Dear Allie,

I don't actually know you, but I love you. You know, in the "hey" way. I have been blog-stalking you for a while now, and have totally enjoyed your blog since day one. I confess that I don't really remember how I heard about you. It was probably on reader/play but I'm not sure. I think it was mostly because of this. I thank you for your solutions to these awkward situations, and plan to implement them at my next opportunity.
Love,
Heath

PS-This was my first attempt, but you cant see it very well because it is so dang small, the next attempt will be in individual frames, which I will then make into a grid...I hope...maybe..

Job Title: Professional Vacationer.

Wish I qualified for this job... Anyone out there want to pretend with me? I promise, I'm really good at vacations.

Are we sure I'm not 12?

I forgot to include a title on a list of customers who received a certain letter our office sent out, so I just wrote a title on by hand (we are pretty laid back here). Except that when I was writing "who received" I didn't leave enough space between the two words, and after I wrote the "re" I giggled.

I also giggle every time I hear the Portuguese phrase for "What a horror!" because it sounds like "Que a whore."


Tee-he-he. Giggle, giggle.

First Thought

What does it say about me when my phone falls into the abyss that is the van air vent and my first thought was "Meh." The second thought was "I hope that doesn't hurt anything on the van." Finally I realized that I did in fact need my phone because my friend was expecting a ride home from the airport a day or two later... Although, even then it was tempting to track down her phone number from other people and let her know to contact me at work so that I didn't not have to worry about getting my phone out of the wall....It would have been a great excuse to avoid certain* other calls...

*who am I kidding? Most other calls.

Feel the Burn

It's an amazing thing to me, just how much my life has changed in the last few months. Especially since nothing has really changed. Are you finding it hard to follow that? Haha-me too. And yet it's true. Nothing has really changed in my daily life- I still have the same work experience, the same school stresses, the same social situation, the same home environment. It's all the same. But it's now got a new perspective. About 6 months ago I went to my first Salsa lesson. Then a week later I went to my second. I have gone pretty much every week since then. In February I attended my first Bachata class with Sergio and Salud, and have since learned some Cha-cha and Merengue. Lately, I have gone out dancing 2 or 3 times a week. I really love the Latin dances. I love that our instructors bring such grace and class to our lessons, and the dancing environment. I'm a much happier person now.
I still don't know if I love dance or if I love the distraction it gives me from certain other things. (I know this a super cheesy way to put it, but...shrugs...) It came to me at a time when I was needing a change in my life. It prepared me to accept a loss. It now amazes me at how far reaching the impact in my life is. I am happier (at least I think so); I have things to look forward to; I have new friends, but I'd go alone if I had to; I am more aware of my body, and feel a difference in little things like how I walk; I don't need to feel guilty for not going to the gym.

From latindancepro.com:

How Many Calories Do I Burn While I Dance?

There is no doubt that dancing is great aerobic exercise, but are you aware of how many calories you’re burning while you’re grooving to your favorite music? You’ll be amazed at how many calories you burn while having fun! Check out the chart below:

STYLE OF DANCE	Approximate Calories Burned Per Hour
	100 lb. Dancer	125 lb. Dancer	150 lb. Dancer	175 lb. Dancer	200 lb. Dancer
Disco, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia, Merengue	264	330	396	462	528
Samba, Ballet, Fast Dances	288	360	432	504	576
Waltz, Foxtrot, Bachata Tango, Rhumba, Bolero	144	180	216	252	288

Guess Where I Was

Are you sure you are only 4?

I love playing with my nephews. They are always fun. Yesterday I took 2 of them to play some laser tag at the local ...what would you call that? A facility? Play zone? ...at the local laser tag-ery.
We were having a blast while getting swarmed by little kids. All in good fun, right? Apparently not for the little 4 year old who was talking trash.
I am told she walked up to someone and said: "Why are you so fat? That's why everyone can see you." Oh, is that why? I thought it was because of the flashing lights on the vests we are all wearing. I must have been confused, thanks for the clarification!
She had me backed into a corner and was shooting relentlessly. When my vest "deactivated" rendering my laser gun temporarily unusable she paused her trigger finger long enough to say "That's why you don't mess." Then just as my lights turned back on she shot me again (turning my gun off) and walked away.
Where do kids learn that from?
My nephew said "She obviously didn't watch the movie." The introductory video clearly stated that trash talk was not appropriate.
We all laugh about it, which is the sign of a great experience! I'm glad the boys already know better than that.

