Ok so the weather's turning out to be pretty good... But it's still a little over cast. I'll I can say is that the weathermen better not be messing with us. The people of Washington are on the edge here! We need some vitamin D or we might just loose it! When they said that it'd be in the 80's in the next couple of days I was a little worried at first. I mean people did die in Europe a few summers ago when the weather changed drastically like that! I could see that happening here... But mostly I was thrilled at the idea of seeing some sun!!! If they let us down I may have to add Weathermen to my list! And I'm not talking about the good list either. I'll add you guys right next to Global Warming, which has recently been moved to a higher spot on said list due to the whole Snow In May thing.
Speaking of lists...
In honor of Summer... Which I hear will happen this year... Eventually...
I've made a list of songs I've deemed worthy enough for my Summer Playlist.
If you don't know what a Playlist is then you don't know what an IPod is. If you don't know what an IPod list you probably won't like anything on this playlist. Just a little bit of a heads up.

Lauren's Summer of 2008 Playlist!

10. Eucalyptus by The Deadly Syndrome - Ok so I'm putting this song on the bottom of the list because well... I'm thinking a weird song about Eucalyptus is a required taste. I really can't understand too much about what these guys are saying... But I think it's some sort of an apology song for the mistreatment of the Eucalyptus. I could be wrong... I probably am.
9. Shut Up And Let Me Go by The Ting Tings - You might recognize this one from the IPod commercial. Its pretty fun. The guy apparently has recently washed his jeans which I have to say I fully support. You should totally wash your jeans! Also can I just say that I wish I had started a band and named us The Ting Tings!!!! I love that name!
8. If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5 and Rihanna - Now that's and interesting combination!
7. Crimewave by Crystal Castles Vs. Health - For those who like Techno. I'm iffy on the Techno, but I have to say I like this one.
6. Mansard Roof by Vampire Weekend - Ok I like Vampire Weekend's sound personally. I think it's really cool that they have such a modern sound while totally supporting the Violin and Cello!!! Plus those guys look like they haven't seen too much sun... I can relate.
5. Don't You Evah by Spoon - Oh Spoon! It was hard to choose one Spoon song, but I've been playing this song a lot lately. Plus I heart the music video. I've never felt that way about a robot in my life!
4. Beat It (Featuring John Mayer) by Fall Out Boy - Apparently if you get this song though it won't say (Featuring John Mayer), because apparently the music video is really angering some people or something. I have to admit I haven't taken the time to watch said video. Anyway John Mayer supposedly thought he'd jump off while he could and removed his name form the song. It's him on the guitar though... Which I have to say is probably why I like this song so much. He does a really great job.
3. Superstar (Featuring Matthew Santos) by Lupe Fiasco - Why do I like this song? Um... I just know that my Brother and I shamelessly sing this poorly like the little white kids that we are. We pretty much ruin the song... But we have so much fun doing it! It really is a pretty fun song.
2. 4 Minutes (Featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland) by Madonna - What is it about Timbaland that makes everything he touches turn to Top Of The Charts? I'm not exactly sure why they only have four minutes to save the world, but I have to say It makes for a good song! Although not a good music video...
1. Sour Cherry by The Kills - Ok this song has been REALLY overplayed at my house, but I have to say I still love it. I made it number one on the list didn't I? And Yes I would have to say I am the only sour cherry on most fruit stands.

