The plane ticket home has been purchased.

In two weeks my boyfriend will be home. By the time he gets here he will have been gone one week shy of four months - almost one third of an entire year. I don't think I can adequately express how thrilled I am right now. Seriously. This trip did not go as planned in many ways and I am pretty effin' giddy at the prospect of being able to put my hands on him again.

I've scheduled any necessary beauty maintenance appointments (gettin' my girl on), arranged time to finish any leftover projects at home (hello, filing) and have deep cleaned my place like no one's business (how often do you clean your toaster?) Vacation has been scheduled, extra time has been added to pad it and from the 17th to the 29th of June I only have to work one long day. It's gonna be pretty awesome.

Still, I am a little nervous...We have been apart for a while and I have no idea what to expect, but I love him to bits and I just can't wait to see him smile in 3-D.

Look Ma, Imma "paid" writer!

http://culturemob.com/blog/improve-your-spiritual-health-with-faye-the-tattooed-psychic-at-helle

And that's my first article. Nothing major (no really, I'm not making enough to quit my day job or anything,) nothing fancy, but a good enough start for me.

I need a new addiction like I need a hole in the head.

But of course I got sucked into polyvore trying to find a outfit to coordinate with my new shoes. I understand that it usually works the other way around, but you must understand my love of shoes.

Hello, Love by Alyson O'holic

Gah, I could never imagine buying a Valentino bag but I know I can find affordable versions of all the other pieces, not to mention I already own the gun/flower necklace and the shoes. I still feel like it's missing something - what do you think?

Fashion break! Finding style inspiration is easy with polyvore.

I have a confession to make:

So far this year I have been a major fashion slouch, falling into an easy pattern of tanks, tee shirts, jeans and flats ALL THE TIME. I have occasionally pulled out the skinny jeans with the sky-high heels and donned a dress on at least one outing, but in general I've been super low maintenance.

As the weather warms and the sun becomes less of a stranger my "I MUST WEAR A DRESS" urges become much stronger, I start digging out my sunglasses and rotate the lighter items into the front of my closet, tossing anything that I don't wear anymore to make room for the inevitable new items. A few weeks ago during a visit from Simla (maskott's manager,) I received a lovely delivery of gifts from Bear's parents, including a pair of these shoes (and a buttload of other adorable clothing to get the season started):

How did they know that clogs are so IN right now??

Honestly though, I have NO idea what to wear them with. With a cut like this on a shoe, I feel you really need to stick with as much bare leg as possible to avoid "shortening" yourself, even with such a high platform.

I turned to polyvore for ideas. They actually do have this exact shoe, but no one has made a "set" with it yet so I searched for "clog" and chose a similar shoe and checked the related looks. Here are a few cute ones I liked:

308. Clogs...new trend 2010 by ஐBlackberryஐ featuring Steven by Steve Madden shoes

(it needs a jacket and possibly more rock-ish earrings, but I dig the dress!)

Most of the time the items that I see and like in the sets are way overpriced ($375 for that little striped dress? I don't think so!) but I find inspiration, take a few notes on key details and keep an eye out for a more affordable version.

. by sasha?sasha featuring Steven by Steve Madden shoes (I pretty much love everything about this except the shorts - easy enough to imagine with a distressed jean miniskirt, which is more my style)

Voila! I am now infused with the Spring/Summer 2010 style spirit (and a little creeped out by the naked bunny above!)

Where do YOU go to satisfy your fashion lusts?

Dear maskott fans,

Wow! I honestly really did not comprehend that when I posted about maskott's new album I was making my personal blog one of the only places to find information (in English, and at the time) about the release...

Alas, I will not be making anymore posts here specifically related to maskott's album, shows, etc., though I have to say I really appreciate you taking the time to read the random wanderings of my overactive mind. If I amuse you feel free to stick around and if I do not, please go to "maskott in Seattle" HERE.

