I'm Back! (and) Am I a Jealous Lover? Discuss!

O! Hai thar!

I bet you thought I had left this blog to rot in its... not... being... uhm... posted in...ness.

Ahem.

BUT ALAS! You were fooled by my mere busy-ness with other aspects of life and blogging! To begin with, I've finally gotten Fun and FlirTea off the ground and begun posting there. This is where much of my writing time has disappeared to, so my personal blog has indeed fallen by the wayside for a brief time. Never fear, kind friends and readers! I am back and do intend to post with at least semi-regularity once more.

Other than the release of my tea blog, I have been quite busy in life and work as well! I've been spending more time with friends, going out dancing, attending an occasional concert, doing yoga more regularly, and... oh yeah. GETTING PROMOTED AT WORK! Success indeed!

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here before or not, but I've been trying to get back into copywriting for quite a while and, after years of hard work and doing what I can in my company to get there... and suddenly I am! It took plenty of time and work, but I am the newest Copywriter (and Social Media Clerk) at Build.com. Yay!

Naturally, to celebrate my new position, my body chose my first full week in the job to get stupidly sick with a gnarly cold! Fortunately, I am getting over it now, but I still have a dry throat and slight cough.

But enough of the updates! Part of what brought me back to this blog at this time is something I've been thinking about lately. Not long ago, I finally was able to establish a friendship with an old ex-boyfriend I had very little contact with over the past 3 years since our relationship ended. And this friendship is a real one, where we are comfortable around each other and can even make jokes about the years we were dating.

Holy Road Trip, Batman! (The Finale)

Now, for my final adventures on this 3 day road trip! I arrived in Las Vegas to visit with Laura. After much hugging and excitement, I let her know that I had done a little research into tea places in the Las Vegas area I wanted to check out. Happily for me, she was right on board with going on a tea adventure!

After some Google Mapping, we narrowed it down to 3 locations and determined the order in which to visit them. I grabbed my Garmin and away we went with Jessica, Laura's roommate. As we were on our way to the first location, I realized I had never named my Garmin, so we decided to call her Georgia. Georgia directed us and, all of a sudden, Laura yelled out, "A LAKE!" for we had, in fact, discovered a (man-made) lake in Las Vegas. It was in an area known as The Lakes, so it sort of made sense, but we were very excited! We found the address where the first tea shop was supposed to be and, instead, found an office. Yes, I know. Totally lame. But we did find a lake instead, so we called it a win.

Holy Road Trip, Batman! (Part 2)

One thing I failed to mention in the previous post is that, at the beginning of my 10 hour drive to Lake Havasu on Friday, I decided I would tackle another of my Accompl.sh goals, 86. Drive patiently for a full day. If I drive impatiently at any point, I must start again the following day until I succeed. To say the least, this is not the simplest of tasks. I had only gotten 2 hours into my drive (just after I left the Apricot Tree Restaurant, actually) when I became impatient with another driver on the road and officially failed the day.

In any case, I eventually made it to Lake Havasu and met up with my dad and step mom for dinner at Chico's Tacos (which is pretty entertaining seeing as I just left Chico to head to Lake Havasu). The food reminded me in many ways of the Mexican food you can get a La Comida here in Chico. I spent some time catching up with them and discussing the fact that it was apparently the 2nd Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival in Lake Havasu that very weekend. I saw the last couple balloons landing as I drove into town (around sunset) and was looking forward to seeing them the following day.

From there, we went to the community theatre where my little brothers have been playing (see what I did there?) for the past few years. John (the older of the pair) was starring as Frederic in Pirates of Penzance Junior and Jake (the younger) was one of the pirates. To say the least, it was vastly entertaining to watch my little brother running around singing in tights and having 12 girls sing about how they like his butt and want to marry him. It was their opening night, so there was a hitch here and there, but the show was very fun and I enjoyed it quite a lot! Plus, my newest sister-in-law was directing, so naturally it was going to be solid.

