There's...murder in the air.

I think the people at my job are trying to kill me. Not metaphorically, I mean I really think they’re trying to injure me. As yet another thing happened yesterday to cause me injury, I reflected on the past little bit to realize that it has happened more often recently. Am I being a conspiracy theorist or do they want to cause me bodily harm? You be the judge.
The first incident happened a couple of months ago. Chelle and I were at work, and had just visited the break room for our mid-morning caffeine fix. (Ok, she got the caffeine, I had my water) and on the way back, I had accidentally locked her out of our part of the building. In my defense, I thought she had her ID badge, and she did not. Whose fault is that? So then I went back to open the door for her, and I could sense she was mad. And by sensed, I mean, she took a swipe at me. I quickly ran down the hall to my desk, and hid behind my cubicle wall. When Michelle made her way down to my desk, Lish had happened to be there, so I got up and stood behind Lish, sort of as a human shield. What happened next is still a blur. Chelle lunged at me from the right side, and I deftly dodged her to the left. I twisted my body in a sort of spin-type move, and escaped her grasp, and got away from them. Unfortunately, my spin move had spun me near her again, and she grabbed at me again. With another daring move, I tried to get away, only to realize that someone (read: me) had left some boxes in my way, which I tripped over and landed on my knee and then kinda somersaulted backwards and landed on my back. My ego and knee were both bruised.
The second incident happened about a week ago. As Chelle was teaching me how to do something on my computer, I (of course) made a wise-crack about something that I now can’t even remember. With one swift movement, she punched me in the face! She claims it was by accident, but I don’t believe that for one bit. My face still hurt three days later. Its not too bad now, but I sometimes still feel the phantom pain of being punched again.
The most recent incident happened just yesterday. There I am, minding my own business, when all of a sudden out of nowhere, a paper plane appears and hits me right in the eye! I look around for the offending party, and there’s Lish, holding her sides from laughing. She could have blinded me! And yet, she laughs. Holding my eye, and the tears in, I tried to laugh it off. I still have problems seeing out of this eye.
Now, call it paranoia if you like, but I feel there’s a pattern here. Someone is trying to get me out of the way. Maybe I know something I shouldn’t; maybe I have something they need. All I know is, I will be watching people around here more closely. Hopefully I haven’t died by the time you read this.

Hi, my name is Vieve, and I'm a Tivo-aholic.

As many a people know, there is a writer’s strike going on. For some, this doesn’t affect you at all. For others, such as myself, it has definitely shaken things up. To give a picture of how it has, I will paint a picture of what my TV habits used to be. I watched upwards of 20 shows each week. This doesn’t count my Ellen talk show, my Daily Show’s, or my Colbert Reports. I had a bunch of stuff to watch each night. This was good, because I watched TV during my workout time, to take my mind off the fact that I’m running my way through many miles. Thank goodness my treadmill is in front of my TV; else I would never get anything done. But now, with this strike, I find myself as a hungry beggar, searching for scraps of TV as one might look for food. Sure, I have my mid-season replacements, my few shows that have a few straggler episodes, but they don’t feed me nearly as much as I used to be fed. In the TV world, I was obese, now I’m beginning to feel like Nicole Richie, pre-pregnancy. I’m not getting nearly as much nutrients as I’m used to, and you can see all my bones starting to jut out.
But I am surviving. And to help you survive, even though you probably aren’t as dependent on TV as I was, I’ll give you some of my helpful tips to see you through this. Don’t worry, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This too shall pass. And hopefully you have Tivo, (or something akin to it) because a lot of my tips will be through there. I’ll also do tips for those of you who don’t have this wonderful machine.
One thing to do, is set your Tivo for episodes of stuff you haven’t seen in years. Remember Friends? They have it in syndication, set a timer for it and enjoy the deliciousness of the late 90’s. Want something from your childhood? I’m sure you can find some Full House or even better, get some Saved by the Bell. Relive those awkward adolescent years. Look through your channels for movies. Never saw that A Walk to Remember like you wanted to? Now here’s your chance. Set it for stuff you wouldn’t want to waste the rental money on, for free! Or, for the non-Tivoians (I’m patenting that word) set your VCR’s for these movies. Read the TV Guide, see what you can find that’ll be on. Revisit your own DVD collection. I’m sure you have a movie in there that you haven’t seen in a while, or one you’ve been thinking of watching. Or, if your supplies are limited (and surely, you don’t have every DVD you want to watch), set up some sort of swapping with your friends. You can borrow some of theirs, they can borrow some of yours, and its free! Much better than visiting the video store.
If you have to hit up some sort of rental thing (and don’t be ashamed, I use Netflix like it’s going out of style. Again, using a phrase I don’t really understand) then by all means, do so. I’m seeing stuff I didn’t have a chance to catch in theaters, only now for much cheaper. Use your rental place to get TV on DVD’s. Didn’t catch the whole season of Psych? Now’s your chance to get it all, and you can watch it much faster than it aired on TV. (And I recommend Psych, for anyone to watch. I don’t think there’s a funnier TV show.) So don’t fret, friends, over not having anything to watch. There are plenty of options of things to do. And, if you’re taking these moments of no-TV to get away from TV all together, that’s a noble goal, and I wish you the best with it. Read more, or visit with loved ones. Or, if you were really far behind, start finishing that Heroes you’ve had stuck in your Tivo since last year. Do what you gotta do to sustain yourself through these times. And, hopefully, like me, you’ll gain a bigger respect for the writers who aren’t getting what they want. Clearly they hold more power than any of us had anticipated.