Ok so a couple days ago, we had to go without the internets for a whole 24 hours! We were notified by our cable company, that they were going to be working in our area due to a line being down, and we'd be without the internet for a couple of hours.
Those liars!
I guess it was a good thing, because it made me realize just how much of an internet junkie I am. It turns out I'm really bad.
I mean somewhere in the back of my mind there was this little voice that would go "This can't be a healthy relationship Lauren!", but I'd always reply back with a "Wait a minute was that Josh Groban!", and then that little voice would become very distracted.
This time without the internet, however made me see how truly sick this relationship is between my Lappy (my laptop) and myself.
It was kind of like an episode of celebrity rehab... Without the celebrities. It wasn't as bad as a girl from My Sweet Sixteen who receives a mini instead of a BMW, but it was pretty bad.
And so now i'll do the first step by admitting that I do in fact have a problem.
I have an internet addiction.
I love Myspace, and Facebook, shoe shopping, and finding out what's going to happen on the next episode of The Hills. I love information just being a click a way! I love the fact that Amazon thinks they now exactly what I want and have hundreds of recommendations for me! I love how I can make the librarians do all the work, and put all the books I want on reserve just for me! I love the little ping my email makes when I do in fact have mail!
There! I admit it! Now that i've learned that about myself, I'll now be going to Starbucks with my Laptop ever time my cable company decides to try, and take the internet away!

So Today wasn’t so great... I think it could have tried a little more on not sucking... Even a little effort on Today’s part would have been appreciated, but I guess that’s just asking too much.
Well February 19 you’re in luck, because as of officially right now have low expectations of you! You are off the hook my friend! Continue on with the suckage because I’m expecting it!
So one of the really not so bad parts of Today was that I forgot my lunch... It happens, and so on my way home I decided to use up the last $1.98 on my gift card at Jamba Juice, and get myself a drink. I was pretty hungry (it’s actually a good thing I did too because we didn’t have dinner till like 8!)!
Anyway so as I’m getting my drink the guy working there gives me The Pity Look, and says "Hang in there!", which only made me notice how truly horrible I looked! How bad do I have to look to have a guy making minimum wage, during apparently Jamba Juice rush hour take pity on me, when he’s the one with the full leg cast on!
I wonder how he broke his leg... Snow boarding? This guy at work broke a blood vessel from snow boarding... It grossed me out.
Anyway! I really wanted some quiet time! So of course Roy was playing Rock Band with his friends (who I’m sure thought I looked like Grumpy from Snow White...) Actually I don’t even think they noticed me, which I can relate too. Rock Band is so addicting! I hardly know what’s going on around me when I’m playing... Playing poorly, but still playing.
So yah I went to my room and watched the ARTS channel. Why? Have you ever watched the ARTS channel? There’s a ton of Opera. Opera it turns out is like Days Of Our Lives on steroids... And singing. My life suddenly didn’t seem that bad. At least I wasn’t in love with my sister’s fiance’, while being forced to marry an evil baron or whatever.
In fact if I somehow end up in an Opera, like in a dream or something, I need to make sure I just don’t fall in love period... And stay away from people who keep on going off to the side of the stage to sing mysteriously. They’re usually plotting someone’s demise.
That’s when I noticed. My flowers are dead!!!! I know it’s been practically a week since Valentines’ day, and it’s to be expected, but I was really enjoying them!!!
People always buy me plants!
"Happy Birthday! Here’s a plant you’re going to stress out about until you do in fact kill it! No matter how much you try to keep it alive!"
In the future if you’re thinking about buying me a plant, because you’re last minute shopping for me at the grocery store can you not go with the whole plant thing??? They sell gift cards... Or better yet how about one of those cards that plays music? Not a huge fan of those cards, but it’ll be better then a plant!
Is it Friday yet???????????

I woke up this morning thinking "Well at least there's no way I can look as bad as I feel." in attempt to make myself feel better. Then I actually looked in a mirror and that feeling was so gone.
Anyway so today they were showing America's Next Top Model pretty much all day.
Most of the day I was watching said marathon. I learned a few things... Not a lot... And not anything of major value, but they might become useful in the future.

1. Don't mess with models' food. They turn crazy. It makes sense really. They don't eat much so don't mess with what they do eat, because they'll become vicious.
2. A Saree is 6ft long.
3. Barney is a street in London that is famous for it's fashion... Or something.

That's pretty much it.