Regards,
Alyson

I was a Pagan in a previous life.

Or at least that's what Faye the Tattoed Psychic said. For various reasons, I'd buy it.

I had an awful time trying to sleep on Friday night - earlier in the week I had applied to be a paid blogger with CultureMob and was actually given the opportunity to "develop" my own genre, which had me anxiously figuring out the best way to convince the operator of the site (and myself) that I had the passion and ideas to legitimately carry an entire topic. 3 AM found me dashing off an email that I hoped would do the job. It did! Saturday morning I woke up to a contract to post on the CultureMob Blog covering Classes, Workshops and Lectures or as I like to call it, the "Get Smart" category. Eventually, I'll really be a paid writer, y'all. Not that I'll be able to quit my day job, but it's a start.

Saturday I ran around all day selling/dropping off clothes for donation and shopping, finally getting rid of the last pile I had pulled from my closet before I settled in to wait for a chance to Skype with Bear. His band was busy with an interview/performance on a HUGE Turkish talk show until the wee hours of the morning (his time,) but once he was home he managed to pop on for a while to tell me how it went and wish me a good night.

I was up at a decent time on Sunday because I had a morning full of plans. After I grabbed some cash and dropped off my car for an oil change (responsible vehicle ownership FTW - now I should probably wash it :/) I hit Cupcake Royale for some coffee and 'cakes to go, walked up to the Farmer's Market to snag some more asparagus, eggs and salmon for later in the week, picked up my car then rushed home to drop off the perishables before I scooted off to Helle.

Danielle the lovely proprietress and owner of Helle has invited Faye the Tattooed Psychic to do a series of lectures/classes on healing yourself and your spirit, and for 2 hours I happily sat on the wooden floor within a circle of women in awe of Faye's talent and straightforward attitude. How serendipitous that one of my bff's is giving me the fodder for my first writing gig!

Afterwards, I came home and slipped into bed for a nice, cozy chat with my boyfriend on Skype. Have I mentioned that I really miss that dude?

"I've gotta have you"

By The Weepies! Could it be anymore appropriate?

It's not cheating...

Today marks 3 months since my boyfriend (Bear) left for Turkey. Three whole, long months and I still don't have a specific date for his return. Can you tell how thrilled I am about that? Yeah, so amped.
Not really. Clearly, I could never date a military man.

Just as I was realizing for the first time in my life that I truly loved waking up to someones morning breath and goofy hair, he had to return to Istanbul to release their album and tour; now Bear has been out of the country longer than we'd been "officially" dating before he left....Guh, just typing those words bums me the eff out, though I suppose the silver lining in all this is the simple fact that I do miss him, which has pretty much never happened before; I have always been a girl who loves her "me" time. Or at least I was...Slightly before and definitely since his departure, I have often been a sad, blubbering mess.

I've not once been concerned about him cheating on me; I've actually had to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing at the people who have suggested that I might be more worried about it. I will admit that long distance relationships are not ideal, but even from thousands of miles away bear is very attentive, supportive and sweet, going as far as adjusting the hours he sleeps to make it less of a hassle for us to be able to Skype often without interfering with my more strict work schedule.

Really, the hardest part of him being gone has been the glaringly obvious hole in my life/my heart that I had never noticed before (most likely because it didn't exist before I met him.) The absence of his touch is driving me absolutely batty.

Although I've been "nesting" like a mad woman and taking classes while making some semblance of effort to keep myself busy and distracted, basically every time I look at Facebook's "what's on your mind?" query, my internal response is "F*CK, I miss my boyfriend."

A little piece of home

Near the beginning of our relationship, I read in an astrology book that Leos love to be spoiled; since then I have done everything I could think of to keep my "lion" happy (except for the "I miss my boyfriend" crying jags - sorry Bear.) I'm definitely not super rich (or even close to well-paid) and I have had to be kind of creative to find ways to do this within my limited budget, but damnitalltoheck if I haven't had a great time doing so.

