Here We Go!

It's Super Bowl Season. And in case you've been in a coma for the past couple weeks - PITTSBURGH'S GOIN TO THE SUPER BOWL! There are fanatics all over the city and beyond. Ross Park Mall is asking each of its stores to create a window display in black and gold in honor of our grid iron heroes. The store with the best Steelers display will win a prize. The mall is even closing an hour early on Super Bowl Sunday, which is considered a major holiday in Pittsburgh.

Brittany and I just came across this song on You Tube. B94, a local radio station, is having a contest for listeners to create a song about the Steelers. Here's one of them. It's pretty funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QRo6AuUp6Q
- sorry it wouldn't let me upload it, but this link should work.

If anybody else has any crazy, funny or outrageous Steeler stories, send 'em my way. Leave a comment or email me.

Good luck on Sunday, boys!

Am I getting old?

When I was little, like most kids, I couldn't wait for my birthday every year. I would start a countdown right after Christmas, make a wishlist, and make sure I told everyone I knew how many days there were until my birthday.

Here it is, January 21, the day before my birthday, and I'm not all that excited. Last year was a big year as far as birthdays go. I was 21. I had a week of celebrating (that needed a week of recovery). I had three parties that week for my 21st birthday. I guess 22 isn't that exciting of an age. I didn't make a countdown for my birthday. It just sort of creeped up on me. I didn't ask anyone for anything special. I don't really want anything special. (Except maybe clothes for my new job woohoo!) I'm not even having a big party. I'll go out with my closest friends for drinks, but even that is on an if-you-can-make-it basis. Maybe my birthday was overshadowed with my job hunt. But now that that's over, let's celebrate! - But I have to go to bed early because I have to work tomorrow. =o]

Steel Curtain

Being in Pittsburgh is like being in a whole new world when it's football season. Now that our black and gold heroes are in the playoffs, it's even more crazy. Around here, a Steelers jersey is an acceptable form of attire pretty much anywhere you go. Sometimes even in the office. Believe it or not, there are Steelers bars in cities other than Pittsburgh. That person you flipped off in traffic this morning could be the same person you high-five at the bar on Sunday when the Steelers score a touchdown. Just like that, people are brought together. Even at Godiva we are allowed to deviate from the normal dress code and don our Steeler apparel. This morning I made chocolate footballs that we will no doubt sell out of this weekend.

Anthony and I watched the Pens game tonight and the camera showed a shot of the Pens' bench. The kid sitting in the first row behind the bench - a position that should show a lot of support for the team - was wearing, yep you guessed it, a Willie Parker jersey. Even the Pens are asking the fans to bring Terrible Towels to the Pens game on Sunday in honor of the Steelers. We're getting a little mixed up.

I think it's great that something like this can bring a whole city together; even if it's only for a few hours once a week. Monday mornings the whole city seems to have an extra spring in its step after a victory. Gotta love Pittsburgh. Go Stillers!

Give and Take

There is no such thing as perfect is there? Brittany and I thought we had found the perfect apartment for the perfect price. Little did we know that the rent was so low because our apartment doubles as an icebox in the winter and gets about an hour (if we're lucky) of sunlight per day. What we don't pay for in rent, we make up for in gas and electric. Is there a perfect guy out there? Even the hunky Brad Pitt left his wife for another woman. And the so-close-to-perfect-it's-scary George Clooney isn't even married... wonder why?

Now that I've graduated, I'm on my search for the perfect job; at least that's what it was a few months ago. Now I'm just searching for a job. I actually was offered a job by a very prestigious law firm. Great pay, benefits, vacation, PTO... sounds kind of perfect right? Wrong. They wanted me to work 5pm to 2am. Leaving downtown Pittsburgh at 2am? Nothing perfect about that.
So I thought I found the perfect job today. I had an interview with a small newspaper for a journalist position - perfect! Here's the rub - I went in to their office for the interview this morning. I use the word office there very loosely. Their office consisted of three desks shoved into the corners of a very small, I repeat, very small room. The end. Oh, don't let me forget the storage room. I also use that term very loosely. When I say storage room, I mean room for their garbage. I would say they had everything in there except the kitchen sink... but there was even a sink in there. Great.

If anyone finds anything out in the world they think is perfect, please let me know. I've only found 2 things to cure my depression right now - chocolate and ice cream. And in the gravest of situations - chocolate ice cream. Even the delicious Ben and Jerry's I'm enjoying right now is 260 calories per serving. Yummo

I am available for personal interview any time. Please contact me at annemwatkinson@gmail.com. Only perfect companies need reply.

All dogs go to . . . the movies!

A couple years ago my mom told me about a book she really liked. "It's called Marley and Me," she said and handed me the book to read. Let me preface this by saying that about three years ago my family had to put down our golden retriever because of cancer. We cried so much, one would have thought we lost a member of our family - we did.