Which is more then I learned yesterday while watching Fashion On Ice. Although I do think whoever came up with that idea was a freaken genius.

I did feel like I was going to faint again while I hopped in the shower between round 5 and 6 of eliminations of ANTM.
But I refused. That's right I refused. I'm not about to allow my body to faint while naked in the shower. There is no way I'm going to be seen by a whole bunch of cute fireman! Not to mention the conversations afterwards!
"Oh dear Lauren I heard you fainted in the shower!"
"Um yah..."
"How dreadfully embarrassing that must have been!!!"
"Yah..."
"You poor thing! How many hot firman came in to help?"
"Six..." (because that would so be the minim knowing my luck)
"Did you just die????!"
"Not yet..."
And that would be the end of that conversation or any other because I'd literally just will myself to die. Knowing my luck though my body wouldn't comply until I was once again in the shower. Just so they can forever more say "How did they find her again?"
"Oh in the shower... Naked. There were at least 12 fireman at the scene. They looked very familiar... Last years calendar I believe..."

Could the EMTs arrive on the scene first for once???

Where was I? Um yah... So I refused. I almost fainted at work too. I wasn't about to let that happen either. If I'm going to faint I'm going to do it my way! I'll place my hand on my forehead, and then gently descend until a gentleman catches me.
I'm on like five different medications right now so I'm not seeing anything dramatic, or unrealistic to anything I'm saying.

I should end this blog now. It's just going downhill... Kind of like my day after my brother Roy said I looked like the guy in his video game Assassins Creed. Is that nerdy gamer code for I love you, or was that an insult? I took it as I love you. I like living the lie.

As I sat frozen in horror as the man started to explain the process of how in order to survive you can digest your own yerin. It's 90% water. The other 10% however is toxic.
He was about to explain how to separate the two when I realized that I can in fact change the channel, and decided to do so immediately.
The man was almost as bad as the guy they followed around that lived with wolves! Do parents let their kids what the Discovery channel? Because maybe they shouldn't. I'm just saying.
Why would anyone want to know that? If it came down to it I'd choose death! Apparently this guy's super afraid of death or something, because eeewwww.
I mean I wouldn't give up or anything! I'd give it my all, but then I think i'd just remember that the place I'm going isn't so bad, and that's the last thing i'd wanting to be tasting in my mouth before I went.
So anyway my Mom came in and we watched one of her favorite movies Yours, Mine, and Ours. Not the new version, because both of us don't like the new one, but the one with Lucille Ball.
The reason I don't like the new one is because at one point they give up. The modernized the whole story, and ok whatever, but they did it to the point that giving up was even an option. To the real family, and the old movie cast, in that time giving up in your marriage, and/or your family wasn't a option. You didn't do that.
The real family behind the story ended up having a total of 20 kids. That had to be amazingly hard. I'm sure if anyone had the right to want to give up it was those parents, but I think they realized somethings really important that my generation doesn't often learn.
Love isn't what you see in fairy tales, shakespeare plays, or pretty much anything you see on tv. Love is hard. Love is a choice you make everyday. Love is for better or for worse. Love is holding someone's hair up while they're throwing up. Love is forever. Love is very real, and everything else that's been glamorized is fake.
Giving up is something we do almost everyday here, and we don't get that feeling of accomplishment.
We try to replace all that stuff with empty, and meaningless things and it's not working. Instead of realizing that however we just try to find more to fill that hole we have in our lives with. You'll never have enough.
So as I was thinking all of this I thought about my own life. About how I really wanted Ballet classes, and my parents signed me up for Karate. I gave up a week before I got my yellow belt. Who could blame me I'd say! I never wanted that! I ended up with nothing though... A white belt doesn't mean a whole lot.
I wanted to learn the flute. I thought it was the most wonderful instrument in the world. I got Piano classes. I didn't want to practice everyday! I wanted to play the flute anyway! I quite, and now I know nothing musically.
So here I am now. Going to school for a field were only 30% are women. Where 20 years ago I wouldn't be here. My coming up year is going to be full of extreme hard work. Tuition is going to be high, and my Starbuck work hours very low.
I know I'm going to REALLY want to quit. I know it.
But I'm not. I'm saying that with true confidence. Confidence that I didn't even know I had. Lauren may have been a quitter when she was younger, but I'm not longer one today.
Nothing real is easy, and nothing fake is worth having.

