L-O...L-O...L-O... L-O-V-E

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Saturday
"Stumbling Through Life"
to bring you this very important announcement:

Steve & I are engaged!!

I may be breaking my own blog rules right now by posting something personal... but it's just so exciting! Steve is wonderful! My ring is beautiful!

Short & sweet.... I'm not going into mushy detail on my blog!
So I've only half-broken the rules...
XOXO!

(PS- Name the song referenced by the subject of the post!)

The Friendliest Dentist on Earth.

In law school, we're taught that arguments should pass the "straight face test." As in... if you can't state your argument with a straight face, don't even bother. If you don't believe it, neither will the jury.

Either the attorney in this story never heard that theory, or he actually believes his argument (at which point the dentist could probably benefit from hiring smarter counsel). You decide.

A Poll.

Ok, guys. It's my first-ever poll! Let me explain my current dilemma:

New episodes of Bones return March 12.
New episodes of Gossip Girl return March 16.
New episodes of Dirty Sexy Money may never return.

Granted, I've been keeping busy with some filler shows, but I just feel a gaping void in my internet-tv watching lately. Which brings me to my question for all of you. Since my boycott of MTV has basically been lifted because Chet and Ryan are just so darn funny, should I start catching up on the entire last season of "The Hills?" If I do that, I can also begin to watch "The City." Is it worth it?? Was last season that good? Is "The City" worth checking out? I just figure that as long as I'm watching "The Real World," I might as well not deprive myself of a show that I used to enjoy... and another that I might.

So... take my poll, please!
If you've watched the shows, please also leave a comment pleading your side.
All comments and opinions are appreciated. XOXO!

Should I Catch Up on "The Hills"?

• Yes
• No

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

An Open Letter.

Dear Kathleen,

We need to talk. It should have never got to this point. I understand you are busy with law school and your awesome boyfriend, but your hygiene should not be the one to suffer. I am glad to see that you are once again showering on a mostly-daily basis, but let's talk about your hair. "When you feel like it" is not a hair-washing schedule. Do you realize what happened Saturday night? Steve said, "I really like your hair when it's... clean... seriously. The color is even different. I love it." And what he's really saying is, "please wash your hair more often." This is unacceptable. Please see that it changes.

With Love,
Kathleen

Oh, If Only...

Four careers I would love if I weren't too darn practical:
(in no particular order)

1. Millionaire Matchmaker

Hellloooooo, Does Patti not have the coolest job ever? There are some inherent problems with this career (like my 0% matchmaking success rate), but I am confident that as Patti's apprentice, I would rock! Plus, I think it could be fun.

2. High-End Real Estate Agent

Kind of like the Million Dollar Morons, but cooler, because, well... it's me! And I certainly wouldn't get arrested. Like matchmaking... but for homes!

3. House Flipper/Designer

HGTV is my go-to channel du jour. Remember when I was obsessed with TLC's "Flip This House" and then Bravo's "Flipping Out?" Holly and I had a great idea. Holly was going to be part-designer, part-publicist. I was going to be part-designer, part-lawyer. Holly's "husband" would do the contracting work and my "husband" would be a silent investor. We had it all planned. Granite counter-tops. Always. Neutral tones and hardwood floors. Always. No homes under $500k. No exceptions.

4. Zookeeper

Ok, so we went to the zoo the other day. It was awesome! A little cold when the wind blew, but still awesome! Also, we were the only people there... which added to the awesomeness. Well, we were in "Asia" and we decided to go see the elephants! We got there just as Connie was receiving her foot-cleaning. She will literally walk right up to the bars and stick her feet up (one at a time) into a little hole where the bars twist off so that the zookeeper can check them out and dust them off! How cool is that? Then she gets treats that were actually designed for monkeys! Then the zookeeper got to come out into the viewing room and answer all sorts of questions (asked mostly by Steve, who was maybe a little too interested in elephant-rearing). What a great job!

Ok, what are your four??
Discuss, discuss!

Stumbling Through Life, part 4

Stumbled Upon This Week:

1. Idaho Blows.
This website does not reflect my feelings on the state of Idaho. I have never actually been to Idaho... but I have a lot of good friends from the state, so it can't be as bad as they say...
Warning: Rated PG-13 for language.
(So funny that I had to stop reading it during class!)