In addition to the aforementioned classes, working on my Turkish and trying to learn some authentic cuisine, every week for the past 15 weeks (okay, except for that one week where I was very busy) I have sent Bear a card in the mail. I even had "love pigeon" photo stamps made for postage. They've been funny, they've been naughty, they've been sweet and only 2 of the cards (that I started sending before he even left) have been lost in the mail so I count myself very lucky. As our time apart has been winding down, I have been ramping up my efforts. A few weeks ago, he received a handmade card (made by moi at one of my crafting nights with Dubs) that included a hand decorated CD with the soundtrack from a show we like to watch, a video from a dinner party our friends had here after he left and a few pictures of us that I love but haven't posted to the album I keep for us on Facebook.

The week after that, I finally got around to sending up my intended "care package" that I had been working on for him that included:

A 2x3 framed picture of us (the same one that I sent to his parents and plan to give to my mother.)

A "wife-beater" tank top I have had since I was 16 years old that was given to me by my bff at the time and is my FAVORITE lounging shirt (scented with a bit of my perfume...) I'm almost 30, so that shirt has been (lovingly) practically worn to shreds but I trust that it will return to it's rightful place in my wardrobe.

And (in my opinion) the piece de resistance...A little piece of "home."

I already live in West Seattle, Bear loves Alki and we've discussed eventually finding a place to live in that beautiful beachy neighborhood after he returns, so I came up with the idea of sending Alki to him since he has to be so far away right now.

After an exhausting search for the right vessel (a decent sized jar with a cork stopper - finally found at Bed, Bath & Beyond and originally filled with sea salt, appropriately enough) I made my way to Alki on a gorgeous sunny Seattle day.

After I grabbed a coffee at the Tully's we tend to visit and sent a few "teaser" photos from my phone's camera, I took my ziplock baggy down to the beach and collected sand, shells, some weathered beach wood and a few feathers.

Once I was home I narrowed down the selection and slipped in an Alki Beach postcard with a short love note written on it - my own version of a "message in a bottle."

When the box was finally received intact in Turkey, I received one of the sweetest emails a man has ever sent to me (not that I don't get gag-worthy emails from him every day, but this was off the charts adorable.) Truthfully though, the best reward for me is knowing that he will always have a little bit of Seattle close to him even when he is thousands of miles away.

Domestic Goddess "upgrade?"

I follow Home Made Simple on Facebook in addition to getting their newsletter via email and I have to say - I actually get a little bit of joy from being able to implement the tips they suggest.

Also, if I haven't mentioned it before, I really like vacuuming and dusting my own home (though I HATE doing dishes and never use enough plates at one time to justify actually running the dishwasher.) I truly enjoy being domestic and on more than one occasion have chosen cleaning up over a night out at the bars.

Still, I find myself growing slightly weary of watching odds and ends pile up until the weekend, when I would typically devote most of Saturday or Sunday to attacking all my domestic projects. Recently, HMS posted an article about "Chunky Chores: Fun ways to break up house cleaning" and I found a few tips that I decided to adopt immediately.

Fifteen Minutes of Clean: I'm generally a pretty busy girl; I work my 40+ hours a week and either run errands after or come straight home to Skype with bear, take care of the kitties, cook dinner, work out, etc. and by that time it's easy to get sucked into blogging or playing around on Facebook before I head for bed. By devoting a 15 minute chunk to one task, I seem to find that the projects actually aren't as overwhelming as they may appear in my tired, post-work state. Pick a task, work on it for 15 minutes and then move along; it's a simple concept with surprising results.

Television Time: I don't watch a lot of TV these days, and when I do it's typically commerical free, but I find I can accomplish quite a bit if I don't just park my rear on the couch while I'm catching up on my favorite shows. It can be difficult to hear over tasks like washing dishes or vacuuming, but it's a great time to fold your laundry or clean the counters! Even using the commercial break to start your laundry in the washer or dryer can get you ahead of the game.

