Is there a candy version of the Hamburglar???

The vendor du jour in our lovely office building that’s selling crap no one really needs is a candy and nut company. While completely unnecessary…completely delicious! From gummy bears to nuts to chocolate covered coffee beans, they’ve got it all. This, in my humble opinion, is by far the best vendor our building allows through the doors. And not because they sell food (which is one of my favorite things in the whole world), but because they give free samples!! The samples are clearly meant to lure victims, I mean customers, over to their lovely display of deliciousness. I, however, do not purchase from them. Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free? :) They have these wonderful little sample dishes set up in front of a ton of different selections just waiting to be devoured. And when I’m really lucky, they give out the crème de la crème - chocolate covered pretzels. Those little guys aren’t offered up very often so when I see those puppies, my taste buds smile.


I always have to chuckle at myself, though. I’m the girl that tries to play it off like there’s a chance I might buy something, but then decides not to at the last minute. This, of course, always occurs AFTER I’ve had a nice sampling of chocolate covered candies. Although the end result is the exact same – I sample for free without ever buying anything – for some reason I feel like I must put on the act. To just walk up, grab a sample, turn around and leave just feels so blatant. So I put on my act (which I’m sure the vendor gals behind the register have seen a million times), get my samples, browse like I’m interested, and then make my getaway when I think they’re distracted with other customers. It’s pretty much the most awesome plan ever. haha!

I’m fairly certain at some point in the near future my mug shot will be posted down near their display tables forbidding me to partake in the samples...

At times I do feel a little guilty for never buying anything. But then I realize, holy cow! Their prices are ridiculous! It’s about $8 for a small-ish bag of some of their goodies. Here’s a thought: Stop giving away so much stinking free stuff and that should help lower your costs thereby making the bags of candy more reasonably priced! Maybe then I’d actually consider buying some. Nah! Let’s be honest. I probably still wouldn't. ;)

~as

What month is it?

This past weekend Eric went out of town with a few friends and his brother to visit another friend in Ohio. What does that mean for Anne? A weekend of cleaning the house (and it actually staying clean), dishes promptly making their way to the dishwasher almost immediately after being used, and clean laundry being put away right after being folded. In a word, it was awesome. HA! Although…in all fairness, I tease him about the above few items every so often, but he’s not bad. He helps where/when he can and since I’m borderline OCD with my cleaning, I don’t mind taking the reigns in the cleaning department. :) Another sign of Eric’s absence? My regular presence at Baskin Robbins. Hehe! With no one to remind me of all the calories my favorite ice cream (Chocolate Peanut Butter) has, I took my opportunity to be “bad” and indulged. Yum!

While he was away, I couldn’t help but wonder if he took all the good weather with him, too. On Saturday there was a dry wind and it was about 68 degrees. Hmmm…I get so confused…was it August 22nd or September 22nd? Unfortunately, it was the former. Other signs it’s more like fall than summer? One of my favorite beers, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shady, is becoming increasingly difficult to find at local grocery stores. Boo. Looks like I’ll have to wait another nine or so months to taste the deliciousness again. Also, football is back. Nothing marks the end of summer like a good ‘ol football game!

The one upside of fall heading our way? Back to school sales! I’ve actually been pretty good with keeping my shopping to a minimum lately. Well, that is assuming you don’t count the new bedspread, sheets, decorative pillows, and window treatments I bought to redecorate our bedroom. Wait…what I was a saying about keeping it to a minimum? Crap. What happened was… :)

~as

Stop the madness!

Eric and I recently started watching the television show Friday Night Lights. I bring it up because I feel like the conversation around the proverbial water cooler today could be straight out of an episode in that show! Seriously…this topic would definitely ruffle the feathers of the beloved Dillon Panther fans. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!!!”



For those of you that have never watched the show, it’s centered around a small town (Dillon, Texas) and their all-star high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. The entire - and I mean ENTIRE - town lives and breathes by the Panthers. It’s actually a pretty decent show and I kinda wish I was Lyla Garrity, the head cheerleader character. HA! She’s so adorable and has an awesome name, except (SPOILER ALERT!) I would pass on the whole cheating on my boyfriend with his best friend part. Shady? Yes. Do I still love her? You betcha! <in my best Sarah Palin voice>

Anyway, I feel like I’m in Dillon, TX today. All anyone is talking about is Brett Favre and his possible return to football. And to the VIKINGS nonetheless! Ugh. Granted, I’m not pleased about this possibility, but frankly I’m getting a little sick of hearing about Favre. Just sayin… I’ll probably be in the crosshairs of a sniper on my way home from work for uttering that thought, but I’ll take my chances. :)

I don’t know if maybe I’m just not as hardcore of a Packers fan as I thought I was or if I’ve just been desensitized to it all, but I kind of feel like saying, “WHO CARES!” :) I mean, really! Trust me when I say I really do love football, especially the Green Bay Packers. I have countless fond memories of watching the games with my Dad growing up, numerous Packers parties with my friends as we rooted on our favorite team, and many chilly Sunday afternoons cuddled up on our couch with both Eric and I screaming at the TV as if they can hear us. Well, mostly me screaming and Eric looking at me like I’m nuts…

