That title is a shout out to my vair vair special friend Ryan, who loves Dolly Parton, even if he has trouble admitting it and just has to act out his feelings by “accidentally” putting it on the jukebox at Waffle House.

He also allegedy sang Stand by Your Man by Tammy Wynette in a karoake bar, but I can’t prove that. Yet.

ANYWAY. There was a point to this entry besides calling out Ryan on his love for the great country singers of yesteryear.

Where was I? Travelin’. Yes, that’s it.

SO, this weekend, I’m traveling down to Nashville for Alison’s birthday. Last time I went down to Alison for her birthday, I ended up making out with a guy really I didn’t want to, making drinks for the entire party that amounted to basically grenadine and vodka, and being slapped with a big red dildo by Leslie Boo in the car ride on the way home.

SO, reeeeeeeally looking forward to what this weekend brings. Mainly, it gives me a chance to party with Alison and Jonathan and catch up with Ali, since it’s been a while since we’ve had a good hear to heart.

Some of the laaadeez at the infamous Ali Berfday Party mentioned above.

Contrary to what this picture might suggest, Alison was not the boy I made out with.

THEN on Monday morning, at 9 AM, I hop in the car with my boss and we head out on a ten hour car ride to New Orleans. We’ll be there all week for training and the like. Unfortunately, my work BFF is not going with me, so I may be alone or trapped in the hotel most of our time there — which is a real shame since we’ll be there the day after the Super Bowl and as Mardi Gras celebrations are gearing up — but I’ve promised everyone and their mother that I will be careful and not give into my reckless side and going wandering through New Orleans by myself.

Or…I’ll try not to.

(As you may remember, last time I was in New Orleans, I shook hands with a cop on horseback after I petted his horse — not a metaphor — for 15 minutes, saw strippers, collected beads, ate a gyro, and got escorted home by the busboy I randomly met at the door of  a restaurant.)

I’m excited about both my trips — change of scenery, getting to see old friends, wildness, silliness, Mardi Gras, etc. But at the same time, it’s weird timing. I’m essentially going to be gone for a week and a half — I think? I’d like both of these trips better if they weren’t litrally back to back. There’s no time to unwind in between, there’s no time for intense packing, not enough time for laundry, not enough time to detox in between car trips, not enough time to see loved ones in between, and a long time to go without seeing certain people.

BUT I’ll manage — it’s going to be a pretty easy trip to New Orleans, training I’ve already done once before, two days travel time, during which I will be popping Tylenol PM, putting in my ambient music and wrapping myself in a quilt to sleep the drive away. And when I get back, it’ll be Friday, the weekend, Valentine’s Day is Sunday, and for some reason, I have that Monday after off — is it President’s Day? I don’t know but whoever we’re honoring, thank you!

I’m off to bed, packed enough for tonight, will run home after work and throw dry laundry in my bag along with contacts/make up, and be on the road!

Wish me luck.

In my cubicle at work, I have the following three pictures pinned to the wall right near my computer, and I stare at them throughout the day, as I look for post it notes or file, or when I’m bored, or if I’m in a bad mood…

And even though I am being ridiculously spolied by this wonderful guy, and I spent most of last night laughing with him and Erin about zombie impressions, I still miss those bitches in those photos super bad. I miss My Boys, who are silly and who have been hanging out with (aka tolerating me) for the past four and a half years, I miss J-Gat whose blunt awesomeness never fails to crack me up.

I miss watching The Room with them, I miss playing board games, I miss making fun of Ryan as he goes into laughing fits, I miss Colby asking what if the entire human race suddenly had monkey feet or what if he turned into a giant spider but had the same personality — would we still be friends with him, I miss Nickadilly dressing up as a sailor and getting black out drunk and pretending to talk on the phone as he lays in the floor under a piano, I miss fight-racing J-Gat up the stairs on our hands and knees.

I miss my little sister a ton, I miss her smiles and her amazing abiliy to match me on Maynard Moose, Incredibad, & Flight of the Conchords quote wars.

I am splendiforously happy with my life right now — my work, my wapartment, my sister-roommate, my mama, my choir, my boy — but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss these ridiculous people all the time.

YA’LL HURRY UP AND COME HOME SOON! For my birthday, at the very latest.

How brrrrriiiiiiilliant am I that the only entries I seem to be weekend entries or secret luuuurve entries? Well, it’s mainly because from 8-5 Monday through Friday, my soul is chained to a little grey cubicle and I forget how to be funny. Then  on the weekends, I’m like, I’ve got a little over 48 hours to make the work week seem worthwhile, so let’s go to work!