Those two new habits alone have kept my lovely apartment seeming much tidier throughout the week - add in taking a few minutes to make the bed every morning and I've got a place that is clean enough for impromptu guests and doesn't cause a subconscious "man, I've got to CLEAN" everytime I walk through the door.

Le sigh. I have thoroughly enjoyed my Domestic Goddess Sundays, but before Bear left it was clear that they didn't necessarily fit all that well in my no-longer-single schedule, once he returns and we eventually find a place together it will be that much more necessary to stay on top of the clutter.

Also, with the weather getting nicer in Seattle who the heck wants to spend their whole day off cleaning? Not this girl.

To coin a phrase...

The other day Dubs and I were discussing (via IM) an instance where I ran into a particular person that she is not incredibly fond of (as in - the opposite of being very fond,) but I that don't know very well outside of the fact that we have some mutual friends and I have run into them at a few parties:

Me: I really didn't talk to (this person.)
Dubs: It's better that way.
Dubs: It's like, huffing glue. it just makes you dumber.
ME: LOL! (yes, I actually use LOL - it's IM, gimme a break)
Dubs: And you might feel high for a second, but that's just brain cells and tiny pieces of your soul dying.

I ♥ Farmer's Markets

Over the past few years I have become much more aware of food sustainability and factory farming issues, at one point giving up pork and beef altogether. There will be no lectures from me just yet, but I will urge you to take a look at the "food" that you are putting your body and ask yourself if you are really getting the nourishment you need to be your healthiest self.

On the other hand, no way I will ever give up my pizza addiction...But I can start shopping at my local Farmer's Market.

"Farm produce includes fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, herbs, nuts, honey, dairy products, eggs, poultry, mushrooms, meats, fish, shellfish, cut flowers and nursery stock. Processed foods include jams, preserves, wine, ciders, pickled vegetables, fresh pasta, artisan breads and other baked goods. Everything on the market tables is grown or produced in Washington by the farmer or vendor who is selling."

FMs are the best way to find local, seasonal, "producer-only" items and support your area's economy while getting high quality, often organic ingredients - "people worldwide are rediscovering the benefits of buying local food. It is fresher than anything in the supermarket and that means it is tastier and more nutritious. It is also good for your local economy--buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business." Do really want to eat something that's been genetically modified? Yeah, you can get a HUGE tomato but it's most likely lost quite a bit of the vitamins and minerals you are hoping to take in, not to mention the nasty pesticides.

This weekend I made my first trip to the West Seattle Farmers Market and picked up a number of great goodies:

Fresh asparagus
Fresh chard AND

Chard starts for my balcony
Farmstead feta cheese (Bear is not a fan of "American" store-bought feta)

Apple cider (when I return the bottle I'll receive $1 off the price of my next one, & this is my new "go-to" mixer for my Barleans Greens)

Spinach and garlic ravioli

I went later in the day and although my neighborhood's market runs year-round there are definitely seasonal effects on what you'll be able to find, so the selection was a bit sparse when it comes to veggies. I have a feeling I will have better luck next week.

Since then I have been able to test out a few new recipes using the fantastic asparagus, which I prefer to roast (so easy and fast.)

On the left - the most disgusting looking dish I have ever concocted: roasted asparagus with whole wheat pasta, tossed with yogurt and a balsamic/honey/sriracha reduction. On the right, good 'ol plain roasted asparagus with mashers and a peppered horseradish cream.

(please excuse the photos - obviously I am a very very very amateur photographer)

Not only have I found myself eating healthier, I am a little proud of myself for being a part part of such an important movement -"eating local." Visit Local Harvest at their website to find CSA options and Farmer's Markets in your area!

Happy Mother's Day! (bllllleaaaaargh)

I love my Madre. She's awesome. She raised me all by herself and I am a strong, independent woman today because of the example she set for me.

