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Lauren of all Trades

2013-11-06T08:29:00.000-05:00

I MOVED!

Find me at laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com and also http://www.youtube.com/user/laurenofalltrades

Semi-Shameless Birthday Post:

2013-10-09T09:28:00.000-04:00

Best part about having a birthday is signing up for stuff and getting a ton of coupons for free stuff! Do the same! Here are just 6 (okay that's kind of a lot) that I'm signed up for. Chili's actually sends coupons constantly so if you want free apps, desserts and/or kids meals from Chili's, go sign up for their email list especially. Oh and how old am I? 24 again. #24forever

*No, I was not paid for this post. I just love free stuff!*

Super/Mega/Octuple Stuf

2013-09-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Regular Oreos are for suckers. When I eat Double Stuf I twist them apart and put them back together to make QUADRUPLE STUF. Then existed, and purchased by one of my friends, the MEGA STUF! No reason to eat them normally, I created the I-don't-even-know-what-to-call Stuff.

There Will Be Blood

2013-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Not exactly the kind of donation I had in mind but what the hell right? I'd never donated blood before and recently started feeling guilty about it. The reason being that it's not because I scared of needles, I just couldn't be bothered to take the time out of my life or make the effort to go.

I've actually donated plasma for (which you get compensated for, hence the motivation to do that) so once I decided I wanted to do it and I walked by this sign in my building, talking myself into it was easy. I even scheduled an appointment so I'd feel obliged and not decide that I would do it later so that I didn't have to take a 5 minute walk, and got it done!

And I didn't pass out or anything.

31 Days of Donations

2013-08-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

Every time I'm buying something and the sales person asks me if I want to donate $1 to their miscellaneous thing I always say no. I started to say "not today" so as to imply that I'm not selfish always, just today. My rational being that if I did it every time I'm asked it adds up to a lot. So I started to wonder how much really would saying "yes" cost me? It will of course vary by how much I'm shopping and at how many places that are running those campaigns, but I decided to find out.

So for the month of August I will henceforth be saying yes to every donation solicitation. Which conveniently, I got one today when I bought something on eBay using PayPal!

So stay tuned and follow along (or join!) on my experiment of saying "yes!" over my 31 Days of Donations!

Scraptastic

2013-07-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Scrapbook studio on wheels. It seems excessive but it holds everything I need and makes it easy to grab everything. One day I want to open an actual scrapbook studio where people can come and scrapbook and pay me to do so but I suspect I will not.

Baby Steps

2013-07-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

The real reason I decided to buy a solar phone charger was so that I could charge my phone anywhere. I just got it so we'll see how well it works. But as of two days ago (upon watching No Impact Man), I'm striving to be greener than ever and this lil guy's arrival was ever so appropriate.

It will be pretty cool if I can get by charging my iPod, iPad and phone - yes, that's a Blackberry - strictly by solar power. It's not a lot but every bit counts right? I'm also going to be refusing to use anything disposable when I can avoid it such as plates, utensils, cups, and take out containers at work (why use styrofoam when there's cellophane and foil?). Who's with me!?

So what's next? We will both have to wait and see (translation: I don't know yet).

Greetings Humans

2013-07-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

My supervisor at work got this book which I naturally had to mock immediately. But it actually sounds kind of interesting. Flipping through it, my favorite chapters: Don't Be a Prick, Meeting Creatures, and Secret Titles (titles that don't really mean anything) which I wish I noticed was blurry.

Fore!

2013-07-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I went golfing with my parents. I'm not very good, mostly because I don't practice, but my Dad really likes to golf so it's something we do when they visit.

I'm decent at teeing off, meh with my irons, and am usually too impatient once I get to the green to actually try. But I did get a legit bogey on one of the par 3s.

I'd Like a Dozen Please

2013-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

The dogwood is a tree and and flower.

Pencil Sharpener

2013-05-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I visited the Penn State Berks campus.

They have their own Lion Shrine (I knew that). Since I was by myself I did not climb on it.

But the best part of the trip was spotting this:

I didn't know that anyone else even uses pencils anymore.

90% of Gunshot Wounds are Psychological

2013-04-08T17:30:00.000-04:00

The theme of this post is shows I watch referencing other shows I watch.

FACT.

Me

2013-04-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

One of my bloggy friends posted this. It reminds me of when I used to blog in HS on Xanga which was more journal type posts and less article-esque posts. I used to post "surveys" like these all the time. I thought, "what the hell."

