a president and a snowfall

After we ate dinner tonight, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands.  In an effort to use that time wisely I went into Emily's room and proceeded to try to convince her that George W. Bush's middle name is actually "Dubya."  

I presented a lengthy explanation about Dubya being an old family name of English origin, and tradition was that it was never used as a first name.  Only a middle name.  My persuasive skills were in high gear and I was actually making progress until I told her that the original Dubya was Laura Bush's great great grandfather.  That would have made perfect sense if Laura's parents actually had anything to do with the naming of George Dubya.  Which, since they didn't even know of his existence until decades later, they did not.  Looking back I should have thought that through more thoroughly.

After Emily rained on my Dubya parade, she told me I needed to go do something more productive with my time like WRITE A BLOG POST ALREADY.  Because I love to add dramatic flair to any situation, I told her that I needed a five word phrase of encouragement and/or inspiration before I could continue on my way.

"Five words?" she asked.  "Does it have to be a famous quote, or can I make it up?"

I told her that there were no rules other than that it had to be brimming with inspiration and five words long.

She thought about it for half a second and then said, "Get. Out. Of. My Room."

She is hilarious.

And so here I am thinking about what I could write about that would be marginally more interesting than my dentist appointment last night (cavity free! no tartar!) or the fact that I am on a quest for new shampoo.*

I suppose I could take a trip down memory lane all the way back to Saturday, when we had our first WINTER WEATHER EVENT of the season.

 

We got a few inches of snow and sleet and somewhere along the way, the weekend was dubbed "SNOWTOBER."   I did not like that one bit.  In most instances I am all about the clever nickname.  For example, at the Catholic university where I got my paralegal certificate, the coffee shop was called "Holy Grounds."  I laughed every time I walked by.  And I will never find a lipstick name I like as much as "Mauvelous."  But snowtober? Not really a fan.   I am left to wonder what will happen if the region experiences a heat wave in the winter.  Will we call it "warmarch?"  To me that sounds more like something a soldier would do before heading into battle than some eighty degree temperatures in the early spring, but you never know.

This whole snowtober thing is a slippery slope.

Literally.

Happy Friday!

*I really am looking for new shampoo, and am open to suggestions.  Preferably something without many chemicals because MY HAIR!  IT IS SO SENSITIVE!  I would also like to spend less than $8.00 a bottle because I have very important things to buy with the rest of my money.  Like nail polish.  And tater tots.

something is not right about this

I think Mother Nature's timing is a little bit off.

in our defense, dinner was delicious

I did a lot of growing up this weekend.

On Saturday I went shopping with my mom and Emily.  Our first stop was to look at kitchen tables.  I know.  ONLY GROWN UPS SHOP FOR KITCHEN TABLES.

After that, we hit the mall so I could get some more business suits for work.  I picked out several suits that I liked and went into the dressing room to try them .  The first one fit me perfectly, but it was so shiny that it looked like I was either wrapped in tinfoil or masquerading as a giant bicycle reflector and that's really not the look I was going for.  Although it would be the perfect suit for a hip hop star's agent, so if I hear that Chamillionaire has an opening on his staff, I'll be back to buy that shiny suit in a heartbeat.

Emily sat on the bench and listened to her ipod while giving me the thumbs up or thumbs down on each suit I tried on.  She said very little, but when she did speak, she did so EXTREMELY LOUDLY in order to hear herself over the headphones, a tendency that was particularly charming when I tried on a pair of pants that may have been one or five sizes too small and she loudly exclaimed "OH WOW! CAN YOU EVEN ZIP THEM?' 

I think shoppers in housewares heard her and her honesty.

Finally I settled on two suits and three tops, and at the checkout I applied for a Macy's card.  ONCE AGAIN-how grown up of me.  And then, as if that weren't enough, we stopped by the Verizon store on our way out, and I was once and for all booted off the family plan.

After our shopping excursion Emily and I went to a place very near and dear to my heart. 

Sonic.

Since I've started my new job, I haven't been to Sonic once.  Truth be told, I am actually surprised that they have managed to stay in business without my loyal patronage.  I would be lying if I said I didn't think about Sonic daily, and I'm happy to report that this weekend I was finally reunited with my beloved peach sweet tea.

It was just the girls for dinner Saturday night, so after our stop at Happy Hour my mom sent Emily and I to the food store with twenty five dollars and instructions to come home with something tasty yet healthy for dinner.