We live pretty close to each other and yet I definitely don't hang out with her enough, though I have been trying to remedy that while Bear is gone. I've been a little low on funds lately and she just bought her first house so for Mother's Day I suggested that we peruse the West Seattle Community Garage Sales on Saturday and then Sunday I could come over for our typical take-n-bake pizza + Midnight Special celebration and assist her with whatever task around the house that she may want my help with.

Saturday was great, despite having no luck at the multiple yard sales we stopped at that day we got lunch at West 5 and picked up some cupcakes from across the street before we parted ways.

On that Sunday, after I visited the West Seattle Farmer's Market and skyped with Bear I ran over to Papa Murphy's for Ma's usual on my way to her place. We baked and ate up the cheesy bread while we watched Midnight Special, then cooked up the pizza and ate that. Towards the end of this particular MS DVD I was starting to feel queasy and by the time it was done I had vomited into her toilet everything I had consumed that day.

So not awesome. I dragged my sick self home after scheduling another time to come over to help her hang her pictures. My Ma was still sweet enough to thank me with a status update on Facebook....Told you she was cool.

It's a sign...

...though from whom, I am unsure. All I know is that these signs seem to be working in Bear's favor.

When I woke up this morning, I had an email from Living Social offering a 90 minute Pole Dancing Workshop from Pole For the Soul - for half the price I paid for my lap dance class. It appears that the class is essentially the same, but instead of a lap dance at the end you learn a pole spin. I definitely wanted to brush up on my hip tricks and floor work, I suppose learning a spin couldn't hurt (more than the temporary bruises that it will inevitably leave behind.)

I signed up immediately and if you're interested, the deal is only good for the next 16 hours or so but you can check it out/sign up here at Living Social.

BTW, I am HUGE fan of Groupon and Living Social and am currently working on post extolling the virtues of these fantastic companies that offer amazing discounts on services, memberships and restaurants in many areas of the country. Stay tuned.

No touching Part 2

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming...

Where were we? Oh yes, learning how to take it off...

We all know that men don't typically care about how you get your clothes off as long as you end up undressed, but it's more fun if you can tease your way out of them - slowly building the desire and curiosity and enjoying yourself and his reactions along the way...Sounds hot, right?

So, yeah - Krisha taught us exactly how to do that. Now, now, I would give you the details but then: a) there would be no point in you going to her class (which I highly recommend for anyone in the Seattle area, or do what I did and google it in your town) and b) how would I be able to surprise my boyfriend? Really though, she taught us a great routine working her way through each move and then combining the steps to make a cohesive and sultry lap dance. At this point I realized that a few of the women were basically stripping down to their undies, unlike me who had brought extra items to put over my yoga pants and tank top. Then we had to practice on each other.

I came to this gig alone, folks, and I understood that we had the option to not practice on another person, but to be able to comprehend and perform moves that involve space and balance you really should practice on another person. As we partnered up, I was surprisingly approached by a fit older* blonde woman; the same women whose friend was in the class with us as her birthday present. I didn't ask her why she chose me, but we were about the same height/weight so I agreed to work with her. I ran through the routine on the dancer side first and dammit if she didn't try her best to make it fun for me, though the sexy comments were just slightly disturbing (I do not know how strippers could do it.) I held back on a few of the moves that would have basically required me to rub my body (more specifically some bits that I don't rub up against just anyone, and definitely not strangers) on her, but tried my best to maintain some legitimate sensual eye contact. Yeah, it was weird. Thankfully it should be much easier to do with Bear.

Then it was her turn. She was GOOD. It was awkward. And because she was one of those previously mentioned ladies who came in wearing very little to take off, she got down to basically a bra and panties in front of me...On my lap...Boobs in my face, everything. I've been to strip clubs and enjoyed the hell out of it but I guess getting a lap dance from chick just isn't my thing. Still, I tried to out-perv her with the comments and eye contact to see if it would ruffle her and it didn't - she's pretty much ready to do this for her/any dude.