1. Your boy side
[ ] You love hoodies.
[x] You love jeans.
[ ] Dogs are better than cats.
[ ] It’s hilarious when people get hurt.
[ ] Shopping is torture
[ ] Sad movies suck
[ ] You own a car racing game.
[ ] You played with hot wheels cars as a kid.
[ ] At some point in time you wanted to be a firefighter.
[x] You owned a ds, ps2, n64, or sega.
[ ] You used to be obsessed with power rangers.
[x] You have watched sports on tv.
[ ] Gory movies are cool.
[ ] You go to your dad for advice.
[ ] You own like a trillion baseball caps.
[ ] You used to collect hockey cards.
[ ] Baggy sweats are cool to wear.
[ ] It’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.
[x] Green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favorite colors.
[x] You love to go crazy and not care what people think.
[x] Sports are fun.
[x] You talk with food in your mouth.
[ ] You sleep with your socks on at night.
[x] You have fished at least once.

2. Your girl side
[x] You love to shop.
[x] You wear eyeliner.
[ ] You wear the color pink.
[ ] You go to your mom to talk.
[x] You consider cheerleading a sport.
[ ] You hate wearing the color black.
[x] You like going to the mall.
[x] You like getting manicures and/or pedicures.
[x] You like wearing jewellery.
[ ] You cried watching the notebook
[ ] Dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.
[ ] Shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.
[ ] You don’t like the movie star wars.
[x] You are/were in gymnastics.
[ ] It takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.
[ ] You smile a lot more than you should.
[x] You have more than 10 pairs of shoes.
[x] You care about what you look like.
[x] You like wearing dresses when you can.
[x] You like wearing high heel shoes.
[x] You used to play with dolls as little kid.
[ ] You like putting make-up on others.
[x] You like being the star of everything.

3. Appearance
[ ] I am shorter than 5′5″.
[ ] I have many scars.
[ ] I tan easily.
[ ] I wish my hair was a different color.
[ ] I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
[ ] I have a tattoo.
[x] I am self-conscious about my appearance.
[x] I’ve had/have braces.
[x] I’ve been told i’m attractive by a complete stranger.
[x] I have more than two piercings.
[ ] I have/had piercings in places besides my ears.

4. Experiences
[ ] I’ve gotten lost in my city.
[ ] I’ve seen a shooting star.
[ ] I’ve wished on a shooting star.
[ ] I’ve seen a meteor shower.
[ ] I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.
[x] I’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.
[ ] I’ve kicked a guy where it hurts.
[x] I’ve been to a casino.
[ ] I’ve been skydiving.
[ ] I’ve gone skinny-dipping.
[ ] I’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour.
[ ] I’ve crashed a car.
[x] I’ve been skiing.
[x] I’ve been in a musical.
[x] I’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue.
[ ] I’ve seen the northern lights.
[ ] I’ve sat on a rooftop at night.
[x] I’ve played a prank on someone.
[x] I’ve ridden in a taxi.
[x] I’ve seen the rocky horror picture show.
[x] I’ve eaten sushi.
[ ] I’ve been snowboarding.

5. Relationships
[x] I’m single.
[ ] I’m in a relationship.
[ ] I’m engaged.
[ ] I’m married.
[ ] I miss someone right now.
[ ] I’ve gotten divorced.
[ ] I’ve told someone I loved them when I didn’t.
[ ] I’ve told someone I didn’t love them when I did.

6. Honesty/Crime
[x] I’ve done something I promised someone else I wouldn’t.
[x] I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
[ ] I’ve snuck out
[x] I’ve lied to my parents about where I am.
[x] I’ve cheated while playing a game.
[x] I’ve ran a red light.
[ ] I’ve witnessed a crime.
[ ] I’ve been in a fist fight.
[ ] I’ve been arrested.

7. Death and suicide
[x] I’m afraid of dying.
[x] I hate funerals.
[ ] I’ve seen someone/something dying.
[ ] Someone close to me has attempted/committed suicide.
[ ] I’ve planned my own suicide before.
[ ] I’ve written a eulogy for myself.