It's been sooooooo crazy!!! I'm not even really sure what the heck I'm going to write about... But I really need to! Something to calm me down so I can actually sleep is just what the doctor ordered. Quite literary. That and yoga, and who knows I may have to end up doing that therapy.
This little girl at my store today had a complete meltdown, and threw a tantrum on the floor. I was kind of horrified, but mostly by the Mom who was pushing the 5 year old who so desperately needed to have a nap further by hitting the grocery store next. When you're a Mom you put your kids nap time before your shoe shopping time. Kids are not accessories people!
But I digress. As I watched the girl, I had a completely immature urge to join in. I'm tired! I don't want to go to work! I'd like to be able to sleep! And more than anything I'd love to have money magically appear right before my eyes!
It kind of did thanks to Capital One who gave me my first credit card. Don't worry I'm only using it for school!
Still it freaks me out that people are giving credit cards. My maturity level is apparently one of a 5 year old Capital One.
Although to be fair to myself I didn't give into said urge, but went back to work.
There's really no recovering form that. Throwing a tantrum at work I mean.
Unless you're famous or model pretty... Then you can say you're suffering from exhaustion, and get away with it.
Another cool thing about being famous is the Britney factor.
No matter what crazy thing you do you know it'll most likely blow over once Britney Spears does whatever crazy stunt she pulls next.
Mel Gibson should have waited until she'd shaven her head. No joke.
It doesn't always work for the greater good though. President Bush uses it a little too often. Did anyone catch the "Larger pole under the tent" thing? What the heck is he talking about? Can we get a translator? People talk for the Queen all the time! Why can't we get someone to talk for our President?
Please don't mail me hate mail for saying that. I'm a horrible speaker... I don't say things like the "Larger pole under the tent"... And I'm not even sure how I would use that if I did in fact want to for some reason add it in a sentence, but i'd totally be willing to have someone speak on my behalf!!! He should think about it.
If you are huge fans of Britney, or Mel please don't email me either. I'm not trying to be mean! I respect their art and all that good stuff... Not parenting, but their careers. I'm sure with some therapy, and rehab... Maybe a little medication they'll be good as new!!!

So i've gotten a nasty cold that just won't go away!
I've been trying super hard to still be nice at work... Super hard! I'm not sure if it's working though. I feel grumpy, but I'm trying to stay quiet.
Anyway I'm not the only one with one of these mutated colds! We have tissues in the back room at work that have vics vapor rub in them!!!
At first I was like "These things are soooo weird!", but I've completely change my mind!!! I'm so addicted now! Even if I don't need one, I'm catching myself huffing them just so I can get that wonderful sensation of breathing again! It's amazing!
You really take breathing for advantage on a day to day basis.
You poor things in California don't get to until you leave on vacation. Don't get all huffy I lived there for 16 years, and it's true. On an airplane you can see the smog.
Anyway I think I can safely add vic vapor rub tissue huffing to my list of addictions.

My brother is currently in New York! He's then going to Boston! I'm so excited for him!!!
I talked with him this morning, and he told me about the Virgin Record Store (His favorite so far), all the theaters, Time Square, the great pizza, and he saw where they shoot TRL. The Naked Cowboy wasn't there though. He said it was way to cold to be naked. I think the Naked Cowboy is a pansy.
Roy said the scariest part so far was the cab ride he took. Apparently they drive like the Transporter.
He told me he saw two cab drivers getting in a fight, and one of them taking out his Voodoo Doll!!! He swears it's true! I kept going "NO!!!!", and he swears to me that's what happened. Do many New Yorkers have Voodoo Dolls? Do they have a store that sells them? Wow! That's so crazy cool! A little scary, but still funny.
I hope someday I get to go!!! I also hope something like the cab driver fight takes place while I'm there!!! Oh and the shopping!!!
Someday i'll make it... If I can make it there I can make it anywhere right? Lol.