Me? Though I think I've already got my songs and outfit picked out, I've unquestionably still got some at-home practicing to do and am actually considering taking the class again, in addition to paying for the Intermediate level private lesson for myself and a lady friend - that way it'll be way less weird to shove our boobs in each others faces. Riiiiight?

(*than me)

More maSKott goodies!

Okay, I swear (no, really) I will get back to my non-maSKott related posts very very soon, but as I mentioned yesterday they have a brand new video for their song "Nadas" and you can peep it HERE at their Facebook page. While you're there, become a fan (or "like" them - whatever Facebook is calling it these days) and start getting really excited for their Turkey AND US shows!

If you're following along in Turkey (or will be visiting soon), maSKott will be playing at Balans Jolly Joker on the 27th of May! Details here at the Facebook event page.

Shameless Plug MONDAY: maSKott's Tuval album release!

Okay, right, I haven't been incredibly consistent with my Shameless Plug Sundays (and I still owe you part 2 of "No Touching") as well as this post not being entirely shameless considering I'm totally, ridiculously in love with one of the members of maSKott...

BUT I have been itching for the chance to finally be able to tell you that their album has been released as of today*** (though Monday in Turkey started about 10 hours earlier than ours here in Seattle, so admittedly I am a little late!) As far as I know, it's not available for international purchase just yet (trip to Istanbul, anyone?) and I am guarding my unofficial copy like a rabid dog, but if I haven't played it for you in my car you can listen to the title track at their MySpace or Facebook and hopefully enjoy it as much as I have been the past few months.

Even though I may be biased, I can honestly say that Serkan and Koray are both incredibly talented artists and I know they put a lot of heart and soul into Tuval - it shows in the quality of the tracks. I'm so proud!

With any luck, I should be able to post a link to the new video for Nadas soon and for now can direct you to the new version of their website (http://www.maskottlive.com/), which should be live in a few days. A Seattle show later this summer (and an English/Turkish language blog!) is in the works, and rest assured you will have all the deets here as soon as they are finalized.

As for the effect this has on my "real" life - that's a whole 'nother post, y'all.

***(edit 5/11/10: release delayed to Thursday, because of barcoding issues[?])

The 2010 Cinco de Mayo Velveeta Saga

Today when I woke up at 5:30 AM with my stomach gurgling, I knew I would never eat Velveeta ever again. If only my digestive resistance were the cause of this lifelong ban, then I would not have this anecdote to repeat to my future child(ren?).

It all started with an invite from my bestie Digital to attend a Cinco de Mayo potluck with a small group of our closest friends. Every other Wednesday I get a massage after work, so in order to be able to attend the party and contribute food, I essentially needed a Mexican-themed dish that could be prepared quickly, containing ingredients that I would be able to pick up at the store just before I came over. Hrrm. Long story short, I decided to go with tortilla chips and queso. My coworker had made this delightful dip for our last Christmas party, so I got a list of ingredients from her and felt confident that I could replicate it at Digital's despite the fact I didn't have access to a crock pot or a microwave.

Directly after my massage, I dashed across the street to the Morgan Thriftway (a nice, marginally fancy-ish grocery store in West Seattle) and quickly grabbed the chili, chilis, tortilla chips and headed for the cheese section to grab the Velveeta. I have never purchased Velveeta before and I am unfamiliar with this particular store, but I assumed that would be the place to look. And I was wrong. After spending a few minutes scouring the shelves and peering around in hopes of finding an employee (and considering for a moment that this store was just too pretentious to carry such a product,) finally a stock dude was spotted heading in my general direction and flagged down. He also took a moment to try and locate the Velveeta in the same section (unsuccessfully) before heading in search of someone who would know.

It was in the cracker aisle, folks. Apparently, this "pasteurized cheese product" does not require refrigeration. STRIKE ONE.

