lamest excuse in the book....

"i have to cancel tonight. i burned my finger. with a straightener. so, um, maybe next time..."

yes, this is the line i used saturday night an hour before my date was supposed to pick me up. but, i didn't say it to be lame or to get out of it. my finger(s) really were searing with pain. 375 degrees seared (that's the temperature my brand new nanotechnology straightener was at.) moaning in pain i just don't think is okay on a first date. right?

but, really, it's a good line to use, if you want to get out of something. not that i did...i'm just saying. it's a very good, lame excuse.

(p.s. straightener works like a charm. better then a chi. just a tip: be careful where your fingers go)

Yon Kippur versus General Conference

I went to Jewish New Year last night. I'm kinda wishing I could be Mormon and Jewish at the same time...just a wee little bit. The Jewish worship is so fascinatingly ancient and ritualistic. They have a cantor singing the verses of scripture periodically throughout the ceremony. So, I'd be about to get bored (it's an hour and a half long) but then the cantor would start singing I'd become entranced with the music and his beautiful tenor (or was it bass?) voice. But, then he'd be singing for several minutes and I'd be about to lose interest again (I'm a tad bit ADD), but then the Rabbi would speak in Hebrew and the congregation would read from prayer books, that started at the back and you read right to left. Very interesting. All of it.

The women dressed in normal church clothes and the men did too, minus their prayer shawls and yamikas, which were beautifully decorated with bright, bold colors. The rabbi knew his audience and had the art of attention grabbing down. He began his little schpiel at the beginning by saying, "It has been a hard, difficult week....(pause).....The Cubs lost.....(pause)......The Sox lost.....(Silence from the audience).....but we can continue....because there is hope.......The Hope of Israel." He had my attention.

This past weekend I was able to attend General Conference in Salt Lake City. I loved it. All of it. From Elder Perry's talk to the Prophet speaking on change. It was a whole eight hours all together. You would think I'd be bored with it if I usually can't pay attention to something for more then three minutes without zoning out. But, such was not the case. The gospel makes me completely happy and focused.

Coming soon: Pictures from my weekend in Utah. (Not that I took a lot or anything. I never do...what's my problem?)

News and thoughts

Life has been busy, busy, busy. I have not even looked at my blog in over a week. I have not read a blog in over a week. I have not really read ANY news for over a week (but, I do listen to it on the radio on my way to work) and I feel insanely out of the loop. So for some personal random news and thoughts... (Please excuse the jumpiness and the fact that this post really has no form of organization to it)

I am coming to Utah this weekend (tomorrow morning I fly in and I'll be there until Monday). For conference. And to hang out. Call me.

The Cubs and the White Sox are in the playoffs and Chicago is insane. I have tickets for next week's playoff game if...not I'm not going to finish that sentence....

I'm now in an office with a beautiful view of a lake and lot's and lot's of trees. I love it.

Anyone who knows me, or has talked to me in person for longer then five minutes knows I have long lashes that stick out pointy straight. I bought a new eyelash curler from Shu Eumera. I love it. Curls them perfectly in seconds. A very good investment.

Sometimes I wish texting had never been invented. It ruins the art of vocal communication.

I've come up with a list of things to do during my commute to work and home, here it is:

1. Eat breakfast. Specifically cereal. It's more of challenge and thus I am less bored in traffic.

2. Organize my purse.

3. Make appointments, like doctor and such.

4. Make phone calls (only on my way home though, I don't converse with people before 9 a.m.)

5. Listen to the radio, some good stations out here are The Drive 97.1 (very fitting) and country 99.5.

Because of The Drive, which is a classic rock station, I am now an Eagles fan. The band, not the football team. Never. Yeah, hardcore rock is fast becoming my thing. Who knew?

And I have been so busy, I have not been paying attention to celebrity gossip and am so entirely out of the loop it's disturbing.

I don't know what I'm going to do about the presidential elections. Did you see Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric. I didn't, but I heard about it. Disturbing and embarrassing. Your thoughts? I need some conservative views here. I'm in Liberal land. I need to stay balanced

I joined a gym. I work out. Try to actually.

Anyways, enough about me. There's my new and thoughts corner for the week.

Fall

I love fall! More then any other season! I love the summer. The Fourth of July is the best holiday of the year (my b-day is the July 3, never ending party week.) I think Christmas is the best time of year. I love the smell of spring with all the flowers and freshness in the air. But, I love the fall, because of the feeling of change that comes with it. Fall to me means school (I love school), football games, hoodies, hot chocolate, bonfires, crisp cool morning and chilly nights. This is year is a little bitter sweet for me. This is my first year ever not being a missionary or a school girl. And I don't really know what to do with myself. I stepped outside the other morning and smelled fall in the air. And as I was driving to work I became so sad that I wasn't in Provo or Rexburg or Houston or Louisiana. I am in Chicago. And I am a responsible citizen of the United States who has hardcore taxes deducted from her paycheck twice a month and receives benefits and life insurance through her job. And that thought was just more depressing then I could handle. But, then I rolled down my window and took in a deep breath of fresh soon to be fall air and for three seconds I was content being in that exact moment. Not wishing to be in Rexburg enjoying a freezing morning as I hurry to campus or in Provo heading to a football game or in Louisiana (where I spent last fall) tracting with my comp or at the MTC (where I spent the fall before Louisiana) wondering what the heck I was doing trying to play missionary. For three seconds last week I was just happy and excited fall was coming to Chicago and that I could enjoy it as a single, semi-responsible, 20-something. And in those three seconds I was so excited for what the future held. And as I write this, I suppose that I still am.