We returned half an hour later with a classy, mature dinner.

A family pack of fried chicken and a bag of grapes.

Perhaps I do still have some growing up to do.

two steps forward, one step back

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of road names that are solely numbers, or that feature a letter indicating a cardinal direction.  

Main Street?  I can handle that.  

Cherry Lane?  Bring it on.  

676E?  No thanks, I'll stay home.

I have a rocky and longstanding relationship with highways.  What happens is that I tend to panic in areas with several exits and SO MANY signs.  I never seem to have enough time to find the sign I want, and then I end up doubting my gut instinct, and just get on to the nearest exit ramp as quickly as I can.  Which is usually a poor decision.

That exact scenario is how I learned that there is a lovely little town called Grantville in the middle of Pennsylvania.  I accidentally discovered it when I was en route from Penn State to Philadelphia.  I was coming home for a job interview senior year, and it was the first time I'd done the drive by myself.  My dad emailed me a set of incredibly detailed instructions, and after step #9 he wrote, "Okay, if you're made it this far, you can't go wrong now! The rest is easy!"

Well, guess who went wrong at step #10, and ended up in tears on the phone with her father while sitting in the parking lot at the Grantville rest stop.

 

This afternoon I had an obligation in the city for my new job.  As it turns out, that's not really the kind of situation where you can say, "Well, boss, I have bad luck with highways and following directions, so THANKS BUT NO THANKS."  It meant I had to grow up and drive from the suburbs to the city.  I looked over the directions a few nights ago and didn't think they sounded that complicated, and told myself that if I missed my exit, I could always just turn around!  Easy solution!  I showed the directions to my dad and, just for some reassurance, said, "I mean, what's the worst that could happen if I miss my exit?"  

"YOU WILL GO TO NEW JERSEY!"

Hmm.  Note to self.  Don't miss the exit.

So today was the big travel day, and I did it.  Without any problems at all.  I was pretty proud of myself.

After I parked I walked down the street and found the fancy office building.  The lobby was HUGE and after I signed in and went through security, I walked up to a hallway FULL of elevators.  There were at least eight of them.  I saw one elevator that had the doors open and a few people waiting inside.  Perfect timing.  I marched right on over and hopped in, and the man standing in front of the buttons asked me, "What floor?"  

"Five please," I told him.

He sort of looked at me expressionless, so I repeated myself.

"Five.  Please."

And then he said, "Uhh, you know not every elevator goes to every floor right?  The ones that go to five are down there on the end."

Obviously I did not know that, because if I did I would not have boarded a (full) elevator bound for floors 11-15.  I walked out of the elevator and down to the end of the row, where I saw the sign
<-- ELEVATORS FOR FLOORS 1-5 -->.

I have another meeting in the city on Thursday.  

I'm not worried about the drive at all.

But I can assure you that once I arrive, I will be taking the stairs.

unfortunately, i really have missed the autumnal equinox

It was very dark outside when I woke up this morning.  So dark, in fact, that I was initially concerned I had missed some sort of Daylight Savings time related clock changing.  I laid in bed for a few minutes thinking about what a tragic situation that would have been, because it would have also meant that I lost the chance to throw my annual End of Daylight Savings Time Gala.  The gala is always great fun and a true autumn highlight each year.  Everyone wears their finest dresses and brings their clocks and we all ceremoniously change the time together, and then feast on the traditional Daylight Savings Time foods like fried chicken and cheesecake.

Or maybe I was just delaying getting out of bed and thus created this imaginary gala.  

Although it does sound like fun.

Eventually I made my way out from under the warm covers because, you know, carpe diem.  And also, I have a job.  The next half hour went smoothly, but things took a nosedive to the south when I went down to the kitchen to pour my coffee, and remembered that I used up the last few drops of my coffee creamer yesterday.

CODE. RED.

I'm going to be honest here for just a moment.  The only reason I drink coffee is because I love creamer.  There.  I said it.  In my mind, coffee is merely the means to a delicious, high calorie end.  The creamer is where it's at.  Sometimes I pour so much in, that it actually makes my mug of coffee cold.  

Hmm.  Writing that out makes it sound less than appetizing, but believe you me, there is nothing like starting the day with a mug of white chocolate caramel mocha creamer and a teaspoon or two of Folgers.

