Library Loving: To Catch a Thief

Library Loving is my book feature. Or my, "Hey I got this awesome CD or movie from the library" 

But let us take a moment to admire my "Library Loving" Button, shall we? It is the best thing you have ever seen, isn't it? 

Becca made it for me. Now pause in your reading and give Becca a round of applause. 

Moving on....

I was going to feature another book today but I have not yet finished the book. Oops! 

I will tell you that I recently got The Decemberists album, The King Is Dead from the library. 

The first song, "Don't Carry It All" was stop me dead in my tracks awesome. I would like to tell you about the rest of the CD. I can not. I just kept listening to "Don't Carry It All" over and over again. 

Also I checked out To Catch A Thief from the library and watched it on Thursday with Jessica. We are HUGE Cary Grant fans and to my surprise she had yet to see this classic. Have you seen this movie? You definitely should. 

Ten on Tuesday - Emma Edition!

Today's Ten On Tuesday was put together by my sister, Emma. It makes me so happy that she put this list together for me. If you would like to submit a list, email me at megsmindnet@gmail.com


MOST AMAZING 10 SONGS TO RANDOMLY SHUFFLE IN A ROW ON MY IPOD THE OTHER DAY:


(AKA: IF YOU DON'T CURRENTLY OWN THESE SONGS, YOU SHOULD)



1. "Pyro" by Kings of Leon

2. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

3. "Feels Like Rain" by John Hiatt

4. "Red Hill Mining Town" by U2

5. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" Eddie Vedder version

6. "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys

7. "I Don't Trust Myself" by John Mayer

8. "Darling Lorraine" by Paul Simon

9. "A Song for You" Michael Buble version

10. "End of the Line" by the Traveling Wilburys



CONTRASTED WITH: 10 EMBARRASING SONGS THAT ALSO RANDOMLY SHUFFLED IN A ROW ON MY IPOD:

(AKA: WHAT!? THAT SONG IS ON MY IPOD? HOW DID THAT GET THERE?)



1. "A New Argentina" the Evita Soundtrack

2. "Drive My Car" Bobby McFerrin version

3. "Cherry Pie" by Jennifer Lopez

4. "Cabo Wabo" by Van Halen

5. "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5

6. "Fireflies" by Owl City

7. "Open Arms" by Journey

8. " Ring A Ling" by Black Eyed Peas

9. "I Love New York" by Madonna

10. "Escape" by Enrique Iglesias



WHAT ABOUT YOU?? ANY GUILTY PLEASURES ON YOUR IPOD THAT YOU CAN'T BEAR TO PART WITH, BUT WOULD TRY TO DENY ALL KNOWLEDGE OF IF SOMEONE FOUND IT ON THERE?
 
Meg's Note: I have Backstreet Boys on my iPod. Lots of Backstreet Boys. It is not my guilty pleasure. It is on there for KayKay. But sometimes I catch myself listening to one of their songs. And perhaps singing along. And a little piece of me dies.

Much Love Monday: Paper Whites

This week I bring you $20 of happy. 

Purchase the following: 

 Buy two boxes of paper white bulbs from Walmart for $5 each. 

Buy a pretty bowl from Home Goods for $6.99

 Buy 3 bags of river rocks from Family Dollar at $1 each. 

Go home. Remove bowl from Home Good bag. Pour all 3 bags of river rocks into bowl. Nestle paper white bulbs in amongst river rocks. Add enough water that the bulb are getting water but you don't want the bulbs to be submerged because they will rot. 

Enjoy! 

I have done this project before but I was reminded of it while reading another blog. Sadly, I can not find the link to the blog I got this idea from. I hate not being able to credit that blog especially since that is how I found out about the $1 river rocks at Family Dollar. Apologies!

Also I am rather convinced I will kill these poor paper whites. Killing plants is a gift of mine. 

Join in the fun!!

Update: Here is what they look like as of two days ago:

Not dead yet!

Friday Finds

I have established a blogging schedule of sorts and my hope is that most Fridays I will share with you links I like and introduce you to one of my 8 zillion blog reads.