2. The Dot Game.
Oh, you all know this game.

3. How Are You Doing Today.
They care. Call and let them know.

4. Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken.
Um.... yum!
"Can I get more of those
fried mayonnaise balls?
I feel my blooooddd movin'!"
(Daniel Tosh on Midwesterners)

5. Guess the TV Character.
It's your basic 20 Questions.
Pick someone... anyone...
The computer will guess it.
It's AMAZING!

Graph of the Week:

F-R-E-E, That Spells... Taxes & Fees?

Picture this: Friday early-evening. I'm bored. I've already cleaned everything in my apartment and it's too soon to start thinking about next week's homework. I turned on the TV; HGTV, of course. House Hunters is ending and up next is the HGTV Dream Home 2009 Special. Well, let me tell you... I think it was made especially for me this year. I got online and entered only to find out that I could enter once-a-day! I was a little bummed because I only found out for the last 6 days about a contest that lasted 6 weeks. That means that some people have much higher chance of winning. Then I forgot to enter for a few days... which means that my name is only in the hat 4 times (I'll go ahead and attempt to do the math... some people are in there up to 42 times). As I was entering for the last time, I decided to read the rules:

Resident of the United States
Check!
At least 21 as of 1/1/09
Check! +1!
Blah, blah, blah...
Grand Prize worth $2,052,450
Whoa!
Home worth $1.8mil
Car worth $49k
Home Furnishings worth $200k
Blah, blah, blah...
GRAND PRIZE RECIPIENT RESPONSIBLE FOR FEES ASSOCIATED WITH PROPERTY TAXES, TITLE INSURANCE, CLOSING COSTS, ETC.
GRAND PRIZE RECIPIENT RESPONSIBLE FOR 1099 TAX FORM, WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED.
GRAND PRIZE RECIPIENT RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL FEES NOT EXPRESSLY IDENTIFIED ABOVE.

I then came to this disappointing realization:
Can I even afford to win this contest??

A Thought.

I've received several invitations to view "private" blogs lately.

I promise you that I will never make my blog "private."

Because I promised you that I would never write anything
inappropriately personal.

I just wanted to let you know that, with all of the uncertainty in the world,
you can count on this one constant.

And because you probably came to my blog today for something funny:

Listen Up, Ladies!

I've always been a firm believer in confidence. In high school I went shopping with my friend Abby and I bought a rockin' pair of sunglasses. I got home and showed them to my mom and the first thing she said was, "those are hideous." Thanks, Mom! I refused to believe her. I wore those sunglasses everywhere and received compliments from everyone! You want to know why? Because I wore them like they were the coolest sunglasses in the world... and suddenly... they were cool.

I tried this out with my big move to law school. A new group of people. A new chance to make a first impression. Usually I would just sit there quietly and wait for people to approach me. Not this time. I marched in with a smile on my face and said "hi!" to everyone I saw. I pretended that I was cool (and occasionally told people that I was) and suddenly, they accepted me as "cool."

Amazing how that works, huh? This morning as I was going through the blogs that I read daily, it hit me for the first time that this idea can also work in reverse. Females are all-too-often quick to point out their flaws. I notice myself doing this a lot. If I think I look gross, I'm really quick to tell people so that they know that I know. I'm not fishing for compliments, but rather letting people know that I am well aware of my shortcomings.

Which leads me to this link. Think about it. How many times have you had this conversation:

A: You look nice today!
YOU: Ugh. I feel so fat!

So, ladies... starting today, I'm going to stop announcing the things that I don't like about myself. Who's with me?? It's time to walk into the room like you own it. A wise Anna Stern once said, "Confidence, Cohen... Confidence!" And I think the same applies to you!

An Open Letter

Dear Bradley,

Let's chat. We get it. You have perfected the "hott jerk." My fear is that you have been typecast, my friend. Congratulations... your performances have made me root against you. And once upon a time, I would have defended you to the death. Oh yes, I remember. I remember Will Tippin, the dorky, sweet, sympathetic investigative journalist. I remember how I rooted for him every week. I wanted him to know the truth and most importantly, I wanted him to get the girl. Even after he was written off the show, I prayed that he would mysteriously reappear and sweep Sydney Bristow off of her feet; that she would decide that Michael Vaughn was a giant waste of her time and that Will Tippin was her soul mate. You can do the sweet, heartthrob leading man, Bradley Cooper... and I would like to see it again.

Love,
Kathleen

Shut Up!