But at some point, don’t people just shrug their shoulders and say enough is enough?!? I do. I guess I can’t blame the fans, though. I pretty much blame Favre for jerking everyone around for the past two years. Just make a decision and stick with it! With a little luck, Favre will sign with the Vikings, we (the Packers) will dominate the league, and Packers fans can have some much needed closure. I’ve enclosed a brief letter to little ‘ol Brett:


Dear Brett Favre,

Please make up your friggin’ mind and let our state return to its normal conversations of beer, un-Godly long winters, and fried foods on a stick. Thanks much.

P.S. The Vikings suck! Slick move, chief.


Yours truly,

The entire state of Wisconsin

~as

Nobody puts Baby in the corner.

I’ve stumbled upon my newest, unattainable goal. Oh, and it’s interesting to say the least… Ready for this? I want to be a dancer!!! Yeah, pretty random. And not any old type of dancer. I want to be a hip hop street dancer. Boo-yah! Just saying it puts me in stitches...haha! :)

This is what happens on uneventful weekday nights with nothing to do or watch on the boob tube. Mid-week Eric and I decided to watch a movie and for some reason I won the privilege of selecting the movie du jour. Naturally, I selected Step Up 2: The Streets. I’m still baffled at how I managed to convince Eric to even download it for me. That in it of itself was a miracle alone! Usually he blocks such requests as he knows there will come be a time when I’ll try to convince him of the many reasons we should watch it together. That time was Tuesday night.

I’ve always had a fascination with watching people dance. Probably because I, myself, was born with two left feet. I often wonder why I couldn’t have had parents that passed on an ounce or two of rhythm. Is that so much to ask? :) From the fancy footwork to the teenage angst, I loved every second of the movie! So much so that Eric is now tortured every day with having to stop what he’s doing (“cuz I’m about to ruin…”) and watch the newest move I’ve either stolen from the movie or dreamt up in my head. Ha! All I can say is that my moves are getting increasingly worse with each passing day and I love it. Cracks me up every time! I’m pretty sure I could make myself laugh all day long. I seem to find such humor in the dumbest things, and believe me, my moves are pretty dumb. And unfortunately for my dance moves, dumb isn’t like “sick” is these days, meaning wicked cool, awesome, etc. etc. Dumb still means dumb.

I’ve also realized on my trek to becoming a dancing queen I need to get a hard body like the dancers in the movie had. Therefore, my equally unattainable goal is to do the P90x workout program. From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to get results, but be extremely hardcore and intense. The military even offers P90x classes. Uh, if we’re talking military caliber sessions, I’m certain this won’t last long for me. :) I’ll be back to the couch in no time. And hopefully watching Step Up 2 again. Ha! In all seriousness though, I did the first day of the program so far. Yowza! I’m still sore and it’s three days later. We shall see how long this lasts…

In other unattainable goal news…once again, I set my sights high this past weekend. I was damn sure I was going to win the poker tournament I entered with Eric and 23 others. Bologne! I did not, in fact, win. Boo. I’m claiming discrimination. Good news? Eric won! Atta boy. Oh, and one win wasn’t enough for him. A select group of the entrants played another shorter tournament and you guessed it…big papa took that one down, too. Watch out, folks - we’ve got the next Doyle Brunson in the making! One day I’ll win…one day. Until then, I’ll likely continue to “donate” to the cause with the hope that my cash just come full circle and end up back in my hubby’s pocket.

~as

“…if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I am NOT drinking any fu*king Merlot!” ~Miles Raymond, Sideways

Mmmm, wine. Delicious, delicious wine. What’s not to love? The basis of this posting all started back on Thursday afternoon… <queue flashback sequence>

I’m minding my P’s and Q’s while I peruse the jewelry fair that has taken over the ground level of our office building. I’m lost in thought and indecisiveness when I suddenly hear a conversation going on between an unidentified man and woman discussing something to do with wine. Being a wine lover, I continue looking at my potential new purchases while tuning in a bit more to their conversation. And NO – I was not eavesdropping. Okay, maybe a little. But what’s so wrong with eavesdropping anyway?! If you’re going to have a public conversation in the middle of a high traffic area you’ve got to expect it. :)

Anyway, it was right about then that I heard the MOST ludicrous comment ever. Now, let me preface this with saying that I’m not a wine snob. Well, not a hardcore wine snob, at least. I like to think there are varying levels of snobbery. On one end of the spectrum you have the snobs that you just want to punch in the face, there are others that are tolerable, some that only display their snobbery on select topics, and on the lower end of the scale are those that might be a bit snobby in certain instances but don’t outwardly make it obvious to others (since they know it’s snobby to do so!). When it comes to wine, I’m the later. I know I’m a little snobby and have a somewhat refined palette, but don’t make it obvious (I don’t think, at least…ha!) and I can still totally “slum” it when I need to without having any major issues with it. And believe me, I know just barely more than the minimum when it comes to wine, so I really, truly am not very snobby.

