Now I Want Yogurt

It’s back! The Burn Notice season premiere tonight signifies the start of summer programming. Besides providing us with an example of the proper use of a Ke$ha song, the much-anticipated kick-off relieves some serious television ennui. The season finales of Castle, Bones, Chuck, The Office, Parks & Recreation, House, NCIS, Community, Hawaii 5-0, Glee, Big Bang Theory, and all other primetime staples were over a month ago.

Thankfully, USA Network’s program schedule is just gearing up with new episodes of In Plain Sight, White Collar, Covert Affairs, Royal Pains, and of course, Burn Notice (aka, The Show That's Impossible To Watch Without Wanting Yogurt). Psych has unfortunately been bumped from its usual slot to the Fall, so that the channel can launch two new shows. While we’ll miss Shawn and Gus a while longer, it’s okay because the whole Burn gang is back.

That’s right, the hottest parts of summer are back! Michael, Fiona, Sam, Maddie, Jesse, Barry, Nate, Sugar, Dead Larry… they’re all back and reportedly better than ever, now that Michael has been reinstated as a spy. Not to mention the Charger, Miami, plastic explosives, sunglasses, improvised listening devices, and an endless supply of yogurt. So, grab your remote and your yogurt, and escape the doldrums with Chuck Finley.

A Grateful Month

In my experience, November is a dreary month. The days become shorter, workloads become heavier and the impending holidays begin to build stress before they even arrive. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way in November. This year, I decided to tackle the problem via Twitter: each day I had to post one thing for which I was grateful.

If you follow my Twitter (and occasionally, my Facebook) profile, you probably noticed what I was doing. Some days, it was hard to choose only one thing to appreciate—from my salvation to a sunset, the whole world can seem to be a personal gift just for me sometimes. Other days, of course, it was very difficult to find anything that I enjoyed.

Thankfully, November is almost over and we’re hurtling toward Christmas. My holiday decorations are up and my thankfulness exercise is over. Maybe I’ll do it again next year; maybe you’ll want to try it, too. So here (largely intact) is the complete list of my tweets. I hope you get as much encouragement out of reading them as I did writing them!

This month I was grateful for…

1. a great orthopedic specialist
2. the right to vote... something I wouldn't have been allowed to do 100 years ago!
3. Mountain Dew's caffeinated goodness
4. my iPod. It makes cleaning so much more enjoyable!
5. PowerPoint
6. Fernando!
7. sunshine
8. psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19)
9. whoever invented the caramel macchiato
10. my awesome girl friends who are totally there for me when I need them <3 you ladies!
11. our veterans and all my friends who are protecting our country--thanks for doing what I could not!
12. the Pittsburgh Penguins
13. my awesome, Gospel-preaching church!
14. Christmas music
15. fire drills
16. a hair stylist who actually knows what she's doing for a change!
17. my boss's sense of humor ;)
18. Burn Notice with the boys
19. online shopping... getting everything set for Christmas!
20. Saturday mornings when I can sleep in
21. books--I would be lost without them!
22. my new winter coat
23. beautiful sunsets, especially that particularly gorgeous shade of pink
24. the bagpipes in my soul, even if they do occasionally bring tears to my eyes
25. my crazy messed up family... it's how I know I belong ;)
26. endless salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden
27. SNOW
28. being able to sleep in my own bed tonight
29. jazzzzzz
30. all you wonderful readers of my blog! Especially those of you who give me feedback :)

Bright Copper Kettles

In my search for beauty in life, I’ve begun to compile a list of my favorite things. These are just the little, everyday things that make me smile. Of course, my compunction in writing this down may have something to do with the song being stuck in my head for 24 hours straight. So, here they are, in no particular order: My Favorite Things.

Black and white movies
Burn Notice
Calvin and Hobbes
Daisies
Dark chocolate
Facebook notifications
Garlic in food
Hockey
Hockey fights
Laughter
Manning’s ice cream
Michael Bublé
Mountain Dew
People saying thank you
Russian accents
Snowball fights
Sunglasses
Sunset pink

The Little Yogurt in Life

Ever notice that you tend to promote that which you enjoy? We’re always telling each other about the pizza at that new place that just opened up or the great sale going on at our favorite store. They say that a satisfied customer is the best advertisement. Well, I love yogurt. I’ve been trying to live more healthily lately and yogurt has certainly helped.