Who's Vieve? You'll now know.

Because PJ posted this, and I usually copy a bunch of the stuff she does, I have decided to fill this out myself, to give everyone that extra bit of knowledge about me that they probably didn't want to know. Enjoy!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I don't think so
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last time I cried...I can't even remember. I know it was when I was watching a movie.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I don't, I think its too straight
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey, its so delicious
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Does Troop count? If not, no.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I"m pretty sure I would, everyone wants to be my friend.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Sarcasm is anger's ugly cousin, and I don't use anger
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Tonsil-free since 2000!
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
It is one of my ambitions!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?
I don't know that I have a favorite-I like so many.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I know I should, but no, I do not.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I'm crazy strong!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?
I really like cookie dough. And strawberry. Mint. I like lots o' flavors.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
If they're a boy or a girl. I think its best to distinguish that early on.
15. RED OR PINK?
Can I vote neither? Because I hate red. And pink isn't that great.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My hair length. I wish it were longer.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I don't really miss anyone.
18. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
I'm wearing jeans, but no shoes yet. Gray socks though!
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A Nutrastart shake, made with bananas and peaches. Mmm mmm good.
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The soulful sounds of my parrot screeching my name upstairs. And my movie that's playing.
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE?
Really, this is a question? I suppose I'd be gray.
22. FAVOURITE SMELLS?
Bread baking. Grass after it was mowed. Puppy's paws.
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
TZ
24. FAVOURITE SPORT TO WATCH?
Soccer baby!
25. HAIR COLOUR?
It is a blondish color.
26. EYE COLOUR?
Blue.
27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
I sure do!
28. FAVOURITE FOOD?
That changes from day to day. Right now I can't really think of a favorite.
29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings. Scary movies are not my cup of tea. I don't really drink tea though, so I don't know what that means.
30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
The last one I finished was Amazing Grace, but I am currently (right this minute) watching Goal! 2: Living the Dream
31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Oh, gray. Of course. How embarrassing.
32. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer, I love doing all the outdoor stuff and its so warm and nice.
33. HUGS OR KISSES?
If you're a designated person, I'll take a hug from you. People need to keep their mouths away from me.
34. FAVOURITE DESSERT?
Last year was so the year of the pie, and I'm keeping that going this year. So far.
35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I'm actually not reading a book right now, I'm watching a movie. Did you not read the earlier questions?
36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I have no mouse pad.
37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Last night? Minutemen, Psych, The Soup
38. FAVOURITE SOUND?
PJ's laugh when she gets laughing really hard (complete with the honking noise, of course) and when my bird finally says something I've been trying to teach her.
39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
The Beatles. I have my picture taken with them! (And by that, I mean, the FauxBeatles I met)
40. BEACH OR MOUNTAINS?
The mountains. I hate the sand and the water makes me dry heave/
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I doubt this is a talent, but I have a spectacular memory for facts and the like.
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Salt Lake City

I hope you learned something new about me here, and if you didn't, that means you know me too well.