So I had written a new blog last night... Then I lost it! So yah... Now I'm writing a new one.
I think the other one was better. It had a much stronger beginning.
Hey you don't know if it's not as good or not! You just have to take my word for it, because there is no longer any proof that this isn't way crappier. I'm going to even go as far as to say that the blog that was lost, may have been the greatest thing i've ever written (it wouldn't be that hard considering all the poorly written things i've written in the past)!
Too bad I lost it... Now you'll never know.
Anyway the blog was about Halloween... I had a good time. The end.
Sigh. Ok i'll put in more effort! But this is twice now! Twice!
Ok so it was tons of fun. Lauralee, Misty, and I went to Nightmare at Beaver Lake, and then The Screaming Pines! It was great!
But first we watched Charlie Brown And The Great Pumpkin, and Disturbia to get us in the Halloween mood. I didn't have time to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas... But that's ok because I still have Christmas.
If you haven't seen Disturbia you should.
So yah... It was fun.
Ok so Beaver Lake was pretty sweet, because it was on the main trail. It was exercise in disguise, because you were so pumped up you didn't realize how far you were walking. The creepiest thing to me were the hooded guys on horses. That horse was too close for comfort.
Lauralee, and I laughed pretty much the whole entire time. Apparently that's what our reaction to a guy with a chain-saw is. Laughter. Go figure. Laughter really could be the death of me.
Poor Misty. It turns out she's the bravest of us all, and we kept hiding behind her.
In our defense we knew there was no real danger, and how are we suppose to catch our breath if mad scientists are right in our faces???
The Screaming Pines was different, but just as good!
It was a family run, and very fun.
It started with a tour guide.
He was like "Bla Blah Bla Blah Tour guide for part of the tour Blah Bla."
And Lauralee was like "So when exactly are you going to ditch us?"
And Tour Boy was like "Um... I'm not..."
And then Misty was like "Um you said "Part" of the tour."
And that's when I chimed in with a very intelligent "Oh Yah! You did say part of the tour!!!"
So then it was very clear that we were going to be ditched.
We get chased by Werewolves, and a guy tries to sell us some dead bodies, and stuff...
When all of a sudden a SUPER HOT GUY APPEARS!!! And I'm thinking this thing's just gotten a lot better.
Hot guy told us he got separated from his group and wants to know if he can join ours... Misty, Lauralee, and I all say "Yes!!!" at the same time.
In the back of my head I'm thinking this has something to do with this haunted house... But I could really care less.
It turns out he was apart of it. A few minutes later he is attacked by a Werewolf, and carried off into the woods.
Sigh.
So we're lead to the basement, and our guide ditches us (gasp! I so wasn't expecting that one!). We are then "Scared" into a maze by a Mad Scientist, and another Werewolf...
We really couldn't see. It was very dark! Misty's in the lead, and she's trying to feel the walls to lead us out, but we end up doing a circle.
Back into the Science Lab where we started, Misty tries to feel for the wall and accidently hits the Werewolf... The Werewolf pities us, and goes "Grrrh Argh Stay to the right Grrrh Arghhh."
And then because we're still not doing so well he follows us with a flash light he apparently had in his furry pocket.
So we finally get out, and are greeted by a sweet lady who wants to give us Hot Chocolate. I like her immediately.
Her son is there as well in a very cool Batman costume. I tell him this and he starts to scream, and try to scare us.
We laugh.
I'm a little afraid that he'll be insulted by our laughter, but he takes it as encouragement, and starts to do it more, this time running in circles around us.
When we arrive at the car we were very content with our night.
Buckling up I can still hear the little boy in the Batman suit screaming.
It was a good night.
A good night.