PS-You should watch this. I got a kick out of it when it showed up on reader's play. And, I don't know why they chose to show that image as the video attention grabber, but I'm sure it is a sad statement for society.

I have to see this

It was very quiet in my office today (except for the normal lunch

hour rush, and the random spurt around 10:30) so in addition to playing my Risk-ish game, and after finding out when and where I can watch some beach volleyball, I eventually stumbled on things to do in "SoCal", which then directed me to the Ontario Convention Center website where I found treasure.

Yes, nestled between the myriad of Fred Pryor career seminars and the spring Home Show Extravaganza was the

Hall of Fame Regional Dance Competition 2010

Yep--Pure joy and happiness. Wait, it gets better: Open to the public. Ya. I will so be there in April, and you are all invited. Hats and glasses mandatory.

Here's your sign:

Last time I was filling my car's gas tank, I noticed a new sign on the pump

Imagine it: You've had a pretty bad day, starting from the moment you woke up late. It seems like nothing is going right, and you are late for a meeting. On your way, you notice an extra little light on your dash--your car is almost out of gas. Knowing that it is already a bad day, you head to the gas station because you don't want to end up on the side of the road, and your luck is heading in that direction, so you head to the gas station. But apparently it's fill your car time, because there is a car at every one of the pumps, and 2 waiting in a line. Your turn finally comes, so you pull up, put your card in, pull it out and it slips out of your hand and down to the floor. When you finish fishing it out of the puddle that happens to be right in front of the pump, you see screen with one dreaded word: Declined. "That is impossible," you think. Once again you put in your card and this time it is happily accepted. You wipe the card on your pants and put it back in to your wallet, the 10 cent discount is flashing on the screen, and you think "Finally, things are looking up." You pump the gas, get back into the car, take a deep breath and turn the key. Dont Worry, Be Happy is playing on the radio. "Everythings going to be okay," you tell yourself.
see this seemingly normal gas pump. You put your car in gear, take off the brake, and start driving. You make it about 3 feet before you feel a strange tug--Yep, you've forgotten to return the nozzle to the pump you run back trying to figure out what to do, and on the pump you notice something odd. That's right, it is the worst day ever, and it just got worse.




Really?!? Does that happen often enough that you need to put a disclaimer on the pump? What a sad, sad world we live in.
But also totally entertaining for me. How horrible would that day be? It's so good they put a sign there, because people who forget to remove the hose before driving away are definitely going to read that.

I Hit Someone

Can you believe it? I did. And not just someone, but a male. That's right, don't mess with me. And as long as I'm giving commands, Mr. Macho, don't be vulgar with me, or any other female. You were fun to dance with, but mostly just because I was in a feisty mood and I got to push you away, then hit you, then walk--no, strut-- away from you, across the dance floor. I love to strut. Did you really think I was flirting?

Ok, so it wasn't a hit so much as a tap...Still...

WHAT?!?

I was talking to a coworker about how it is warming up enough to take his sweatshirt off, and as he walked away he was mumbling to himself. I'm not sure, but it sounded like this:
"Yep, this is coming off...I should have warn a shirt underneath...Oh, good--I remembered."
What a relief.

Mountain Drive

I'd already kinda a hard week and it was only the beginning, so Wednesday I was easily persuaded to take the afternoon off and take a drive through the mountains. It was nice, and much needed. This isn't the best picture, because it was taken out the window as I was driving by, but it shows the frozen lake--That's cold!

See that white down there? It's actually on the water, not snow on land.
Also, I got to see this huge icicle:

Impressive, right? And yes, that is two stories.