My Uncle Phil is such a nerd! :P

Uncle Phil: How is our sweet Erica doing? Do have any time left from your active dating life? :)

Me: At the moment my boyfriend's name is Civil Procedure and he's taking up all of my time. But if you come visit, I'll make time for you! :D

Uncle Phil: Erica - Since it's deep winter in IL, I'd just keep that "minimum contact" with your state. Say hi to Mr. Int'l Shoe. Hope 2 c u in the Summer!

My Favorite Email of the Day

In response to my post:

"My favorite part of today is reading this :)

Nice jab with "uber nerdiness."

-Blake"

Favorite Part

Blake and I share our favorite parts of dinners, nights out, nights in, weekends away, etc. It started off as a joke but now it's something we regularly do. It's uplifting and positive and cheesy and brings a smile to my face.

But sometimes work and school tires me out and there doesn't seem to be anything to smile about. I forget about favorite parts of anything except for bedtime. Today, my dear friend Courtney reminded me that there's something positive and fun to be had in the littlest things, even cupcakes and harmonicas. It made me realize that I should look for my favorite parts of everyday, not just my fun days.

So my favorite part of today (so far) was leaving a voice message with a friend who stayed the night with me, teasing her about not waking me up before she left for work, because I'm not a one night stand kinda girl.

My favorite part of yesterday was eating dinner and watching My Antonio with my roommate because we hardly sit down and watch trashy tv together anymore.

My favorite part of Monday was skipping out on homework to catch up with an old friend.

And one of my favorite parts of last weekend was finding a picture of Blake as a pre-teen playing with Magic Cards. He's always denied playing or owning them so imagine how elated I was when I found evidence of his uber nerdiness. He said my face lit up and I can't deny that it wasn't.

Where's Mark?!

I have not seen Mark Suppelsa for months now. MONTHS!! Where are you Mark? Are you somewhere out in Montana chopping wood and wiping sweat off your silvery frosted temples?

Fair Enough

my cousin: you have a boyfriend ?
me: yes
my cousin:: you are straight
me: lol is that a question or statement?
my cousin:: my new saying is everyone is gay until proven straight

The First Time Blake Cooked For me! :)

Mmm Scrambled Eggs and Pasta Roni :) Yum. Just like in college!

My boyfriend is so culinarily talented.

More Zombies!

I received this in the interoffice mail today. I don't know who's nerdier, me, proclaiming to the world my love for zombies, so much so that my co-worker felt the need to tell me about Zombie-Con...or her for clipping out a newspaper article, highlighting it for me to see, and then interofficing it to me...


Love ya Court! ;)

My friend Kim is funny

Things I'm Too Old For

• Open Bar Deals: I couldn't handle them as a sorority girl in college, what made me think I could handle them now?
• Cleavage shirts/dresses/sweaters: I am not in Playboy. I am not a Pussy Cat Doll. I am not Pamela Anderson. I am no longer [INSERT AGE YOUNGER THAN MY CURRENT AGE]. It is time to retire.
• Being insecure about my body: I'm so over trying to be a stick figure. I'm not planning on quitting the gym anytime soon but I like my curves so I'm going to enjoy them.
• Dancing on top of bars, tables, stools, chairs: or on anything that can possibly cause me to fall on my face and hurt/embarrass myself. Although I haven't done this in a while, I'm officially taking it off the table (pun intended). I'm clumsy to begin with and afraid of heights so I'm no longer going to take such a big risk with a low percent of positive return.
• Holding grudges: whether it is being mad at myself or somebody else, it's time to just let it go. Why waste time being mad or sad when it's so much more fun being happy? Moving on!

Summer Goal

No more drama.

Quote of the Day

"Eek, a drive-by tongue shot?"
-May, because she is hilarious.

ashtongallagher.com

Ashton and I used to fight. A lot. I don't remember what we fought about. I just remember that I'd end up driving off while he ended up walking home. It took us a long time to get along but now he's practically family. He may appear to be an unapproachable jerk, but for those who know him well, Ashton is a considerate and sensitive friend and an amazing artist. I am proud to announce that for the third straight year in a row, he has been invited to participate in the Paramount Theatre Art Show. His talent deserves recognition.

Below is a print he did of our friend Danny entitled, "Reach for the Sky, Robot!" He captured Danny's playful spirit and arrogance perfectly. Although this print is one of my top faves, it is not my absolute favorite. Check out his website to see my favorite (it's the Little Red Riding Hood one).
By the way, I'm still waiting for him to do a picture of me.