So if you haven't seen the movie Sicko you so should. It's coming out on video this tuesday, and it's definitely worth the five buck movie rental.
It seems like medical insurance is getting worse and worse... Probably because it is.
The system that was originally founded to help the people of America when we are sick, now could careless about our outcomes, and are more concerned about how big their bank accounts are.
Thanks Nixon. It seems Watergate wasn't the only mess you were involved in.
Do I sound angry? It's because I am. I don't remember being this angry since turning thirteen... Thirteen wasn't a good year... For me or anyone around me.
It's sick that more then half of our population isn't covered. When they get hurt or sick they're screwed.
What is it saying people are going over the border to get medication, and treatment? It seems to me that something's not working.
Tons of hard working people are getting screwed over. Including me.
I lost my insurance. That was my jobs bad. I wasn't getting the hours I was asking for. I tried working at other stores, and that wasn't really working out. I asked for a transfer, and was asked not to, and promised more hours.
I was short on the hours needed to maintain my insurance.
That sucks.
I really needed to take a blood test... That's bad timing.
But I'm covered until the 31st of this month. So I made an appointment, and started filling out paper work. I'm going to pay them 10 times what I normally pay in order to stay on.
I go to the drug store to pick up a prescription and they've already cut me off!
I have a piece of paper saying I have until the 31st.
I'm going to call them on Monday... I'm going to try to remember that it's not the person I'm talking too's fault... But I want to yell. I need a soundproof room.
The part that makes me the angriest though is that the same thing happened to this sweet older man in front of me. He was getting a lot of important stuff... Medication he most likely needed... But the insurance company doesn't care. They've cut him off early, and don't care about his heart condition.
Canada is looking pretty sweet right now.
I'm suppose to try writing about the things I'm thinking about, when I can't sleep down. I'm not sure if it helped.
I'll try again though. I'll try to dream of Canada and it's socialized medicine.

So all of a sudden my Mom was asking questions like "What's you're favorite drink in the whole world?", and "What's my favorite flavor?".
All I can think of is Black Tea, Diet Coke, and the flavor of Orange. Why the sudden drink interest?
It turns out my Mom's new mission is to find me "My Drink". Which was the sweetest thing ever! Roy loves Coke from Mexico, and Root Bear, and I usually drink Diet Coke or Water at home.
So anyway she started buying me different drinks. Like she got me Orange Jones Soda which was good, but a little too sweet. So then she got me Diet Sierra Mist... It's so gross (no offense makers of Diet Sierra Mist! It's good for what it is... Which is no sugar, no calories, and no caffeine)!
What am I going to do with all that stuff?
Plus it sucked to have to tell her I didn't like it. I had to, because I couldn't risk her buying more, but I totally loved the thought she put into it!

Anyway switching subjects. Roy is trying to give me back a book that never belonged to me! I'm finding it annoying. I'm probably over reacting, because I'm stressed by the mess in my room. I'm cleaning my room, and it's also turned into Ebay central, and before it's getting better it's getting much, much worse. I have a path to my bed, and the door, and that's it.
Anyway I'm slightly irritated. I've never seen this book! Mom, I guess, assumed it was mine, because it's about The Fall Of Troy, and yah that sounds about right, but like I said I've never seen it before.
I tried to give it back to Roy, but he was all "Dude it's so yours." and so I said "Dude it's so not." And so in response he left the room, because "It's mine" and "He's done".
Whatever.
I guess I have a new book.
I need a bigger book shelf. I'm trying to sell a few, but I love my books so like I said a few.
I wish I could find a rich, British musician who would buy me a huge library like Beast did for Bell in Beauty and the Beast. Ok that's now my new goal. That and to live in a city of Penguins... But that's a whole other Blog.