I thought about stopping on my way to work for coffee, but that is something that I NEVER do simply because I have perfected the art of getting up, showering, getting dressed, doing my hair and makeup, and packing my purse and lunch in exactly 37 minutes flat.  It took months to perfect that routine, and adding another task is like PLAYING WITH FIRE.

But, as the saying goes, desperate times call for Dunkin' Donuts, which is where I found myself five minutes later ordering a large, hot, pumpkin spice latte with whipped cream and caramel.  

Basically, I had dessert at 7 am.

After work I had an appointment to get my hair cut, which meant I spent the last several days performing my semi-annual ritual of deciding whether or not I should do something drastic to my hair and if I should get bangs or not.  Of course, there is always the option of the fabang.

In the end I got a simple trim because I stopped for coffee on the way to work and HOW MANY RISKS SHOULD ONE GIRL TAKE IN A DAY?  I also got a teeny, tiny section of my hair cut into very long side bangs, so I have the option of  either styling them as bangs, or blending them right in with the rest of my hair.

Part time bangs.  The solution to years of follicular discontent.

And the best part is now that I don't have to think about my hair anymore, I can focus my full attention on planning the Annual End of Daylight Savings Time Gala.

Just let me know if you want an invitation.

come to think of it, i could easily eat two gallons of sonic tots

Well.  

I just turned on the news, and one of the top stories is about a chili eating contest that took place this past weekend.  The contestant who consumed TWO GALLONS of chili in just six minutes was declared the winner.  Although I think in this case "winner" is a relative term because, yuck. 

A chili eating story as the headliner means is a sure sign it was a slow weekend around here.  Speaking of the weekend, on Friday night Emily, my mom and I ate dinner with my grandmother.  We dined on pizza, mozerella sticks, and chicken fingers, because sometimes you just need a light, healthy dinner.  

Now that I think about it, perhaps people in glass food houses shouldn't throw french fries.  My apologies to you, Mr. Champion Chili Eater.

I spent most of Saturday babysitting, and then Matt and I ate dinner at the Longhorn Steakhouse.  We have been dating for three years, and I have NEVER ONCE ordered steak when we've gone out.  Not once.  It's not that I don't like steak.  I do.  When my dad cooks it.  But when I'm at a restaurant, I prefer to go with what I know, and I know poultry. 

This is something that boggles Matt's mind, especially when the restaurant happens to be a steakhouse.  If I had a dollar for every time he exclaimed, "WE GO TO A STEAKHOUSE, AND YOU ORDER CHICKEN?" I'd be one rich lady.

Saturday night was no different.  Matt ordered some sort of fancy wild west sirloin steak, and I played it safe with the always delicious chicken and mushrooms.  We both gave our respective dinners two thumbs up.  I know sometimes restaurant chains get bad raps, but how many other places offer a dining experience directly underneath giant, fake, livestock suspended precariously from the ceiling?  Not many, my friends.  Not many. 

In addition to the agricultural paraphenalia, our waitress said, "y'all" which caused me to spend a better part of the evening pondering if she was just wholeheartedly embracing the Texas theme, or if "y'all" is a part of her everyday vocabulary.  The latter would be unusual, because unfortunately people suburban Philadelphia don't say y'all too frequently.  I occasionally try to throw it in during casual conversation, but without fail Emily says, 'DID YOU JUST SAY Y'ALL?" so the transition has been less than seamless.

Several years ago, my mom and I were in Barnes and Noble, and the man at the cash register had the most authentic sounding British accent.  As we were leaving the store I said to my mom (remember...this was SEVERAL YEARS AGO), "So, do you think he's really British, or was the accent just for fun?"

After composing her thoughts for a few seconds she looked at me and said, "Laura, most adults don't just speak in foreign accents "for fun."

And that's the day I retired my Scottish accent.

I'll admit that Sunday was less than exciting around here.  I switched my clothes from summer to winter.  It took several hours, but at the end my closet was once again organized by color and length, and my cozy sweaters and warm boots had taken the place of shirts and flip flops.  

And then today it was 82 degrees.

After all that work, it's a bummer it wasn't CHILI!