Currently Obsessed With

Taylor Swift's Love Story. It's so young and hopeful and romantic and fun. :)

Friend Plug: journalrhythm

I met AJ when we took a martial arts class together at U of I. Although technically he approached me first, it was I who started up a conversation with him that lead us to becoming friends (and I am not ashamed to say, it was because I noticed how toned his arms were). Last weekend, he came to visit me for my birthday, and besides helping me finish my food, playing video games with me and just being a great, supportive friend, he also raps. Check him out.

And ladies, he's not bad to look at either.

Calculus in Property Class

Nancy: haha how long is your class

me: forever!!!!!!! but today we may end 20 minutes earlier than forever

Nancy: haha if you remember from your calculus class, infinity minus 20, is still infinity! hehe

me: ooohhh sooo sad

Being Old

Rannier: When's your birthday?
me: 2 weeks! what should i do? im going to be 27 olddddd
Rannier: Yea, true
me: haha but still younger than you OHHHHHH
Rannier: but not by much :-O that was my awesome comeback
me: oooohhh that is an awesome comeback. u win

Summer To-Do List *Update*

Watch a Chinese TVB mini-series movie so I can practice my Chinese. :)

It seems that every year, no matter how hard I try to resist, Jo comes home from school and gets me hooked on a Chinese mini-series movie. Last summer it was "Revolving Doors Of Passion," a movie about a rich family who owned a hotel (I don't remember if the hotel really had revolving doors but I'm going to guess yes). This year, Jo brought over "Emergency Unit 3." The title isn't as cool as "Revolving Doors of Passion" but there's a handsome older Chinese man in this one whom I call the Mark Suppelsa of Hong Kong. He's dreamy...

Green River

There was a request for a picture of the Chicago River dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. I didn't partake in any of the glorious drunkeness that is Unofficial so I missed out on the green river, but here's a picture courtesy of the sister of a boy I met last weekend.

I miss Venus Week

My Venus Week is over...and I can definitely tell the difference :(

Venus Week Results

Yeah Venus Week works...for me at least. This week, I've was busy at work, stressed from school and had a total of about 12 hours of sleep in the past few days, and except for the dark circles under my eyes, my skin was clear and my hair was amazing and my energy level rocked. I heart Venus Week.

Venus Week: Day 2

Hair: shiny and soft
Skin: pretty clear and soft
Body: hot (no bloating - w00t!)
Energy level: Decent considering I went to bed at 3 am, I am actually not as tired as I usually would be. Also, I don't look as dead as I would have last week if I went to bed at 3 am. Although talking about my bed makes me a bit sleepy now...

Welcome to my Venus Week!

I came across an article in the Trib last month that discussed a woman's peak week. According to Dr. Rebecca Booth, our peak week or "Venus Week" as she dubbed it, is the "one week each month when [our] hair shines, [our] energy levels soar and the men in [our] lives seem irresistible." So basically a week during the month when our hormones make us look and feel better. I know right? SCORE!

I've actually noticed a bit of a peak in my body before I read the article but I never really paid much attention. Because today is the first day of my "Venus Week" for March, I've decided to monitor my body more closely this week. Who knows, maybe there is something to this theory.

Day 1 Results:
I am not sure if I'm just hyper aware because of the article or because it's actually true, but my hair seems shinier than normal, my skin is clearing up and clothes fit on my body better today. I'm also feeling more energetic than I did last week. Hmmmm....?

Good Griep!

Recently a friend told me that he doesn't plan on moving home anytime soon because he is a god in China. Apparently Chinese girls are all over guys who can speak English. Seeing that he is only one guy, I decided to conduct a poll to see if what he said is true. Considering that I polled only the guys I know, it probably won't represent the entire population of English speaking guys who has visited/lived in Asia...but the overwhelming response was, yes, English speaking guys are gods in Asia.

Of course, my favorite answer comes from Mark:

"...if you're into Asian dudes, you could probably pull some Goddess time over here, u know they're into American girls. Or there's plenty of aboriginal tribes around here, so just learn a few sweet magic tricks like Jesus did and you're golden..."

Anyone know where I can take a class on turning water into wine?

List of Things I'd Like to Do This Summer *UPDATE*

Hang out with Kim! Because she's amazing and awesome.

Killer Heels

These were the shoes I was looking at on trendhunter.com:

I love shoes and all but I'm not ready to break a toe or fall on my face in the name of fashion.

Seriously?

I really, truly do not have a zombie fetish and I had stopped searching for zombie things after zombieharmony.com. In fact, I was looking at shoes when I came across My Zombie Pinup pictures on trendhunter.com.

Ok so I admit, I didn't have to click on the pictures...but I just couldn't help myself. Some of the pictures are literally halfnaked, busty, and leggy girls with blood splashed on them - sort of like FHM for the undead - which is not much different than the pictures found in FHM for the living. But then some of these pictures are ridiculous. Seriously, do people actually find this sexy?