So anyways, Marley and Me is about [in case you live in a cave and don't know] a Labrador retriever who is very badly behaved, but his family loves him regardless. I really enjoyed the book up until the part where Marley's owner takes him for one of their famous hour-long walks. Marley gets too tired to continue because of his age and sore muscles and is forced to lie down and take a break. This is promptly where I closed the book and said, "THE END!" I started to tear up thinking about my own dog, and I've never picked up the book ever again. In my world the dog is still on that walk. He is happy, sniffing the flowers, marking his territory and is just very old - end of story.

So a few days ago, my roommate, B-Kins, and I went to see the movie. We loved it. We were laughing out loud and oooing and aaawwing at the puppies. And then it came to the part in the movie when Marley is limping up the steps with sore muscles. Brittany and I looked at each other. "You ready to go?" we said. And we left. And they all lived happily ever after.
Best story ever! =o]

That's my puppy ^

A real live boy?!

So I was checking out this website for a possible job when I came across something that made me chuckle. "Why might you be chuckling at a chiropractor's website?" you might ask. Well, as you will see in the picture below, the way the copy is split up caused slight confusion to me. Look at the white tab in between the black and gray tab. The way it sounds to me is if you click the link, it will help you find a doctor who is, errr, living. ::chuckle:: That's how I usually like my doctors.
p.s. Should "Sign-up" be hyphenated? - nope

Little 'o this...

Some things I like:
dogs, chocolate, watching thunderstorms, my friends, nightgowns, grammar, the way new socks feel on your feet, daisies, dancing, sleeping in, movie theater popcorn, pink, Robin Williams, ballet, good books, hot chocolate, strawberries, air conditioning, laughing babies, penguins, smart/ talented/ interesting people, Pepsi, laughing till my tummy hurts, kitties, tearing perforated edges, lillies, slippers, buying new clothes, my mom

And a few I don't:
fake people, anything with more than 4 legs, math, liars, most vegetables, paying my credit card bill, girls who shake their butts and call it dancing, works-cited pages, prejudice, people walking on my left side, forgetting things, peepl woo cant spel, drama, being hot, the way a skunk smells, cold weather without snow, tuna, arrogance, mornings, negativity, nonfiction history novels, selfishness, doing the dishes, emo music

Christmas in Retail

As you probably know, I work at Godiva in Ross Park Mall. It's a pretty low stress job - unless it's Christmas season. We were so ridiculously busy this season! We had some pretty crazy customers in the store, too. One woman even yelled at my manager because we were out of tissue paper. C'mon people, calm down. You're buying chocolate. To anyone out there who works in retail, especially during the holidays, I feel for ya!

Since I was a little bit stressed out during this time, I decided to channel my frustrations into creativity and came up with this little ditty. Ahem...

Christmas in Retail

‘Twas the day before Christmas
And all through the mall
All the men were out shopping
Some short and some tall.

To keep their girls happy
Was their sole intent
So to Vicky’s and Kay’s
And Godiva they went.

Are you ready for walking?
Get set; on your mark
When it’s Christmas in retail
There’s nowhere to park.

These last-minute shoppers
All frantic and rude
Cause chaos and bustle
And long lines for food.

Why are you yelling?
Ma’am what is the issue?
“I’m spending lots of money,
go buy me some tissue!”

Do you have any samples?
$6.50 for one?!
What do you mean you’re sold out?
Isn’t retail such fun?!

So ‘tis the season
To spread holiday cheer
It’s Christmas in retail
Someone buy me a beer!

New Year's Project

So here's the scoop. Since May, when Brit and I moved in together, we've always said "we should do this, and we should do that." But we never had the time. So now that we've graduated college [yay] we have more free time and we're checking off things on that to-do list.

Only we've added a twist! [muhaha] We're going to vieotape everything we do and send it to Ellen! We love Ellen Degeneres and we want to go see her show (one of the things on the to-do list). So we send her the videos of all the things we've completed, and we hope once she sees everything we've done, she'll want to have us on the show. Wouldn't that be fun?

Here is what is on our list right now:

- Roadtrip to see Ellen
- Potty train Riley
- Order Center Ave. Pizza
- Spend a day at the movie theater
- Read in bed
- Take up a new hobby (we're open for ideas on this one)
- Visit Animal Friends - CHECK!
- Order in Chinese food
- Watch a TV season DVD - CHECK! - 30 Rock
- Go to a Pens, Steeler game
- Make Tortilla Soup - CHECK!
- Get a Tivo and Tivo Ellen
- Cook a meal
- Graduate College - CHECK!
- Foster kittens
- Crash a wedding
- Go to the zoo
- See a show
- Go to Oregon
- All-you-can-eat wings - CHECK!
- Learn Ellen's dance moves
- Eat Crab Legs

I'll keep you updated.
Here's the link to Brittany and I making Tortilla soup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Tbgi1x8ro