One word-ARGH

And sadly, not Argh like a pirate, Argh like I'm screaming. You know, I know I'm not a positive person. I can complain with the best of them. But did you ever have one of those days where nothing goes right? Things that usually are controllable are spinning wildly out of control, and all you can do is helplessly watch as it spins faster and faster? An off-hand comment by one person makes you snap like a twig, and a few minutes, someone is pulling you off of them, and they're saying "All I did was ask if how it was going!". Today is one of those days for me. I'm trying to not let it get to me, but oh man, is it hard. I keep thinking happy thoughts, the new Chuck's airing on TV tonight, tomorrow is Friday, and that means its almost the weekend that I am completely looking forward to, and all the good times I have had lately. But alas, the memory's are slipping and I am taking solace in one thing-I have less than a half day left, then I can run and Tae Bo out my aggression. I love that Billy Blanks, making me punch imaginary predators to get fit. I'll also be happy that I have my peeps to cheer me up, which PJ does a good job of, and Chelle does very well at work, too. Thanks guys, for the hard work you do to keep me afloat.

Running just as fast as you can....

This past weekend, I went to the movie theater (shocker!) and saw the movie Cloverfield.
As I sat in the dark watching the train wreck of Cloverfield (seriously, I do not recommend this movie) I realized that if there were ever an attack on the great city I live in, I would do things differently than these people did, and actually, this made me think of all of these types of movies. Be it a ridiculous looking beast attacking (Cloverfield), a serial killer attacking people (Seven, Silence of the Lambs), an alien attack (War of the Worlds) or a creepy killing tape (The Ring), I realized that I am in no way like people in the movies.
There is no way I’d be fighting this force to survive. I don’t know exactly what it is that takes away my survival instinct, but I would just be like, I’m out, kill me now. Hopefully, they would kill me quickly and be done with it. While it’s all well and good to fight and whatnot, I just think that (at least in the case of a serial killer) for the rest of your life, you’d be having nightmares, and always have anxiety that something would happen again. You’d never feel safe! And what’s to say that they didn’t already take a limb or something? You’d be stuck in pain or having to deal with that, and isn’t that sometimes worse than living? (wow, I hope people who are missing limbs don’t read this. I’m not saying having a missing limb is worse than death, I’m just trying to make a point) Also, after such a movie of destruction, won’t it be awful to have to rebuild? Say you survive and the city you live in was destroyed. You’d have to find a new job, a new house, you’d probably have to move and the rebuilding of the country would be so much work! Just think about it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, and this is, “Well, surely, if ever presented with this opportunity, Vieve would fight like the scrappy gal she is” No, you’re wrong. I’d accept my fate gracefully. But in case you’d like to fight your way out (PJ has informed me that in such a situation, she’d fight like nobodies business, and you may be like her) I’ll give you some helpful tips I’ve learned from these movies.
First of all, be the hot friend in your group. No matter what is going down, the hot one will live. Ways to achieve this: stop eating (no one likes a fatty), spend a ridiculous amount of money on hair, clothes, and makeup. No matter what you really do look like, these things will help hide any flaws you have. Also, if possible for you, get plastic surgery to hide anything you can’t hide with makeup. Trust me, you’ll survive anything. Second of all, if you’re wearing high heels as foot wear, take them off. I don’t care that the girl in Cloverfield wore them while running down the street (which I found ridic. Nobody can run away in high heels. Don’t believe me? Try it.) You will not be ok with it. It’s better to be running around barefoot then in those things. Or, if possible, cut off the heels. Maybe you can get around like that. Third, have a significant other who is not right by your side. You’ll at least live until they can find you, and once people find you, it’s pretty probable that you’ll survive still. Doctors can work miracles. And lastly, don’t be driving in the middle of nowhere. I don’t care if you think it’ll be a shortcut. There’s a 70 percent chance you’ll get attacked by mutated country folk. And your cell phone won’t work out there, of course, so no one will be able to help you. In cases such as this, take the gun you have in your glove department (don’t play like you don’t have one in there) and go out in a blaze of glory. Kill as many of those suckers as you can before they get to you.
I hope my tips help you survive if anything bad should happen to us. Always remember, if in case of any such catastrophe, make your way to a mall or grocery store, to wait it out. This way, you’ll have food and entertainment, and you’ll make loads of new friends!