I do think the subheading is funny though: Where beauty eats brains...well I think it's funny at least.

On a side note, this will be my last posting about zombies...unless I decide to write a review on Pride & Prejudice & Zombies or any of new Resident Evil games that will/may come out.

Currently Cracking Me Up

Sticking with the zombie theme....

I found the link to this site while I was reading up on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it cracked me up.

The site is called ZombieHarmony.com, a dating website for zombies. I think Need2Feed and I are soulmates - he thinks disembodied heads are scary and dislikes skanky girls - I feel exactly the same way!!!

But beware, here's the disclaimer for the site:

Please date responsibly: bring a baseball bat or crowbar.

Word.

My New Favorite Book

I haven't read this book yet, (well technically I have read it, though without the zombie scenes) but I am going to take a risk and say it...it's my new favorite book! My love of romance and zombies makes this the perfect expression of the literary form. What's not to love? Boy meets girl. Boy disses girl. Girl disses boy back. They fall in love but don't tell each other. Boy saves girl's family's reputation. Girl marries Boy...and turns him into a zombie? Who knows what sorts of flesh-eating possibilities there are!

Things I'd Like to Do This Summer

Last Summer Memories - the Yee Mafia

I haven't had much free time since school started, so to keep myself motivated, I've started a list of things I'd like to do when this semester ends in the Spring and Summer begins!

(To be realistic, I probably won't be able to check everything off my list, but a girl can dream.)

1) Visit Mark in Taiwan and find out if he's turned into a creepy wap. Nancy, let's go together!

2) Visit my friends in L.A. - I haven't been there in a couple of years and I think I'm going through withdrawal.

3) Take a creative writing class at Columbia - the last time I took a creative writing class, the instructor became a creepy wap and it made me feel dirty instead of inspired.

4) Actually make it to a few happy hours with my coworkers - when I am doing homework or in class instead of at the bar, people forget that I exist and then don't invite me to birthday parties. What up Enes!?

5) Check out the Munch Exhibit at the Art Institute

6) Staying in bed ALL day Sunday

7) Wear a mini-dress and pumps. My legs miss seeing the light of day.

8) Go shopping - so I can buy a mini-dress to wear (I have enough shoes).

9) Cook. I used to cook, but now I don't. Sad story.

10) Free up an entire weekend so that A.J. can finally come visit me *hopefully* before he leaves for Japan again.

11) Hang out with Tugce and my BFF. I'm alive and I miss you Tuch!

12) Go through the pile of magazines I subscribe to (still in their plastic wrapping from last November).

13) Read. I used to read, now I don't (except for school books). Sad story. I'm going to start with a bodice ripper (romance novels from the 80's where the hero rips the clothes off the heroine before he "ravishes" her) and then the newest David Sedaris book (which is I think a year old), maybe Freakonics and then the Audacity of Hope.

14) Continue to work on being green - I've fallen off the wagon.

15) Work out at least three times a week so that my personal trainer would stop nagging me everytime I see/talk to him.

16) Visit my family more often - for BBQs, swimming pools and ice cream trucks - just like when I was a little girl.

17) Not have to struggle to find time for dates or worry when they run too long because I still have homework to do.

18) Maybe filling out that Facebook list everyone keeps tagging me with.

19) NOT doing homework over lunch and NOT eating at my desk.

20) Finally taking the long-awaited trip to NYC with Niki (we have been talking about it for over two years but our schedules just don't mesh.)

That is all for now.
Oops. Last one:

21) Blog more often.

Ode to My Blog

Remember when I used to write you everday?
About:
Nice summer days
Hot summer nights
Mark Suppelsa sightings
Fun with the girls
Movies I've seen
Books I've read


Do you still remember me?
Do you miss me?

Oh blog.
Oh blog.


(Note: I took poetry writing classes in college. It shows right?)

Hotness

I never thought that my job was sexy but hey, if msn.com says so, I'm down with it:

1. Administrative assistantsWhen you visit almost any workplace, a smiling administrative assistant greets you. Very often you don't know if you're in the right place, whom you need to speak with or even what you need to do. Administrative assistants know the answers and, because they're your first points of contact, they have to be well-groomed and kind to visitors. Knowledge, good looks, a nice personality and helpfulness? Yes, please. And since they frequently work closely with high-level executives who value their opinions, they often possess a hidden but large cache of power. Administrative assistants pretty much have the whole package.


word.

Quote of the Day

"2009 is going to be on fire!"

-Olivia, after our friend's hair accidentally caught on fire.