


There are a variety of ways we can take this-art work wise in the very least, and this mantra has the capability of branching from print to film with out another thought. In it's simplest form, the slogan is the thing.  The sheer imagination inherent in the product itself. This is the tool for any child, any person to draw, create, write, imagine, and enjoy. There is nothing new or remarkable, but this is the product of the American dream.  Simple tools to achieve great things. And the Yellow #2 Pencil is the thing to do it with. And all #2 Pencils have 35 miles worth of creativity. "Where will that write you?"

So although I'm by no means the best on the art team, I'm doing my best in dealing with the budget cuts. So please excuse the artwork until I lure someone more artistic than I back into the studio. I'm working with the simple tools supplied to me.

And that, concludes today. Boom.

Indy 30

I'm going to spend about 2.5 sentences talking about the NFL tournament.

1) I wish I was there. Desperately.

2) I know some pretty bad ass people. Seriously. They are incredible. Everyone there in Indy is a boss. I'm impressed.

And that about sums it up. I'm going to go to bed now, and those Indy kids are sleeping soundly, dreaming of semi finals. I've finished with my latest baking project and I tricked Mariecus into trying a brownie before going to bed. I think they're decent. We'll check again in the morning.

"No Need for a Chair, I've Got This" or "Here Kitty Kitty"

The one thing that's always surprising is finding out that there's a latent lap cat. Usually cats are either prone to loving people and sitting on their laps as a constant need for attention, and then there are the ones that just couldn't care less what you were or were not doing. I was blind sided by Sophie today. Here I thought that Ira was the "Love me all the time no matter what" kind of cat, and Sophie was the "Uh, I don't want to be anywhere near you because you're scary and I want to look independent" sort.

My world is a lie.

Ira is still the love bug, but Sophie threw me for a loop. Before I had to work pretty hard to even convince her that I was nice enough for her to let me pet her once before she ran away. The next time I got her so that she would sit on the end of the couch while I petted her. And today, I could hardly get her off of my lap. She'd stay there for long periods of time, just letting me pet off handfuls of hair for minutes at a time. The she would leave for a few, and then right back at it. Basically I'm renting out my lap as a cat timeshare. When one is doing something else, I'm busy petting the other one. And vice versa. The only real downside is that it severely restricts my knitting, but meh, I'm not too worried. I've completely given up on that pattern and am in the hunt for one that isn't written in hieroglyphs and smears of fecal matter. (sorry that was a little abrasive. I'm only kind of bitter. Is it that obvious?)

Back to the point, I'm the official cat whisperer. I figure if I can convince the most elusive-you will probably never meet her because she's scared of everything-cat to be a lap cat, I really should just go into the business. Oooo, new profession, lion tamer. I'm obviously cut out for the job. I already travel with odd groups of people across country in funny vehicles listening to cryptic music while wearing out of the ordinary clothing, and I have a way with feline friends. Lion tamer makes the most sense.  Why haven't I thought of this before. Uh, what a konk head.

Disc 4

Here's the deal:
I'm going to be driving for 8 hours.
Tomorrow.
And I spent approximately the same number of hours trying to get through the first season of Mad Men.
AND DIDN'T FINISH.
I'm on the last disk, but it's past two, and I needs to get me some sleep in the very least.

So. I have resolved to eat breakfast in the morning, and pack the rest of my things while watching the last episode (please let there be just one, mom will murder me if I don't get to good old Saint Pete by 7).

And with that, I will leave my ranting about not being able to finish a show before leaving on a long journey where I will undoubtedly be cut off from civilization for an extended length of time. (I seem to remember something like this happening last August with Dexter....  Hmmm... Me huddled over a suitcase trying to finish the last terrifying episodes of Dexter. The impossible questions of right and wrong haunting my pre-Italian dreams.)

Good night. I'm sure I'll have an enthralling post about the joys of Iowa tomorrow. Lucky you!