Arrrgyle

I don’t know if many people know of this website, but one of my favorite places to go is shirt.woot.com. Every day they have a different shirt for sale, designed by a new person. Sadly, the shirts aren’t always fabulous, but pretty often they are hilarious. I have too many favorites to show all of them, but I have included a few here for your viewing pleasure. I have only gotten a shirt from this website once (it’s hard to get the really good ones, they sell out so quickly!) and I’m sad to say, this shirt is no longer with us. Here is the treacherous tale.
For Christmas 2007 (yes, this was in fact just barely) from my friend PJ I received a shirt from this blessed site. It was one we had enjoyed a month or so earlier-it was called Arrrgyle. It was, as you can see, an awesome shirt, with argyle (which I happen to love, most of my socks have this pattern) and with tiny pirates in the middle, to give it that special-ness of being awesome. Well, back to the story, I received this shirt for Christmas, but I didn’t get it until a couple of weeks after Christmas. PJ gave me the shirt when we had met up for the movies. (and in true Vieve fashion, I can’t for the life of me remember what movie we saw, to perhaps elaborate on the story, but whatev) So upon getting the shirt, oh what excitement I had. It was my favorite shirt, already immediately. After the movie, (oh! It was Atonement, now I remember. I think. PJ will have to confirm this) we got up to leave, and I made sure I had my shirt. I hit up the bathroom, making sure I had my shirt. We went out to eat at TGI Fridays, and when we were about done with the meal, I realized I didn’t have the shirt with me. Convincing myself I had only left it in the car, I relaxed, but I still had this uneasy feeling that I knew wouldn’t go away until I saw the shirt again. We went out to the car following the meal, and I couldn’t see the shirt! I searched that car, my purse, my coat (it could have gotten mixed up in there!) and alas, I could not find it. Woe was me. I went back to the theater; searching everywhere I had been, checking the lost and found, retracing my steps, even checking places I knew it couldn’t possibly have ended up. And, sadly, never recovered. I await the day I can again get an awesome shirt from this website, but until that time, I mourn the loss of my Arrrgyle. And if you see someone with this shirt on, punch them in the face and call them a thief, because I’m sure that’s the person that ended up with my beloved shirt.

(PS the reason the cake one is here is because I just think its bleeding hilarious)

Obviously Crazy Disorder

In church today (thats right suckas, I went to church) in one of our meetings, we went around the room and said what our one OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder to those who don't know the acronym, although, I don't know who doesn't) to the rest of the class. As everyone was saying theirs, I realized I have so many. As many people know, I do indeed have OCD. I can't help it, its not even in my control. But, as a special treat to my readers, I have decided to share my "quirks" with you, so you can maybe feel a little better about yourself, and maybe even feel a little more normal. Now I know that some of these aren't really obsessive so much as its just an irritant, but please enjoy.
I color coordinate my closet. The colors in there go from lightest to darkest, with long sleeves after the short sleeves. The tank tops are all folded in a drawer. My shoes in my closet are also color coordinated, also separated by genre. I have my flip flops on a special shoe rack, also color coordinated, lightest to darkest, with a pattern. In the TMI department, my underthings have to match each other, and they usually also match whatever I wear that day, I really like everything to match. Of any bottles I have, lotion, face wash, shampoo, etc, the label has to be facing out, so you can read it easier. My chapsticks are arranged in two lines, with my favorite chapsticks being near the front, and the ones who's flavors I don't care for in the back. (I have 28 chapsticks. I don't know if that's a lot) My DVD collection used to be split up-I had the TV series separated from the regular movies, but unfortunately, space restrictions have forced me to put those all together, but they are all alphabetized perfectly, and if you want to borrow one, you have to sign it out. Also, for the last few years, I have been watching my DVD's in alphabetical order. This has taken much longer than I anticipated. I started in June 2005, and now, in January 2008, I am only in the middle of the I's. My CD's are also alphabetized, but by the first name of the artist, not the last, like many people choose to do. But, in the CD booklet in my car, they have to be randomly put in there, and I can't have to of the same CD next to each other. For example, I can't have an artist next to another artist, he has to be next to a soundtrack or a self-made mix. My bed has to be made every morning, with the pillowcases facing the left. I don't care if I woke up five minutes before I have to be out of the house, I will take the two and a half minutes to make the bed. (Yes, I did time myself once, to see how quickly I did it) Everything has a place, exactly. At work, my stapler has a specific spot, next to the tape dispenser and in front of the pen holder. The highlighters are behind the tape dispenser, next to the pen holder. I usually have my pen color coordinated to whatever I'm wearing that day, but if it's not possible, I try to get as closely as possible, same with any highlighters I happen to use that day also. Everything near me is clean, the counters/desks are wiped down about once a week, with some sort of cleaning solvent. I vacuum every Sunday, and clean my bathroom every other Sunday. In the sink of my bathroom, between deep cleanings, is cleaned every time I go in there. I can't have a dirty sink-it has to be spotless every time I look at it. My board games are organized by genre. Scene It games, (of which I have 8) DVD games, trivia games, electronic games, kids games, different versions of Monopoly, (of which I have 5, even though I hate that game) and card games.
I think that might be all the crazy stuff I do. I hope someone got a chuckle out of this, maybe even remembering a time I did something crazy in front of you. And please, see if you can think of something you do that's "Obviously Crazy"