As disturbing as this knowledge was, I was in a hurry and getting hungry, so I accepted the block and headed for the Hill. As soon as I arrived at Digital's I started to prepare what I hoped would be cheese product deliciousness for my mouth (and those of my lovely friends). I removed the block from the outer cardboard package and as soon as I started to open the foil/plastic packaging I deeply sliced the tip of my thumb open on it's surprisingly sharp edge. Immediately blood started dripping out of my finger. My wound was attended to quickly, but I will count injuring myself before a knife was even picked up as Velveeta's STRIKE TWO.

The orange "cheese" was cubed and tossed into a saucepan with the other ingredients where it was stirred almost constantly until a smooth, dippable consistency was reached and it was ready to be served to the masses. Despite the odd texture and occasional reheating due to it's speedy congealment, it was enjoyed by all - including me...Until very early this morning when my stomach made it clear that it was not as big of a fan. STRIKE THREE, Velveeta - you're OUT.

***For those of you who are patiently waiting for installment 2 of the No Touching post (I will delude myself into thinking you actually exist,) you will be rewarded very soon.

Let me tell ya 'bout my best friend(s)...

While we're on a roll with how much I love my peeps...An excerpt from a Facebook message thread coordinating a small group of my closest friends for dinner at the GBF's (one of whom works in the brain research industry.):

GBF: T double booked this Thursday so I'll be cooking for you loverly ladies and gents again but at La Casa de DustBall this time. Any special requests / themes?

Me: TURKISH!

D: Something unique from every continent or fresh spring rolls!

Cec: You are so sweet! I don't care really. I'm learning that whatever you make is pretty effing tasty. ♥

Digital: I like the idea of everyone bringing something from a different region, that would be fun! Anyone know what they're makin yet? I'm thinkin maybe a caprese dish myself...

Me: I'm going to do one or two turkish appetizers - one cheesy and one veggie.

Z: i'll do the ice cream and champagne/fruit thing for dessert. what time?

Cec: What is 'Needed' I can bring that. I'm coming over right after work (I get out at 6:30), so I won't have much time to make anything...What time is this happening?

GBF: I'll have to surprise you all, I have no idea what I'm making yet.

A: I'm in the same boat as Cecilli with the work/time constraints, so not sure what to bring...I know booze is always needed.

Z: yes! booze! i'm almost out of money until friday so all i can bring is the champagne that will go into dessert.

GBF: Ya'all can start coming over at seven.

Cec: Word to all that was stated. I'm going to bring fancy beer. It's fancy damn it!!

GBF: It would be fancier if on your lunch break you made little bow ties outta tin foil and glued one to each bottle. Just sayin'.

A: I want to make a fan page to "like" Dusty's idea of Fancy.

GBF: Okay, A gets the captain's chair tomorrow.

Cec: I can make a bow tie out of brains...but it wouldn't last long...at all.....Or a couple bottles of wine. I mean it's Thursday and all.

GBF: Is it wrong that I kinda want to see the brain bowties?

An open letter to my homegirls:

After Dubs cheered me up by reminding me that it could be worse (truly, my fight with Bear was small and not worth staying upset about), my other homegirl Cec sent me a message on Facebook that nearly had me crying at work because I was so touched. So, for my homegirls I write the following:

Dear Girlfriends,

Thank you for being the amazing, beautiful, loyal, reliable, understanding goddesses that you are and thank you for being my friend. Gone are the days where I could make the excuse "I just get along better with men," and I have never been more pleased to be proved wrong. Your support is one of the main reasons I have been able to handle the loneliness that comes with a long distance relationship, and Bear and I will both owe you a big fat thank you for helping keep my ass out of trouble.

I promise I will do my darnedest to make sure that y'all know that I will be there for you as much as you have been for me. Really, there are no adequate words to express how much I appreciate being lucky enough to come across chicks as cool as you.

Love you ladies,
Alyson