Being hit on by an air flight attendant can make for a very awkward flight experience

Last week, my BFF in the entire universe came home from her mission in Argentina. Amanda Pavlovsky. (Oh, p.s. Alyssa, we ran into your mom at stake conference, she is lovely. oh and i love both wichita and mcpherson, kansas. great places.) We were roommates, majored and minored and were involved in all the same things in college and LOVED it.

She graduated and then four months later I graduated. I went on a mission and then four months later she went on a mission. After almost 24 months of separation, I was able to spend the past four days in Kansas just talking, talking, talking, laughing until my sides hurt and remembering how wonderful it is to have a very best friend. I am so, so, so, so, so glad Amanda is home.

I flew into Wichita, Kansas late Friday night. Due to lots and lots of rain my flight was delayed from its original 7:55 p.m. departure time to 9:30 p.m. It had been a long day that had started at 5:30 a.m. and the whirlwind of projects and deadlines at work, combined with the insanity of the Chicago O'Hare airport left me exhausted. Right before I boarded the plane I looked in the mirror. My hair was in a bun, I looked beat and I decided that with my black gauchos and gray sweater I resembled an elementary school teacher. Or if I had Japanese designer Kazuo Kawasaki glasses, Sarah Palin with dark circles and bags under her eyes.

Stepping on the plane, I noticed an attractive flight attendant. Male. My first thought, "Gay." We made eye contact. He gave me "the look." And then he gave me "the smile." You know exactly what I mean ladies. I smiled a very polite, tight lipped, quick smile back and looked away. For sure not gay.

My seat was all the way in the back. 20A. I remember it well. As Mr. Flight Attendant passed by he brushed my arm ever so slightly. At first I thought I imagined it. And then it happened again. Along with this, "Hey, I'm glad your sitting here." And a wink.

Excuse me? First of all....no! Unacceptable and soo unprofessional.

I settled down to read the Newsweek feature cover story, "Palintology" and People. And tried to forget about Mr. FA.

Well, all too soon it was time for drinks. I asked for a diet coke and water. I accidentally spilled some of the water and so naturally asked for a napkin. I reached up to grab it from him. And right as I did he was reaching down to sop up the water, and my hand accidentally slipped into his. I was horrified!

Mr. FA, with a twinkle in his eye and not quietly at all, said, "You're trying to hold my hand." No idiot I'm not. I was trying to grab the dumb napkin to clean up the water spill. Duh.

But of course, instead of saying that I was speechless due to embarassement and sleep deprevation. Everyone on the plane heard. The old woman next to me looked over and smiled that grandmotherly smile. Mixture of be careful and you are just too cute, being so smitten by the FA. I couldn't believe it. And then Mr. FA starts talking with his FA buddy friend extra loud and says, "You know I'm just tired of dating typical skanky girls. I want a good girl. A kindergarten teacher type."

I almost wrote him the following letter:

Dear Mr. Flight Attendant, Yes, you are very attractive. But, no I will not be participating in a midnight rendezvous with you upon landing in Wichita, KS. I am travelling to spend time with my BF Amanda. And I don't do long distance or NKMOs.

Good luck in all your endeavors,

Angelica

I'm not going to lie. I'm just grateful I didn't meet him a few months ago on my flight to Vegas.

2 things i hate + 1 thing i like

i hate insomnia....

with a passion. this post comes to you live at 4:30 a.m. i could still be sleeping for 2.5 more hours. why am i awake?

i hate traffic....

boy do i hate traffic. and i live in the kingdom of it. i feel like half my life is spent in a long line at a red light, or construction zone or stop sign or just some dumb traffic build-up because some doofus needs to learn how to drive.

but i really like Sarah Palin....

it wasn't an immediate like. when i first heard who McCain had chosen as his running mate i thought he had shot himself in the foot. race over. and then i heard her speech, read up on her, discussed and debated her with friends and family. i am a huge fan. as one of my girlfriends put it (the following quote has been edited for content) "Women get [crap] done." and they do. in less then three months she had accomplished a lot in the state of Alaska. granted there's like...what....4,000 people who live there, but still. i like what Sarah exemplifies, the energy and hope she is bringing back to the campaign trail and to the American people as a whole - that there are still good, down-to-earth, semi-honest people still left in the world trying to make a difference to the best of their abilities.

Almost No Coverage of the Week

I did not get a picture of brother, who will be leaving next week to Iraq for a whole year with the Marines, nor my brand new (to me) sister-in-law (who I met for the first time since their marriage of over a year ago [I was on my mission.])

I should have gotten a video of the Shanghi Cirque du Soleil that my family saw on Labor Day. Crazy Chinese acrobats contorting their bodies in crazy positions, a performance that incldued a young hula hooper, hula hooping with 30 hula hoops around her body at one time.

I went to this rad concert of Andrew Bird on the same day, same place (but not at the same time) as where Oprah filmed her grand opening show for her new season with the 200+ Olympians. A crazy kid who can sing, whistle, play over eight instruments, including the glockenspiel. My videos turned out awful.

I could show a video of the insanely attended by thousands and thousands of 20-somethin' Chicagoans, 2008 Red Bull Flug Tag. Flug Tag consisted of flying objects, created by people's imaginations being pushed off boats and flying maybe 100 feet and the plummeting into Lake Michigan. And I really wish I could show you a video of that, but unforunately I never made it due to retarded traffic produced by thousands of those 20 somethins. My friends and I got there right as it was ending.


Yes, so much happened in the matter of a few days. Oh, the many videos and pictures I could show! But unfortunately I didn't get capture any of them in picture or video.

I did not even get footage of the amazing dolphin show or the giraffe that became my best friend, nor the family of monkeys that were playing together and scratching each other's backs, at Brookfield Zoo. Sadly no. I did however, get a vido of the eel that I kindly named Jabba the Hutt. Huge, disgusting create. Please enjoy.