I thought it felt a bit drafty

As everyone knows, (and by everyone, I think I mean PJ and myself. Maybe other fans) today is the MLS draft! This excites me for many reasons, but reason number one is…this means soccer season is almost upon us! It’s my favorite time of the year. (The fact that it is summer also might help, but that can only be the cherry on top of the sundae.) There is nothing I like more than going to a soccer game. The smell of the stadium, with the fake grass, the delicious hot dogs I can smell cooking, the shouts of fans, the *pow* you can hear of the ball being kicked by the players, that is where its at. Not to leave anything out, I also can't wait for the Reserves games. You get to see the players more up and close, not having to be in bleacher seats, you can sit right on the side of the field here, practically inches away from a player. I am excited, anticipating what players we might acquire. I am sad for the ones we have lost, Esky my man, Jamie Watson, and happy for the ones we got rid of. I don’t mean to hate on Atiba Harris, but oh man, did he drive me crazy. But with new players and a new season brings on new hopes. Hopes of a kick-butt season, with more wins than losses, hopes of more games to see, hopes of more player sightings, (And by sightings, I mean, I’ll stalk these guys if I have to. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve waited in hotel lobbies just to catch a glimpse of these guys) and hopes of screaming myself hoarse at games. I also can't wait to see who we get. Will we pick anyone from the awesome Wake Forest? They have the best men's soccer in the country, and anyone from there is going to be amazing. Do we keep a lot of my favorites? Mantilla, Rimando, Beckerman, my list goes on and on. Here’s to hoping Real represents this year, and becomes the team we’ve all known they can be, with the right leadership from a great coach. I can’t wait to put on my white and red and cheer these guys on.

This IS how I roll

All right! First blog ever written by Vieve ever in her whole life. Nothing tops this moment in excitement, nothing. I wanna give a shout out to Chelle, for getting me started, otherwise, ya'll would not be reading the awesomeness that will be this blog. I'm not going to pretend that anyone other than my parents and like, PJ, Chelle, and maybe a sibling or two is going to read this, but you know, I'm gonna introduce myself. I'm Vieve. I enjoy long walks on the beach...not really, I hate the sand. And if you walk on that baby barefoot, holy crap are the bottom of your feet slowly burning off. I enjoy movies, TV shows (when there isn't a writers strike, grrr) and I love soccer. A little too much, but that's neither here nor there. I think thats all I'll introduce for right now, I need to maintain some mystery to keep my readers on the edge of their seats! I think thats all I'll do for now, because, quite frankly, I am tired and need to start readying myself for bed. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm like an old person, I go to sleep so early. But I like sleep, a whole lot. Thats just how I roll.