130 - so what... + 'tis the season for craziness!

i'm stealing this from holly and xtina, and although it's not technically "so what wednesday" (as today is friday, hallelujah!), i couldn't help but start my own list.

SO WHAT...

...if i have fallen asleep on the couch next to my christmas tree for the past 3 nights, dragged myself to my bed at 2:00 a.m., then complained about being tired in the morning?
...if i still own videotapes? i mean, why re-buy the same movies on dvd, when i own a vhs/dvd combo player?
...if i have an extremely embarrassing list of tivo'd shows? (real housewives/the challenge/90210...what?)
...if, instead of putting away my normal decorations when i put out my christmas stuff, i stacked it all on my kitchen table instead? and (a daily double...) so what if it's still there?
...if i would rather sit around and think up happy hour locations to try next week than actually do my job?
...if i typically skip our department's seasonal potlucks because A) i don't have time to make anything to contribute; B) i dislike almost all potluck food; C) i'd rather leave for lunch anyway!
...if i color coordinate everything that is possible to color coordinate?
...if i really enjoy planning same-color-scheme outfits with my friends? (not boyfriends though - that's a bit much.)
...if i get mad that they don't like to play along?
...if i am literally booked every night from now until christmas eve, yet I HAVE NOT BOUGHT ONE SINGLE GIFT YET?!

aaah...help!! and since my life is insane, here's a quick rundown of what's been going on this week and what's on tap for next week, in case i don't have time to blog (you'll understand why momentarily...)!

this week...
monday: drove 9.5 hours home from visiting my favorite male charlestonian and my love, xtina
tuesday: got guilted into providing moral support for a friend who tried spray tanning and semi-started working on my christmas cards
wednesday: participated in a food drive in 13 degree weather (oh, i love you, ohio weather...) for 2 hours, but it brought 12,000 pounds of food to the pantry at the end of the day. that helped me feel a little better about sacrificing the feeling in my fingers/toes for a couple hours. after i got home, i knocked out some more christmas cards!
thursday: went to see the nutcracker downtown and totally forgot that my friend's fiance is a principal dancer with the company! it was an amazing performance, and seeing someone i knew up there was really cool.
friday: tonight i desperately need to do some more christmas-related things before heading downtown for scalley's welcome home party at 9:00.
saturday: christmas shopping in the morning, OHIO STATE/CAROLINA basketball game at 2:00 (10 rows behind the bench - watch for me on tv, and gooo buckeyes!), then maybe more shopping or possibly resting before a christmas party AND birthday celebrations for two friends tomorrow night.
sunday: um...let's just wait and see how functional i am after saturday night.

next week...
monday: happy hour at marcella's with one of my favorite ex-roommates, holly!
tuesday: possibly a free night? and that means i'll probably be doing more christmas shopping!
wednesday: reunion with my old school girls, including dinner and lots of wine.
thursday: potentially taking the day off work to finish shopping and start wrapping gifts, before heading to a winery to celebrate christmas with mary!
friday: more present-wrapping, dinner with the family, and church x 2 (once with the fam and a second time so a friend doesn't have to go alone).

then i might seriously relax until new year's eve. what does your holiday calendar look like?

114 - bebidas

memorial day weekend is upon us - quite literally. if i'm not out the door in 10 minutes, someone will pay dearly. in light of the sunny weather and H-O-T temperatures that are being bestowed upon c-bus this weekend, i thought i'd take a second to share two of my absolute favorite summer drink recipes with you.

recipe #1: better-than-a-mojito
discovered: on my trip to charleston at my favorite nugget's birthday cookout, recipe given to me via facebook from the nugget's twin sister.
reason i love this: it's delicious with OR without alcohol...imagine that!

ingredients:

-1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves
-2 cups lime cordial (same as Rose's lime juice) - use a little more than 2 cups, but go off what your tastebuds are telling you
-2 cups club soda
-4 lime slices
-add whatever type of liquor you choose (recommendations: rum or vodka)

recipe #2: sassy sangria
discovered: on cinco de mayo at abuelo's
why i love this: it combines two of my favorite things - wine and fruit. what's not to love?
preparation hint: let chill overnight so the fruit and wine have a chance to blend their flavors. add the ginger ale/club soda right before serving.

ingredients:
-1 full bottle of red wine (recommendations: shiraz, cabernet, peter vella burgundy)
-wedges of the following fruits: 1 full lemon, 1 full orange, 1 full lime, 1 full peach
-2 tablespoons sugar
-splash of orange juice or lemonade (again - go off of your tastebuds!)
-1 cup of raspberries or strawberries - thawed or frozen
-2 shots of peach schnapps
-4 cups ginger ale (or club soda, if you want it to fizz!)
-2 shots of gin or triple sec (optional - if it's not already strong enough for you/if you're a borderline alkie)

enjoy your memorial day weekend, lovies!

111 - happy cinco and a favor to ask!

happy cinco de mayo! in case you're not sure why this holiday is celebrated, check out HF's blog for details. to honor this holiday, i'm going to douchie's house for a cookout and margaritas. let me tell you, 5:00 can't get here fast enough! i can't wait to be speeding down riverside drive, soaking in the sunshine with the windows rolled down and my ipod blasting.

on a different note, you may have noticed that it's been about two months since my last vacation, so i'm about due to leave this beautiful city of mine. during an e-mail conversation last week, my pretty southern friends invited me to charleston, south carolina to celebrate my favorite nugget's birthday. clearly i accepted immediately and started planning my trip. now it's nine days away, and i'm so excited! i even guest-blogged about it earlier this week on the charleston nugget! you can go ahead and read that entry if you want to, but in case you're feeling lazy, basically i'm asking for suggestions of fun things to do in charleston. i've never been before, and i want to make sure to see all the important landmarks and fun things! christina already has some ideas in mind, but your thoughts are always welcome!

have fun celebrating tonight and be safe!

104 - spring reading

as we have established, i am a giant nerdy bookworm...and recently every time i've been at a store (target, kroger, anywhere!), i've come across new books i want/need to read. i've always loved reading when the weather is nice outside - i guess i feel less nerdy when i'm reading a book in a park, by a pool, on my patio, or at a reservoir in my hometown. the weather in cbus over the past two days has been positively gorgeous, so i've been inspired to make a wishlist for spring reading on amazon.com.

cal's nerd-alert reading wishlist (in random order):
-the last lecture - randy pausch
-soulhappy - kobi yamada
-sizzling sixteen - janet evanovich (not out until june, but on my wishlist anyway - i need it immediately!)
-twenties girl - sophie kinsella
-firefly lane - kristin hannah
-committed - elizabeth gilbert (author of eat pray love)
-chelsea chelsea bang bang - chelsea handler
-house rules - jodi picoult (brand new and so cheap on amazon!)
-the crowning glory of calla lily ponder - rebecca wells (author of the divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood)
-where the river ends - charles martin
-the girls from ames - jeffrey zaslow
-why men love bitches - sherry argov (hilariously recommended by mk)
-vanishing acts - jodi picoult (the only one of her older books that i haven't read)

thoughts/suggestions welcome! obviously my reading list is growing by leaps and bounds on a weekly basis, and i love recommendations.

oh, right, and then i guess there's a little thing occurring today called st. patrick's day. i hope everyone has fun pretending to be irish, even though it's not necessary. you can drink anyway...i promise no one will be mad. i personally live in a town that likes to pretend it's irish all year long anyway, and it's a pretty fun place to be. drink up!