Somehow you people manage to be able to write short, sweet, cute summaries of what you’ve been up to, but because I CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT MYSELF and MY BRAIN WON’T SHUT UP and I’M NOTHING IF NOT LONG-WINDED, I can’t seem to just jot down a short entry. BOO.

In other news, I have more or less been in a good mood lately, and been feeling really good. This is probably from a number of reasons, among which are…

-Remember forever again when I went to the doctor to get tested for DIABEETUS and instead got told I had anemia? I’d link you to that entry, but I’m lazy, rest assured, I went to the doctor accompanied by Rachael for moral support and ended up being treated by Dr. Hottie and getting embarrassed? ANYWAY, he told me I was anemic and then I promptly forgot about it? Yeah, well, I finally remembered a couple of weeks ago, when I was complaining to my mom, and was saying, “I don’t know why I’m so sluggish all the time. And so cold all the time – I’ve never been cold like this before. And I bruise just thinking about touching anything.”

And then my mama and I were like, OH YEAH, remember how you’re anemic? SO, I’ve started taking iron (don’t make me look up how many milligrams or whatever, it would involve taking my headphones out, rolling my chair two feet to the left, and opening a drawer. CAIN’T DO IT.) I’ve been taking iron supplements for about two weeks now, and I really can a difference – I’m don’t feel like I’m fighting body in order to use it, don’t bruise as easily, I’m cold in a normal, appropriate to the circumstances way, not in a I Might Die This Instant If You Don’t Put Me in a Tub of Lava way. Because I’m less cold and less sluggish, I feel more alert, I don’t bruise as easily. It’s a nice change.

-I’m also making an effort to get more sunlight. As most of you know and can probably wax poetical on – part of Seasonal or Winter depression/the Winter Blues is not enough sunlight/Vitamin D. It kills me. I like to pretend I don’t exist from November through February until I can start telling a difference in sunlight/weather.

It’s starting to be the tiniest bit light outdoors still when I leave work at 5, which is a start, but it’s still too cold for me to read outside on lunch break. But it’s not too cold for me to read in my car in the sunlight on lunch break. The past couple of days, I’ve eaten my lunch at my desk, as usual, but instead of taking my break in the break room (where people wander in and out and make fun of me for reading), I’ve gotten in my car, drive about four minutes down the road to a pretty church’s parking lot, and park right in the sunshine. I turn my engine off (unless it gets really cold), keep my music on, and read and absorb all that sunshiney goodness.

It’s a nice change of scenery as well – I get out of my grey building and my grey cubicle. I get to see the outdoors and get sunshine and listen to music and not be interrupted by HATERS.

-I’ve been spoiled with good times lately. The weekends have been killer. This past weekend, three of Jody’s best friends from her time in Indiana came down to visit. For some reason, I expected they would go off and be cool people, I would just be like, “Hiiiii, I’m the little sister,” but I ended up hanging out with them for a lot of the time.

 Friday night, we did vodka drinks, pizza, reminiscing and looking at embarrassing photos, wii Just Dance, and venturing out through the SNOW NORTADO to a bar with approximately…three other people in it. There was much dancing, I pretended to be the DJ, Jody was dropped by Liz, and once we got home safely, I got punched in the face trying to help Jody put Liz in the bed. By Liz, not Jody for trying to help.

Saturday AM was lazy, but that afternoon, the girls and I hopped in the car and drove out to Metropolis, Illinois, best known for being “the Home of Superman,” a casino on the River, and the French and Indian war reenactment every October. Unfortunately, there’s no Reinactment in Janaury, which is sad because it’s the best part of Metropolis, but we had fun molesting Superman statues and winning a little money. We also went into a little dive bar/food restaurant and stirred them up by “WOO”ing every time one of our order numbers was called, and giggling.

That night, I got cooked for. And snuggled. And kissed. Etc.

Sunday was pretty non-descript, church, lunch with Mama/Grandma, big nap, putting the apartment back together, obsessing over the Grammys with Jody.

-And finally, just…been getting a lot of positive comments lately. I’m sure this is all part of my massively neurotic brain believing I’m never good enough, but I get surprised by people liking me? I know that sounds weird – I know that I’m smart and funny, but I still expect people to just tolerate me or dislike me. It’s weird. But lately, between meeting new people in Murray last week and friends this weekend and Boyface and being told that if a friend wasn’t married to his wife, she’d pick me to be her replacement, I just feel loved and appreciated for my talents.

-And in closing, I love Lady Gaga. WHO IS SURPRISED? WHO?!?!