Last week I shared my love of my edit. This week it is Oh Happy Day. If you follow any kind of blogs at all, you have probably heard of event planner,  Jordan Ferney.  Her blog is a great resource for insanely awesome DIY party ideas. She is currently living her dream of spending a year in Paris, so you can also find great insider travel tips on visiting Paris. This blog is one of my favorite reads and I am constantly pinning her DIY ideas on my Pinterest boards.

In other Internet news:

Anna Emilia prints. Lovely. Especially this one.

Has anyone ever ate at an Old Chicago restaurant? It looks good and they have one in Mesa.....

I need to read this over and over and over again:  How To Have a Social Life and Still Save Money.
via Yes and Yes.

A Turkey Story

I had made the long drive so many times. So very many times. Why not take the road less travelled? Live a little. See new things. Anything to break up the monotony of the 7+hour drive through Southern New Mexico and Arizona.

The road less travelled turned out to be narrow and winding (as roads less travelled so often are) but worth it. It provided sweeping vistas of New Mexico. Mountains far in the distance. And then it led into to the mountains. Pine covered mountains. 

And that was when I started to get a little nervous. Nervous because outside the safety of the desert is where the predators live. The modern day velociraptor could have been around any of the hundreds of hair pin curves on this road less travelled. 

And there at curve 236, the evil attacked. Two wild turkeys rushed out of the trees they had been lurking among and ran in front of my car. 

Speed up? 

Slow down? 

In my panic, I found myself unable to adjust my speed. I was only able to let out a great scream. I narrowly missed the great birds of prey but my screaming continued. My windows were down and I was afraid they would attempt to fly in my window and attack. Alas,  I could not roll up my windows because my hands were frozen to the wheel. 

The evil ran back into the trees. I continued driving. I knew I should pull over and compose myself. Wipe the tears from my eyes. Vomit. Try to loosen my grip on the steering wheel. I could not. I did not know how many more of the velocivultures lay in wait. I could not take the risk. I could not let my guard down. 

I was tense and miserable the rest of the drive through Gila National Forest in New Mexico. It's beauty could not calm me. I was not able to breath a sigh of relief until I reach the safety of civilization. 

The End

Library Loving: I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron

Depending on my ability to actually finish a book, my goal is to feature a new book every Wednesday.

I think if I were recommending books, I would recommend I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron over I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections.  But if you read the former and loved it, read the latter as well. Or vice versa.

It is a super easy read because it is all little short essays so your poor overtaxed attention deficit brain does not have to remember any kind of plot line or characters whatsoever. I will say that there were a few times I found myself wishing she was a little more revealing in some of her stories. The really juicy gossip, if you will. Alas, this is not that kind of book. It is, however, perfectly pleasant in all other respects.

Read this when: You are getting a pedicure.

Ten On Tuesday: House Cleaning Jams

Songs that keep me moving while I am cleaning my house:

1. Mrs. Vanderbilt, Band On The Run

2. Nine In The Afternoon, Panic At The Disco

3. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, The Police

4. Pas De Cheval, Panic At The Disco

5. Runaway, Bonnie Raitt

6. Off The Ground, Paul McCartney

7. Second Hand News, Fleetwood Mac

8. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles

9. I've Got My Mind Set On You, George Harrison

10. Graceland, Paul Simon

Much Love Monday: Egg Nog Ice Cream

In St. Louis I worked for a company, Hall Technologies. It was an awesome job. Awesome people. Awesome company. All good things. Also, they introduced egg nog into my life. And seasonally available egg nog ice cream from Edy's. FYI out west is called Dreyers. Same stuff.

Ten on Tuesday: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Songs that recall the Seasonal Affective Disorder of Midwestern Winters:

1. River, Joni Mitchell

2. Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles

3. Underlying Depression, Van Morrison

4. Be That Easy, Sade

5. Trouble, Coldplay

6. Blue, Sarah McLachlan

7. Rain, Patty Griffin

8. Round Here, Counting Crows

9. Hounds of Winter, Sting

10. Clementine, Kelly Joe Phelps

Friday Finds

So one of my favorite fashion blogs is my edit. I think her style has the perfect amount of interesting and edgy but more than that, she is hilarious. Her writing is just as interesting as her outfits. She is one of my must reads.

