RIP King of Pop

1958-2009

I'm so sad to hear that Michael Jackson passed away yesterday. The music industry will never be the same. Never. Okay, towards the end, things may have gotten a bit dramatic for him, but there's no denying the genius behind the music.

I remember listening to his cassette tapes when my brother and I were little. I remember when my cousin Emily got really into him when she was younger. I remember learning all the steps to the "Beat It" dance he does in the video. I even did a solo jazz routine to "Dirty Diana" when I was in high school.

What this man did for music and dance can never be matched. He will be missed.

Want to hear something funny?

So Anthony, who by the way is the greatest boyfriend who ever lived, thinks that I eat too much chocolate! Me? Eat too much chocolate? When the world makes enough chocolate for me to eat, I'll let you know.

I bought Hershey Kisses the other day to keep in my desk at work for, you know, chocolate emergencies. He made a face and asked me how many Hershey Kisses I would eat in a day. I lied and said 3. [Just move the decimal to the right a few times for the truth.]

He thinks that I should limit the amount of chocolate that I eat... Oh it's laughable, I know. Gosh, he's such a comedian sometimes.


Love you, Anth!

What would your father say?

As I write this entry literally fighting off my 14 week old kitten from biting my fingers as I type, tangling his paws in the cord, and chasing the red light of the mouse, I'm thinking about my father. Yesterday was Father's Day and I was thinking about how awesome my dad is. I could go on about his endearing qualities and his exemplary golf skills, but that's not what makes my dad unique.

Here are some of my favorite "dad" quotes:

Me - "Dad, did you get a hair cut?"
Dad - "No, I got them all cut."

When we kids would shout, "Hey!"
Dad - "Hay is for horses!"

Me - "Dad, my arm hurts."
Dad - "How bout your face?" [you know the rest]

While I was practicing for job interviews: Me - "Dad, what would you say when the interviewer asks you what your weakness is?"
Dad - "My short game."

When my sister was little and would whine all the time: Laura - "Noooo-ah!"
Dad - "Noah built and ark."

"God only created so many perfect heads; the rest he covered with hair."

The very first time my dad met my boyfriend in college: "Hey, your hat's crooked."

Teaching my brother how to drive: "Just because you pay for half the street doesn't mean you get to take it out of the middle." and me how to parallel park: "That's ok, there's a bus to come and take us to the curb."

My dad leaving me a voicemail: "Hey, Anne it's your dad. You don't have to call me back; my name's not back. Just call me on the phone."

Check back later. As I think of more, I'll update. (-8

My thoughts on checking the mail

I don't suppose most people have given a whole lot of thought to checking the mail, but yes, my friends, I have. Allow me to share.

The ubiquitous "you've got mail" has made it exciting to receive a new email! They've even made a movie out of it. There are a couple dozen @whatevers you can use, too. @gmail, @yahoo, @hotmail, @comcast, @verizon, @needigoon?


Now I'm not talking about email. No, email is such a big thing nowadays the average person has 2-3 email addresses. I'm talking about good 'ol snail mail. Let's think about snail mail for a second, shall we.


When Brittany and I moved into our apartment a little over a year ago, things were new and exciting. I got excited to check the mail. I had a mailbox. Not at my parents' house, at my apartment. Seems kind of silly to me now. The only things we ever get in the mail are bills and junk mail. Now I don't like checking the mail. It usually means I'm going to have to cut a check to somebody. Great.

The other thing that comes to mind when I think of checking the mail is my former dog, Shiloh. Shiloh thought about checking the mail, I bet. She loved to go get the mail with my mother. Sometimes she'd happily prance into the house carrying a few envelopes. Sometimes she'd just come along with my mom for the walk, deciding half way to the house that she didn't want to carry in the mail and drop it in the middle of the yard. I think having a dog who retrieves the mail would make checking the mail more exciting.


See, aren't you glad we thought about checking the mail for a while? Me too.

Hey stranger

I must apologize to my loyal readers (like my dad) for being absent for too long. I could tell you a couple reasons why I haven't written for about two weeks, but you don't care about that. So, here's what you've missed.

- First and foremost, I must introduce you to the new man in my life. Benjamin Roscoe is probably the cutest little orange kitty the world has ever seen - and probably the worst behaved too. We thought Riley was a wild man, but Benjamin is quite the mountain climber (and when I say mountain I mean my leg - ouch!). So now Brittany and I have a mountain lion and a tiger. See pictures of the little guy here.

- The last week in May, Yasmina, Brittany, Katie, Amber, Stephanie and I took a vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. It was such a great time. I have the greatest friends a girl could ask for. I would show you pictures, but you know what they say... "What happens in Cape May..." never mind. I have three words for you "Hot Dog Tommy's" - google it.

- I've left the fast and fun-filled world of advertising (against my will) and got a big girl job. I have broken into the life insurance and financial investments industry. From this new job, I've learned that there's a darn good reason I majored in English in school - because numbers and I do not get along. Thank goodness for blogging, otherwise I'd have no outlet for my writing. (Other than the short stories I'm too self conscious to let anyone else read.) I'd love to get back into advertising and PR.

- I haven't worked at Godiva in a few weeks due to vaca and the new job and such. MUST EAT CHOCOLATE NOW!

- UPDATE: Speaking of chocolate, I got my coupon for free chocolate! EEEeee!

Add one to the trophy case

Shawn Johnson won this season of Dancing With the Stars. She can add the mirror ball to her collection of gold medals. I guess Shawn is just one of those people who seems to be good at mostly anything she does. Don't ya just hate people like that?

While I think Shawn is a very good dancer, I thought she was a little stiff at times. I think she won because she is, in some ways, America's hero - the little engine gymnast who could. Congrats to Shawn! She was a favorite throughout the whole competition.

I think the trophy should have gone to Gilles Marini.

Throughout most of the season, it was difficult to tell who was the professional and who was the celebrity with these two. He's got an excellent stage presence and great technique to go along with it.

Overall - Good season, Dancing with the stars! Bring on So You Think You Can Dance!

Ban stupid people, not dogs

Anthony always says to me, "I think you'd have an easier time killing a human than you would killing an animal." He's probably right. Though I've never tried to kill a human being, here's the first man I'd have no problem taking a whack at.

Michael Vick used to be known as a great NFL quarterback. Just about two years ago, however, he was jailed for making money from dog fights. He will be released from prison soon, and the star says he wants to get back into football. - Over my dead body!

This man tortured innocent dogs. For money! This is not somebody aspiring football stars like my 14 year old cousin should be looking up to.


It is true that if you raise a pit bull to be a fighter, he will fight. Like most dogs, pit bulls want to please and protect their owners. If you raise a pit bull to be a friendly, obedient dog, that's what he will be. Simple as that.

Important people in the NFL world are saying that Vick needs to clean up his act and truly show remorse for his actions if he is to get back into the game. Also, doing some community service and toning down the ego wouldn't hurt either.

My solution: Let's put Vick into a fighting ring with a bunch of wild animals and see how he likes it.