Y'all.

my worst nightmare

 

I think this clock would cause me to be late for everything.

time to reTIRE

Last weekend, I made the biggest online purchase of my life thus far.  The number in the subtotal column was equivalent to several days of work, and when I clicked the submit button I crossed my fingers hoping my debit card wouldn't blow up because WHOA BOY, the purchase price was unprecedented.  A few days later I arrived home from work to see that my order had finally arrived.

Here is where I wish I could tell you that what was delivered to my doorstep was a diamond encrusted tiara a la Kate Middleton, or perhaps a designed purse made out of snakeskin.  If there's one thing in this world I love, it's a purse made out of faux reptile skin.  Classy.   

Sadly, what actually arrived what this...

With the combination of a much longer commute and the approaching winter season, Old Blue needed some new tires.  So I bit the bullet and bought these, since I would hate to face a snow covered commute with anything less than SUPERB TRACTION AND CORNERING STABILITY.  

Even though I'm not one hundred percent clear on what cornering stability is.  I just know I want it.

The tires are being installed tomorrow, so on Tuesday you better believe I will be burning (brand new, expensive) rubber.  Speaking of cars and long commutes, I have started listening to the traffic report each morning and evening.  I feel like that is a requirement for driving on the highway at rush hour.  Sometimes I sit at red lights and look at the business people in the cars all around me with serious expressions on their faces and blackberries attached to their ears.  And it is that moment I know for certain that I am the only person in the line of traffic listening to Flo Rida.

So, in the interest of appearing just as serious as my fellow commuters, I turn on the AM news station for "Traffic and Transit, on the Twos" to check in on the status of my homeward route.  But here's the thing.  I only know one way home, which means that if that was is backed up, and the friendly traffic reporter suggests taking an alternate route, I wouldn't be able to.  I have a habit of getting lost, and it certainly doesn't help that the roads here are called 76, 276, 476, and 676.  

APPARENTLY SOMEONE FORGOT TO BRING THEIR ORIGINALITY TO WORK ON HIGHWAY NAMING DAY.

The bottom line is that it's rush hour in the suburbs of a large city, so it pretty much looks like this every day.

 

I can't complain too much though, because I have some sweet new wheels on which to commute.  And of course, Flo Rida on the radio doesn't hurt either.

all this to say, things are status quo

Well hello.  I am back.  Finally.  It seems like the longer I go without writing something, the weaker the muscles in the writing department of my brain get.  It's sort of like exercising.  If I go a few days or weeks without a good workout, my muscles get weaker and weaker.

Clearly I am JUST KIDDING because I do not exercise.  Although I imagine that if I did, that principle would hold true.

The truth is that I have planned several times to write a post for the ol' blog but then I suffer from what I like to call DISTRACTIONS.  For example, last night I sat down with the best intentions of composing a few paragraphs, but instead ended up buying a set of tires for my car and then reading every last detail of DMX's lengthy criminal history.  If you're wondering how tires and felonious rappers are related, you're not alone.  I don't know how I went from one to the other, but what I do know is that perhaps DMX should familiarize himself with what constitutes a weapons violation, because it would appear from his rap sheet that he cannot remember.  

Haha.  Rap sheet.  See what I did there?

Anyway, the reason I've been so quiet is because September was a big month for me.  When it started, I was still in school, working at my old admin job, and living at home with no realistic plans to move out anywhere on the horizon or even in the solar system.  And now here I am on the other side of September, and in the past thirty days I finished my classes, interviewed for and was offered a new job, left my old job, started working as a paralegal, graduated from school, and started planning to move out on my own.

And I still managed to find time to get a speeding ticket!!

My new job required me to go on a trip for a few days last week, and I got a hotel room all to myself.  It's just ashame that it wasn't big enough.

 

Kidding, kidding.  The room was enormous.  I could have run laps back and forth from the door to the window if I were someone who enjoyed exercising.

 

And on Thursday night I graduated.  'Twas a lovely evening and it sure is a good feeling to know that I am finished with school!  Forever!  

Although, I will always be a student of life.

And a fan of cheesy quotes.

The other weekend my friend and I did some apartment hunting.  When I got home and broke the news to Emily that her fantastic older sister is really, truly going to be moving out, great sadness abounded.  Oh, there was devastation.  There may have even been some tears.

And then Emily told me to pull myself together and start clearing out my room because OH, SHE HAS SOME GRAND DECORATING PLANS.