Kate Spade Jewelry is all kinds of eye candy.

This is a humorous print.

Paint Chip Art. I think I could maybe do this!

Reading + Design = Awesome. 

For more things I like, click on the button to the right that says, "follow me on Pinterest." I have food boards - feel free to try the recipes and report back so I know if they are any good - and crafty type things and all kinds of good stuff.

Not so latent perfectionism.

There are many, many, many times that I wished this blog was something more serious. More substantial. More honest. Maybe more cathartic. But many of the serious, substantial, honest things in my life are not completely my stories to tell. I am not here to put other people on blast. This blog is all about me. ME! ME! ME! Hopefully with enough self-deprecation to make it clear that me is not completely self-centered. Just mostly. See? Self-deprecation!


If you know me really well and have ever had a serious discussion with me about who I am and why I am that way, you know that I am an insane perfectionist. Insane. INSANE. You also might have noticed that I am not perfect. I  balance the difference between who I am and who I feel like I SHOULD be with self-deprecation, distractions, glitter, jokes n jokes n jokes, mess, caffeine, drama, more self-deprecation, defensiveness, offensiveness, quitting before I am discovered, never trying in the first place, excuses, etc. etc. etc.

Generally, I consider myself to be a high-functioning perfectionist. That is....until we come to the part of me that handles human relationships. The perfectionist in me MUST make relationships work. Any kind of relationship. No matter how unprofitable, unhealthy, and nonreciprocal, the relationship MUST be made to work. I can make it work. I can be perfect. I am totally responsible for the arc and outcome of the relationship. The weight of it all falls on my shoulders and I can carry it forever because I can be perfect.  If the relationship were to fail, it would be entirely my fault because I am imperfect. Imperfection revealed! Horror and shame!

When a relationship fails, I completely lose all perspective.  I go from a high-functioning closet perfectionist to a anxiety ridden mess. An "I must be on several different types of medication, most notably a good anti-depressant, to make it through every day" anxiety ridden mess.   I have been taking on the full weight of  every relationship failure. Blaming myself every step of the way. I have never stopped to think about whether or not the relationship was even a good and worthwhile relationship. I have just wallowed in my  failure. I have over analyzed and over credited my part and not stopped to look at the big picture.

Some parts of the big picture being:  Was the relationship good for either of us? Would it bring us satisfaction in the long run? Was it truly a necessary relationship? Are there better options?  Is the relationship profitable, reciprocal, and healthy? If no, am I immediately capable  and/or solely responsible for fixing it? These kind of things.

Gradually, I am forcing myself to stop and look at the big picture. When the panic over not being good enough, failing, and imperfection claws at my chest, throat, and head, I am learning to take a deep breath and step back. And then take another deep breath. And then maybe 8,560 more deep breaths. And then maybe I give myself a pass. And if I can not give myself a pass, I try to accept it and promise myself to do better next time.

And possibly as a result of these efforts, I find myself sleeping. And eating. And not taking medications.


Well, except for Excedrin. I *heart* Excedrin. That relationship is a whole other post.

Ten on Tuesday: No Mellow

Welcome to what I hope will become a new weekly feature on my blog! Every week will bring another themed ten song list. This is not a "Top Ten" list. This is just 10 random songs that fit my random theme that week.  If you are interested in guest posting a Ten on Tuesday list, contact me at me megsmindnet@gmail.com .  I would LOVE contributors! Music is more fun when shared.

Songs for when you can not handle mellow:

1. Next Girl, The Black Keys

2. Riot, Three Days Grace

3. Camaro, Kings of Leon

4. When You Were Young, The Killers

5. The Seeds, The Roots

6. Hang Me Up To Dry, Cold War Kids

7. ABCs, K'naan

8. Scream, Michael & Janet Jackson

9. Criminal, Fiona Apple

10. Gunpowder and Lead, Miranda Lambert


Share your songs in the comments!