Back to the couple’s conversation… As I listened in for a few seconds, I quickly realized they were talking about a trip to California to visit wine country.

Woman: “Where were you thinking of heading? Napa or Sonoma? The main difference is the wine you are interested in.”

Wait for it…wait for it…

Man: “Who knows, who cares. Wine is wine.”

Seriously. SERIOUSLY?!?! Actually, that is NOT true at all! At that point, I stopped being incognito behind the jewelry rack and full-on stared at the couple. I had to get a visual on this dude. I mean, really. Go to Bradford Beach, sit on a lawn chair, get drunk off a box of wine and call it a day then. Don’t go to a flippin’ place where people that actually appreciate good wine should go! Okay, I think I’m getting a little carried away now…ha! I just shook my head, took my two purchases to the register and walked away bewildered. And yes – at that point, I had to buy something from the jewelry fair. I needed something to be right in the world again. :)

The next day rolls around and right after work I ran to the store. As I’m checking out, I see and hear the woman behind me (omg…I was eavesdropping again! Haha!) look at what appears to be her daughter and say, “Chianti, put that back!”. Jigga what?!?! Chianti? Who in their right mind names their child after a wine?!?! And then I mentally flashback to Silence of the Lambs as well - “…fava beans and a nice glass of chianti.” Ugh. What’s with people these days?!

After I left the store (bewildered for the second time in as many days), I headed home where I hopefully wouldn’t hear any more wine-related craziness. Oddly enough, Eric arrived home and offered up a suggestion on what we should do for the evening. Make wine! Ha! :) So…in an attempt to prove that wine is NOT just wine and Chianti is a varietal and NOT a child's name, Eric and I got to business and whipped up a batch of Cabernet. It’s still in the primary fermenter with many more stages to go, but in about 15 months we should be able to sample it. And so the countdown to Christmas 2010 begins!

~as

Can't we just skip this year?

Ugh. The dreaded big 3-0 is coming up in just about three and a half short weeks. Let’s all bow our heads and take a moment of silence... And did you notice how I said three AND a half weeks?? Yeah…I’m holding on to every single last day of my twenties that I can! :) This is going to be a hard b-day to swallow. I usually like birthdays, too…after all, what’s not to love?? Gatherings with friends and family and a ton of GIFTS!! Everyone loves gifts. Anywho, I can’t believe I’m going to have to officially check the “30-39” box now when I fill out random surveys and contests (which I actually do quite often…hey – someone has to win, right?!?!). As a side note: I don’t think Eric likes my mild obsession with filling out survey and contest forms because I usually also sign him up, too. Multiple random emails and calls later, I get the evil eye from him for yet again giving out his email addy and phone number. :) Bet he won’t be shooting me the evil eye when he wins the new Jaguar they are giving away in the middle of the local mall…just sayin’.

Anyway, I digress. Weird, right? Me get off on a tangent? Huh. Anywho, to commemorate the day, I’m toying with the idea of getting a totally new, radical hair style! Yes, that’s right folks - I like to live on the edge. Ha! Seriously though, chopping off my hair really IS living on the edge for me! I’m scared like none other. I’ve pretty much had the same style for quite a few years, and at the risk of sounding egotistical, I literally still get a lot of compliments on my hair from random strangers in stores, in elevators, etc. And no, I am NOT paying them. Some even go so far as to ask what my morning routine is to get the look. And yes – sometimes it does get very awkward talking to complete strangers about it. Haha! I’m thinking I might go with a shoulder length straight style with side swept bangs. For any guys reading this post, your eyes probably just glazed over and aren’t even reading any longer. :) But for those still with me, this is a pretty big change to my long, curly look I usually have. And as luck would have it, my hair stylist has an opening on my birthday and should be able to squeeze me in. When the big day gets here, either I will be a little less depressed that I’m turning 30 due to my new, sassy hairstyle, or I’ll end up regretting the change and crying in the corner. It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.

Now just like Uncle Sam…I WANT YOU! Here is a picture of the style I think I want to get, but I need your input. Do you think I should get this new hairstyle? Or should I leave well enough alone and stick with my existing style? Vote now and voice your opinion! On the left panel of the site at the top (right under the site title) you can give me your input. Thanks in advance, everyone! And please be honest. No one likes a liar. :) Oh, and voting is anonymous so I won’t know who voted for what. I hold your anonymity in the highest regard. Haha

Oh, and I made sure to select an image with the watermark on it...all I need is Getty Images suing me or something. Then I'd never be able to afford to maintain ANY type of style. :)





















Oh, and Happy 82nd Birthday today, Grandma! xoxo

~as