We haven't chatted about GG lately, have we? Wow. This season started off phenomenally, then got so-so, but lucky for us, it's back to awesome! And just when I thought life couldn't get any better, I saw that Bravo (my recent obsession and newest source for trashy TV) is making a REALITY SHOW based off of it! Add that to RHWOC, Millionaire Matchmaker, and constant ANTM marathons and getting rid of my cable in a month is really starting to sound like a bad idea...

Stumbling Through Life, part 3

Welcome to the Valentine's Day Edition
of Stumbling Through Life!

STUMBLED UPON THIS WEEK:

1. Faux Fire
How romantic!

2. George W. Bush Wasn't So Bad
Everyone deserves a little love!

3. Disney Desperate Housewives

4. Smart Bargains

5. Happy Valentine's Day!
Cute Love-Related Cartoons & Pictures
And Another
And Another
And Another
And Another
And Another
And Another
And Stuff You Probably Won't See at Hallmark!

Headline of the Day.

THIS JUST IN!
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND JESSICA BIEL
PICK UP DRY-CLEANING ON MONDAY IN LA!

Does anyone else think that
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
are the most boring celebrity couple
in the history of celebrity couples?

Scratch that. They are the most boring couple in the history of couples.

Do they ever laugh... smile... talk...?
Shoot, I wonder if they ever even look at each other.

I Can't Wait...

to show all of you my Valentine's Day arts and crafts!

Unfortunately, I can't do so for obvious reasons.

But you're going to LOVE it!

Check back for that on Sunday!

For now, enjoy a funny cartoon:

Long Over-Due

Spring Cleaning started a little early this year. It feels like Spring outside, so it's somewhat justified. I just de-friended 50+ of my Facebook besties. Let's be honest, though: the people that I de-friended fell into 5 basic categories:

1. People I have not seen since highschool and in whose life I have no interest.
2. People I do not know.
3. People my sister's age.
4. People that do not need to know anything going on in my life.
5. People for which I have no networking need.

I also realized that there are about 100 more people that I would love to delete if deleting would not spark controversy.

So if we're still friends, you're safe for now... but I can't make any promises. :)

Kidding, kidding!

RSVP

Umm... what exactly is there to RSVP about?

Stumbling Through Life, part 2

THINGS DISCOVERED WHILE STUMBLING THIS WEEK:

1. Etsy
It's like a cute little online flea market.
I don't know if you know this, but I loooooove a good flea market!

2. The Guide to Drive-In Movie Theaters
So fun!

3. Operation TIPS
Hello, Captain Crazy!
I sincerely hope this is a joke...

4. A Funny Picture
(Too big to post)

5. Electric Eccentricity
Fun accessories... too bad they're from England...

GRAPH OF THE WEEK:

Are You Hiring?

So, every day the career services office sends out emails with job postings that require impossible academic standards -or- being a member of a minority race. Obviously, I fit neither of these profiles. I put together a possible brief classified ad with hopes that an employer will be looking for someone just like me:

Are you looking to provide a summer law-related job or scholarship to someone not based on merit, but based on other distinguishing characteristics? I have just the candidate for you! Candidate is a 22 year old, female law student with mediocre grades whose extra-curricular activities include: sleeping, watching tv, and making out with her boyfriend. Candidate has an optimistic personality and is generally fun to be around. Candidate is willing to "work" on projects ranging from easy-to-mildly challenging. Employer must provide a comfortable working environment with fun co-workers. Must pay a minimum of $15 per hour and provide ample vacation time. Preferred working hours do not begin before 10 a.m.

Candidate is available to accept calls
from prospective employers
between the hours of noon-1am.

G-R-E... umm... A?

It's late. Maybe I'm just tired, but this is funny:

U.S. v. Brown, 500 F.3d 48

Pg. 52: "By prearrangement, two Portland police cruisers converged on the truck a short distance from the bus terminal. Officer Bickford directed the passenger to disembark, frisked him, and asked for his name and date of birth. The passenger identified himself as Anthony Green, gave a date of birth, and claimed to be from Boston. He appeared older than the proffered date of birth suggested. Moreover, he professed to have no identification and, when asked how to spell his name, he hesitated."

Oh, don't worry... it doesn't end there! A few paragraphs later...

"The officers... asserted that throughout this exchange Green was constantly looking around, as if looking for a way to escape. When asked a second time for identification, he tried to peer into Bickford's notebook, as if trying to recollect the name that he had given."