Actually, she was very sad to hear the news.  I may have encouraged the sadness by quietly singing Trace Adkins' "You're Gonna Miss This" every time I saw her.  Although I did try to console her by telling her it will be a lot like when I went away to college.  She said, and I quote, "Yeah, but when you were at school I always knew you would be coming back home.  And plus, I didn't really like you as much then."

It was a precious moment.

On Sunday morning Emily was still in bed, and I pulled the old "knock and enter" on her door, and went in and loudly announced that it was time for Laura's First Weekly Performance of Singing Pop Songs, Opera Style.

I'm thinking my moving out may not be looking so bad to Emily anymore.

matt has started calling me leadfoot laura

 A lot has been going on in my little world lately.  Things have been happening.  Important things.  Life-changing, in fact.

The number one thing is that I received something on September 17, 2011, and I will never be the same.

 

  I was goin' fifty five in a fifty fo'.

 Actually, I was going 44 in a 35, which, in my opinion, should not be considered speeding.  I think "speeding" is a little bit harsh, and would like to propose a term I feel is more appropriate.  "Hurrying."  Perhaps tomorrow I will write a letter to my new friends, the New Jersey police, and suggest that.

Although, I wasn't intentionally hurrying when this ALLEGED incident took place.  I don't know how that lead found it's way to my foot, but I sure was sorry that it did when I saw those red and blue lights in my rear view mirror.  I don't know that I've ever been so scared.

Ironically, just days after my rendezvous with the law, I started working as a member of the legal profession.  This past Thursday was my first official day, and I left the house bright and early to ensure plenty of time for my commute. 

Because if there's one thing you don't want to get on your way to your job as a PARALEGAL, it's a speeding hurrying ticket.

how appropriate

I had to stay in a hotel the other night.  

(All by myself.  For the first time ever. I am so grown up.)

As I was walking down the hallway to my room, I noticed that there were pictures next to every room number. Some were beautiful flowers, others were scenic views, or landmarks from around the area.

Guess what the picture was outside my room.

This giant piece of pie.

It's like they chose that room just for me.

the great key ring debate

Shortly after Matt and I started dating, I learned that we have different views about key rings, and what exactly should go on them.

When I look at my key ring, I see ACCESSORIZING OPPURTUNITY, AHOY!  When Matt looks at his, he sees a tool. For the longest time, the only things on Matt’s key ring were his car key, house key, and an itsy bitsy little blue flashlight.  I will admit that I didn’t give the flashlight enough credit originally, because I thought WHEN IN THE WORLD would an on-the-go situation arise that would require the use of a tiny light?

I’ll tell you when.  ALL THE TIME.  That flashlight came in handy more times than I can even begin to count.  Tragically, it burned its last light a few months ago, and as a result my world has been a little bit darker.

Now when Matt and I go to the movies and decide we want some candy after the theater lights are already off, we can’t inconspicuously turn on the tiny flashlight to see which bag is the M&Ms and which bag is the Skittles.  We just have to rip the bags open and taste the contents to determine which is which.  In reality, I guess that’s not a bad problem to have.  And also, we hardly ever go to the movies anymore because tickets are thirteen dollars and fifty cents, or as I like to call it, HIGHWAY ROBBERY.  

My keychain, on the other hand, has a lot going on.

 

 The necessities are obviously my car key and the accompanying remote.  They dangle from a blue and white Penn State lanyard, because if there is an opportunity to publicize the fact that I love the Nittany Lions, I pretty much sieze it.

Which is why I have a window sticker AND a license plate frame on my car.

Proud to be a Nittany Lion!

(Except when we play the number 3 team in college football during the second week of the season and switch quarterbacks several times!  Or forget to throw the football to the guys in blue!  Or show a general lack of energy and determination!  Then it’s a little bit frustrating! LET’S GET IT TOGETHER BOYS!)

In addition to my keys and lanyard, I also have a cute little keychain that says, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”  I thought it was appropriate to put it on my keys, because whenever I have them with me, I am obviously going somewhere.  Granted, my destination is most frequently Wal Mart, but I would hate to go there with anything less than a WHOLEHEARTED ATTITUDE.  I also have store cards for Sephora, the grocery store, and Michael’s Arts and Crafts.

If someone were to pick up my keys and perform a quick character evaluation, they would most likely conclude that the keys belong to a Penn Stater who likes lip gloss, food, and the occasional craft project.  Which would be SPOT ON.