8. Random
[x] I can sing well
[ ] Stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
[x] I open up to others easily.
[ ] I watch the news.
[x I don’t kill bugs.
[ ] I sing in the shower.
[ ] I am a morning person.
[ ] I paid for a cell phone ring tone.
[ ] I am a sports fanatic.
[ ] I twirl my hair.
[x] I care about grammar.
[ ] I have “?”’s in my screen name.
[ ] I’ve copied more than 30 cd’s in a day.
[x] I bake well.
[ ] My favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red, blue, black, purple, or orange.
[ ] I would wear pajamas to school.
[ ] I like martha stewart.
[ ] I know how to shoot a gun.
[x] I laugh at my own jokes.
[x] I eat fast food weekly.
[ ] I’ve not turned anything in and still got an a in a certain class.
[ ] I am ticklish.
[ ] I love white chocolate.
[ ] I bite my nails.
[x] I’m good at remembering faces.
[ ] I’m good at remembering names.
[x] I’m good at remembering dates.
[ ] I honestly have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.

[x] All my answers were totally honest.

Movie Monday: April '13 Edition

2013-04-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

Why tell you what to see when I can show you?

April 5

The Brass Teapot

If for no other reason than BECAUSE RORY (Alexis Bledel) IS IN IT!

The Company You Keep

I don't care for Susan Sarandon but I sure like me some crime movies.

No Place on Earth

I can't imagine this will come to my theaters, but I really like documentaries so I'm posting this as a reminder to see it eventually.

Evil Dead

I have no interest in seeing this one. But I know tons of other people do so, yeah.

April 12

42

Well this one's going to get an Oscar nomination.

Scary Movie V

Why are these still a thing?

Into the White

Silly Nazis. They think they can just take over anything they want.

April 19

Oblivion

Sure. Why not?

April 24

At Any Price

I love Zac Efron. That is all.

April 26

Arthur Newman

Colin Firth!

The Numbers Station

I predict John Cusack gets rained on.

#Accomplished

2013-03-22T08:30:00.000-04:00

At the top of my to do list last week: obtain and eat a Cool Ranch Doritos Locos taco.

I was of the first to say that Taco Bell needed to make the Cool Ranch variety after the Nacho Cheese ones came out. Because guess what I only like the Cool Ranch Doritos.

It was amazing.

Green it. Mean it.

2013-03-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

Who's excited about the greenest of all holidays?!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

What Not to Wear

2013-03-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I was needing to dress somewhat more "professional" that I usually need to at work and I really wanted to wear a skirt and in our 30º weather decided knee-high boots was the way to combat the cold. However knowing that there is a fine line between professional trashy when boots and skirts are involved, I headed to the internet.

In my quest to determine the proper way to execute this combination, I came across this webpage: 25 Things a Professional Woman Should Never Wear. Since I break almost none of them, it was oh so amusing and I decided to bring you some of the best ones. Make sure to pay special attention to the "exceptions."

This is the one that I break by wearing no make up. I actually work in a casual dress situation so I'm sure it's not as detrimental as described to myself and other women I work with, but after reading this I did decide that the days of no makeup are over for me.

I think some day, maybe for Halloween, I should break all of them.

Movie Monday: March '13 Edition

2013-03-04T22:35:00.000-05:00

Here are my March movie picks. I'm not going to say why, I'm going to let you again watch the trailers and decide for yourself! Yes some of these came out last week. Whoops.

March 1st:

March 8

March 15

March 22

I am most excited for Admission. Tina Fey!

Painted

2013-03-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

This is the only photo I have as a "before" but this is what 2' of one of my bathrooms looked like when I bough my condo. The my roommate started taking the wallpaper off. Then I took a bit more off. Then 7 months went by before I got it off all the way AND painted and everything.

After!

I already had the red accents so I matched the stripe and tan paint to them. I love it :D My favorite home improvement I've made yet!

Fleetwood Mac Sex Pants

2013-02-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

February screen shot round up! I didn't mean to wait so long to post all of these but oh well and here they are.

Quote of the month goes to ~~Donna~~ Nellie on The Office:

Neither will I.... Neither will I.

Me too! I guess one day I can be the President of NBC also.

Conan= always amazing.

There's my answer.

TBS is saving everything I love. Maybe Community will find a new home there?

Yayyyyyyyy. 6 months later.

Yayyyyyy.

"Ohhhhh. Oh."

When I'm bein' unintentionally lazy, the first thing I do is stop sayin' my "g"s

Thumb Wars!!!

Everyone says I have sass mouth.

I cannot even imagine.

Literally.

Not a big fan of what they were trying to do with mic guy.

Burn.

Apparently I am also a foodie.

I bet you do.

Air and Space and Spies Oh My!

2013-02-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

A couple, going on several weeks ago, Kirsti quite conveniently for me, was only a few hours away at University of Maryland for two weeks. I hopped in my car and met up with her for some ~~crazy capers~~ ~~cunning schemes~~ funtivities.