Holy Road Trip, Batman! (Part 1)

This past weekend, I went on an epic, short, road trip. I left Thursday night and was home Sunday night. Every now and then, I just sort of get the bug to leave town. It's not a sort of situation where I'm "running" from anything, but I just like being out and about, visiting people, seeing new things. You get the drift. This desire has been niggling at me for the past few months, so I just sort of decided that I had to make it happen soon!

After discussion with the friends and family I was planning to visit, I realized I could get visits in with Christie and Laura (both are friends of mine from the Harry Potter and Wizard Rock scene) as well as finally get to see my little brother perform in a show (he played Frederic in Pirates of Penzance Junior). To top it off, I was able to knock off 3 of my Accompl.sh goals in the planning (21. See Christie for a proper visit, 36. Visit Dad, Kim, and the boys, 83. Go for at least one road trip for the purpose of being on the road).

With as little time was dedicated to the trip, I ended up having a seriously awesome weekend filled with fun, excitement, and near-death (read: almost dangerous) driving experiences!

Finding Mr. Darcy Didn't Work Out As Anticipated

I know I said my next post would be about my plans while I'm in the UK, but that will have to wait until next time. Right now I have something even more important to talk about - Mr. Darcy.

Oh yes! I'm referring to the glorious fictional hot piece of ass that is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. Before I get further into this, allow me to display a few samples of the modern actors who have portrayed Darcy and stolen so many modern hearts.

Colin Firth - See how nicely he glows here?

Eliot Cowan - Mmm...

Matthew Macfadyn doing Darcy justice!

Okay, I have a thing for Colin Firth and Eliot Cowan in wet shirts. The best part is that when Eliot Cowan's Darcy gets wet, it was 100% a reference to Colin Firth's wet shirt moments in the A&E mini-series that is one of the most watched versions of the Pride and Prejudice story. Mmm....

Ha! Sorry. Was drooling a little bit there.

The Joy of Friends Falling in Love

Back in my high school years, I was a member of an online forum where I met some amazing and interesting people, two of whom have always stood out a little more than the rest (sorry, guys!). In addition to both of these individuals being considered close friends, what makes them so special to me is the courtship between them that I was able to witness from a separate continent entirely.

I used to have regular conversations via instant messenger with both Matthew and Esmee at different times. I remember once, within 24 hours of each other, I had a conversation with each in which they confided in me their feelings toward the other. Naturally, I wanted them to share with one another, which they ended up doing not long later. I got to hear about the first times they spoke on the phone, met in person, and when they got engaged. So these two have a special place in my heart after all of that!

Back in the Saddle Again!

This month, I've gotten myself re-involved with the theatre. It's been a while since I've participated much, so it's really nice to be back! I'm re-acquainting with old friends and making new ones in the process. Plus, it's our 6th Annual Holiday Burlesque Show, which is just a blast to begin with.

The best part about this is that it happens to coincide with me going through a pretty messy breakup with my now ex-boyfriend. One of the unpleasant results has been a slight estrangement from a lot of his and my mutual friends. In most cases, our mutual friends are closer to him, so I get left by the wayside a lot. Fortunately, I am spending more time with my theatre friends again, so I at least have some backup.

The Burly Q itself is going really well. The show runs a bit long, but it's still a very fun show and the audience loves it every night. We sold out for the entire rest of the run 2 weeks in advance, which is pretty bitchin', to say the least!

One of my favorite acts is to the song 'Moves Like Jagger'. It features a couple of my very attractive male friends stripping and doing some pole dancing in unison. Let's just say I'm glad all I have to do is hit play and just enjoy the show each night.

Another favorite is brought back from the previous year, in which three gorgeous girls in black halter dresses dance to the song 'Kiss You Off'. This is one of the sexiest dance numbers and it's also one of the only (non-chorus girl) dances that does not include the dancers taking their clothes off. It was choreographed by my friend Jenney for last year's show and was so fantastic it had to be brought back (something I'm happy about).