I have practically become addicted to Yoplait Yogurt recently. Every time I go to the store, I pick up a few more so that I always have a good supply on hand. Their light/fat free yogurt only has 100 calories, but I seriously can’t taste the difference. What I can taste is the dozens of delightful flavors, such as Orange Créme and Strawberry Shortcake.

Good luck convincing me to get over this addiction for three very important reasons: 1) it’s healthy, 2) it’s pretty cheap, and 3) Michael Westen loves it. You would have to disprove at least two of those facts for me to even consider giving up my yogurt habit. That’s, of course, besides it being so illegally delicious!

They say “it’s the little things in life,” and I’m inclined to agree. When I get home from a long day at work, I do two things: kick off my shoes and grab a yogurt. I know it’ll be sitting there in my refrigerator, just waiting to make my day a little bit better. I love my yogurt and hope that you have such a rewarding relationship in your life too.

Spontaneity

Until just a few minutes ago, my big plan for this evening was to go home and go to bed early. Maybe watch some Burn Notice. Then Michelle called. Now my plan is to spend the evening with a friend, cooking chicken fettuccine and watching chick flicks. I like this plan much better.

Generally, I like to know what to expect and plan ahead. One of the greatest lessons I learned in college was flexibility. Sometimes, I actually schedule unscheduled time on my calendar, for which I am not allowed to have an agenda. Life needs a little spontaneity every once in a while.

Very seldom can adventure be planned—with the exception of rollercoasters, of course. Pretty sure that “unexpected” is somewhere in the definition of adventure. I know that I can be a bit of a control freak sometimes (hey, I’m working on it). It actually takes a lot for me to accept a last-minute invitation, but it’s usually much more fun that way!

It’s pretty hard to surprise me, so kudos if you manage to. If you do catch me unawares and I get defensive, just give me a minute. Once I figure out what’s going on, I love a good random escapade. My life could use more excitement… or at least some chicken fettuccine and chick flicks.

Guy Buttersnaps & Co.

I don’t know about you, but in this crazy world, I can only get by with a little help from my friends. Even if I do think I’m going crazy when I can’t find something because they borrowed it. I love all my friends and sometimes nicknames just happen. For instance, one of my current friends is generally referred to as Guy Buttersnaps, thanks to John Cena and James Roday.

Over the years, I’ve gotten to be good friends with Jae, Gidget, Helen, and the list goes on… Most of my best friends don’t live anywhere near me, but thank God for modern technology! Elsewise, how could I ever say my confession? Not seeing each other for a year or two at a time still stinks, though. Guy Buttersnaps, however, I usually see every day or two.

Sometimes it scares me when we order the exact same meals. We do love the same TV shows—she introduced me to Castle and Bones, and I showed her Burn Notice and Drop Dead Diva. Good friends aren’t just about fun, though. The time we banned complaining about stupid boys for a whole week was awesome. In fact, I think we may need to do that again soon.

My friends get me through the day. They think my purple Fergalicious shoes are fabulous (which they totally are) and sing Glee songs in my office. True friends also tell you the brutal truth when you need to hear it, and not just that the dress makes you look fat. Today, I’m grateful for my friends! Especially Guy Buttersnaps… even if she did “accidentally” throw out my Star Trek DVD.

Resolved This Day

I know that traditionally all resolutions are enacted at the onset of a new year and remain effective for approximately three weeks thence. However, I do not put much stock in traditions and am more than willing to dispose of any that are deemed idiotic and/or superfluous. This applies doubly to the area of resolutions, which I believe are best ratified when relevant, regardless of date.

A few of my recent resolutions include (but are not limited to):

Yogurt—I’ve started eating more yogurt and actually try to eat a serving each day. Yes, it is mostly because of Michael Westen, but it’s also healthy.

London—Going to London and England as a whole has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve decided that it will within the next year. If you want to come along, just let me know.

Blog—Especially during the summer, I am determined to post every day as a matter of personal discipline and creative exercise.

I cannot keep waiting for my life to start. Life is right now! If I keep saying “I’ll do it after I’ve paid off all my loans” or “I’ll go there after I’m married,” I’ll never do anything. I would hate to realize when I’m 85 years old that I lived too safely and didn’t have all those experiences. Sometimes, you’ve just got to make it happen. Why wait?