First we went to the Air and Space Museum.

We saw spy planes...

Teenie helicopters...

The Enola Gay...

Other planes as well.

We saw the Discovery Space Shuttle...

and Christmas ornament satellites

We considered seeing The Hobbit in IMax but it was expensive and not until later.

We then headed to Bethesda because there's a famous cupcake place or something. Before getting cupcakes we looked for somewhere to eat. We were going to eat at a place that serves a salad that includes angel hair pasta, wontons and honey mustard dressing along with the regular salad ingredients.

Parker's, apparently

But instead chose the Thai place Kirsti originally wanted to go to, which got my immediate approval once I saw the starfish door pulls.

Tara Thai

We then waited in line for cupcakes.

Georgetown Cupcake

And managed to each choose only two "one for now and one for later"

I chose Caramel Praline Crunch and Red Velvet

Back in College Park, Kirsti had mentioned that there was a statue of the ridiculous mascot that is Testudo the Turtle. "Fear the Turtle" is their slogan. "We need to find it and take photos of it like people do with the Nittany Lion."

Kirsti obliged and took a normal photo with Testudo.

I insisted on sitting on him like the Nittany Lion.

When Google image searching to see if people actually flock to the turtle to get photos, I found that they do but not nearly as much as Penn Staters, and also that apparantly the thing they do with testudo is to leave garbage around him. I'm guessing thats not really why they leave stuff but I don't get it.

Source

We head into DC for dinner and there's a Pizza place right off the subway. Pete's "Apizza"pronounced A-peetz." We were confused but I realized that If you actually listen to how it's said it sounds like "Pizza Pete's." Ahhhh I get it... It was good.

The we found a Target and it had not only wine (crazy to someone from PA)...

and an escalator for the carts.

I mocked and then decided I had to have this Union Jack eye shadow.

Back into DC...

We stopped by the FBI building where I forgot that White Collar takes place in New York

Then went to our main destination: The Spy Museum.

Featuring an exhibit of 50 years of Bond villains.

Mmmmm redundancy...

The spy mobile, I know that's not really what it's called.

Oh and we weren't *technically allowed to take photos but I did find a couple of photo taking thingies that you can pose for photos in front of... if no one is walking through the shot because there's stuff to see. I guess they were banking on not being all that busy.

They take your picture when you get there. You'd think for the $20 admission price a digital copy would be free not $30. I took a screenshot of the preview.

Why didn't we do Charlie's Angels!? (aside from not knowing
what the background would be?)

Famished after all the learning about spies we did we sought out a restaurant for lunch. They didn't have the one thing I wanted so I settled on beer battered chicken fingers. Really good but I still wish they had the lamb au jus I wanted.

40 Days

2013-02-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

It's been decided. I'm not Catholic or religious in any other way really but I'm giving up two things for Lent. I just like the idea of having structure for my goals that is more than me saying "I should do that more/less." So I've decided to 1) not eat chocolate (!!!) and 2) not take the bus around campus (3 stops... it is usually faster than walking). Chocolate won't be so hard, I'm actually not around it that much, I just have to not make cookies for the next 5 weeks. The bus though. It's so warm and mobile. And I walk right by the bus stop every morning. But my jeans are getting harder to button and that means I need to make some sort of change in my life since I don't want to actually start exercising.

Starfish

2013-02-08T08:30:00.000-05:00

These are not my photos, but I was there and these are better than mine.

Source

Oh yeah that's Nora Jones in the 2nd frame. No one knew she was going to be there and she was awesome.

Also I learned that no one in their early 20s knows who Janeane Garofalo is.

How's My Hair and Muscles?

2013-02-07T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hulu has the best commercials some times. Who's ready for the best show barely one TV to come back tonight?!

Farewell Old Friends

2013-02-01T17:30:00.000-05:00

My old cell phones. Just look at them. I had one or two older ones but I'm not sure what happened to them. But I've been hanging on to them for remembrance I guess. But I became more realistic about just not having a reason to hold on to them. More years went by because I knew there were places to recycle them but never got around to it. Since I was pretty sure Best Buy takes them to recycle, I had them in a bag in my car so that I would eventually just stop there to do it. As I never actually shop there. Then when I was returning something at target I discovered that they also take them. So I went back to my car, grabbed them and made it happen.

And so I bid adieu to to these guys. Naturally not before capturing the moment via camera. Thank you for mostly not sucking at being phones.

I actually have another still at home. I couldn't part with it in the event that I suddenly want to use it again. Yeah.