Now, if that same person were to pick up Matt’s keys, they would conclude that those keys belonged to someone who is ALL BUSINESS.

Since the night the lights went out in Georgia on Matt's keychain, it's been looking a little bit sad.  That is, until one night a few weeks ago.  Matt came to pick me up, and as he put his keys in the ignition, something caught my eye.  It was something small with a touch of orange.  A never before seen key related accessory.  A KEY RING INTERLOPER.

I studied it as we drove along, trying to determine what earned a coveted spot on the keychain.  It didn’t look like a flashlight.  It wasn’t a store card and it most certainly wasn’t something made out of metal and some cheerful colored beads reminding him “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

As we arrived at our destination and Matt took the keys out of the ignition, I asked him about the new member of his keychain.  Well, his eyes LIT UP with excitement and he said, “I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS!!”

You will never guess what it was.

 

 

 A convenient on the go dental pick. 

First of all, am I the only one who foresees some serious logistical and/or germ related issues that might come along with trying to maneuver that thing in between your teeth while your keys/assorted paraphernalia dangle from the side? 

Also, I get nervous when I see this particular item at my bi-annual dental appointments.  The last thing I want to do is use it in the six months between visits.  

In the car.

However, I do have to admire Matt for being so willing to go to such great lengths in the name of good dental hygiene.  

And also for not straying from his strict key ring criteria of TOOLS ONLY.

Even if I do think some bedazzling could jazz up that travel pick.  :)

i will certainly accept the traditional one year gift of paper

Well, well, well.  Looks like it’s been one whole year since I started this blog.  When I sat down to write the “About Me” section 365 days ago, I wrote a sentence that said, “I graduated from Penn State University in May with an English degree, and now I work in an office and go to school at night for my paralegal certificate, because I will eventually have to earn a living.”  

I don’t talk about my job on here, because I believe in the separation of work and blog.  However, one year later I can change that sentence to “I finished the paralegal program in August, and last week I GOT A JOB AS A PARALEGAL.”

  

I know.  I’m growing up.  Also, there are two people reading this (holla Mom and Dad) that are probably very anxious for the next sentence to change.  You know, the one that says, “I still live at home with my parents.” 

Lucky for them I am still hanging around the homestead, providing them with a frequent covers of eighties songs and also delicious culinary masterpieces.  Well, maybe not so much the culinary masterpiece part. 

Lest you think that a new job is the only big change in my life, I assure you that it is not. There has been some major hair transition as well.  Specifically, my part and the area of my head in which it resides.  I have always parted my hair on the left side of my head. Well, as of last weekend, it’s now on the right.  Although if you are looking at me, it would be your left.  

(One time when I was in college, I had a terrible ear infection.  I called my mom, who was at home, to tell her about it, and she said, “Is it your right ear or your left ear?”  And I said, “Well, it depends on where you’re sitting in the family room.”  AND THAT, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, WAS THE SEMESTER I CHANGED MY MAJOR FROM NURSING TO LIBERAL ARTS!)

Anyway, last weekend I took a leap of follicular faith and switched my part.  And then I visited no less than ten local retail establishments, as per my Saturday tradition, and I COULD NOT STOP thinking about my part.  I found myself checking out my reflection in not only every mirror I walked by, but also in storefront windows and the refrigerator doors in the frozen food section of Wal Mart.  

Actually that’s not really any different than a normal day, because I am a girl who loves to look at herself in a mirror.  Or any reflective surface really.  (See also: vain).  But last weekend I was focused specifically on my part and how it was behaving.  

 

Here is an example of my new hair/part in action. 

 

 This picture was taken at a sculpture garden in New Jersey that Stacy and I visited this weekend.  The reason we were at the sculpture place is not because we are sophisticated artists, although you might be led to believe that we are by looking at these pictures.

 

 

No, the reason we went was because I couldn’t bring myself to wander aimlessly around Target for the afternoon.  I know.  It’s like I don’t even know who I am anymore.  Admission to the sculpture garden was $12, but since it’s a scientific impossibility to walk out of Target without spending at least twenty bucks, I technically saved money.

Perhaps I should look into moonlighting as an economics professor!

As you can see, with the assistance of some strategic bobby pin placement, my part is adjusting quite well to its new location.

So, a lot has changed in the past twelve months.  And I think the next twelve are going to hold even better things for me and my new job.

And of course my hair.