The final number I'd like to bring up is to the song 'Never Gonna Leave This Bed'. This is another strip number, but it's a little different than most. Instead of being a single person (or pair of people) stripping their own clothing off, this act has one girl and one guy (buffed out wearing nothing but blue jeans). As the girl begins to take her clothing off, she enlists the help of our jeans-wearing friend. They re-enact the clothes removing portion of what we can only imagine is about to be a very steamy night!

I know I'm not including any photos in this post, but it's just to protect the assets of these friends of mine.

In any case, hooray for theatre! I'm glad I'm back in, even if it is just for one show at this time.

Trivia Night

For the past few weeks, some friends and I have been attending one of the local trivia nights at a downtown bar, the Banshee. With topics as varied as Caddy Shack, Prisons, Native Americans, and Charlie Sheen, it's no wonder we haven't snagged a win just yet. The group of individuals has changed from week to week and sometimes it's been beneficial to the team, other times not so much. But we're having a good time, we've at least placed (3rd place, that is) almost every time. Not too shabby, if I say so myself.

Plus, we've had some pretty bitchin' team names. We've been Team Snatch, The 12" Rough-Ins, and Chubby Horse. The last two are work-related jokes. You don't believe me with the Chubby Horse one, do you? Well, just follow this link and you shall find one of the most ridiculous items my company sells. GLORIOUS.

In any case, what I have enjoyed more than anything else is the opportunity to go out, have a few beers, and spend some time with friends just having a great time and guessing at all kinds of random-ass questions. It doesn't get much better than that!

Raaaaaaaaage!!!!!

I can't say the specifics here... or anywhere public, for that matter.... but all I can say is that people I thought were friends seriously disappointed me. The worst part is that they couldn't even tell me themselves. In fact, they don't even know that I'm aware of what happened. It was someone else who, upon discovering the situation, thought I should know about it as well. And this friend was right. It sucks a lot, but I'm glad to know the truth.

But I'm still pissed off and hurt to my core. Not sure who I can talk to about it, though. Stupid people.

A Beautiful Day on the Horizon

So, to start off... last night was the opening of Cannibal: The Musical. It went very well! Lots of fun, went out to the only local pub afterwards. Didn't have anything to drink as I was driving home right afterwards, but it was nice to hang out with everyone from the show for a bit. And to not have the annoying kids in the show around. :D

When I got home, it as about 1:30 and I realised that it was morning in the UK and I wasn't quite tired and James deserved a shot at chatting at me when I was dead exhausted. Ended up talking for a few hours and it was lovely. Woke up exhausted around 10:15 this morning, but today will be great anyway!

So.... onto the day I'm looking forward to now! To begin with, I'm still house sitting for my mum, which means I have probably the best view in the city. The day is so clear I can see the Buttes (the world's smallest mountain range) straight out the window. Rarely is the air so clear and the mini-mountain range so crisp in appearance. I just wish I had a camera to take a picture and show you. Alas, I do not at this time. :(

However, sometime soon, I will be going over to my cousin's for my family's Fourth Annual Wine and Brewfest. Basically, everyone brings some kind of six pack - a beer that is uncommon, interesting, or just something they'd like to try - and we spend the day together drinking and having a good time. Yeah. My family is freaking awesome. Adam and Mary started this new tradition and it is definitely a good one!

Of course, I have to run the show tonight, so can't drink too much. And the fact I have to drive over there is another thing. At least the show is late night and I can wait until I'm perfectly cogent to do any driving and tech running.

After the show, we'll all be heading over to Tony's birthday party, which should prove to be particularly entertaining! It will be good to see everyone again and have a good time. I don't know if I'll be drinking much there, as I'll still be driving myself about. But if I do, I'm sure I can crash if necessary. I doubt I will, but I'm sure it's available.

Anyways, off to start my day!