J'veux ton amour Et je veux ta revenge

I have no idea what the title of this blog says..it is the only french song lyrics I know(besides Little Mermaid)..thank you, Lady Gaga!

So,

My dad's sixtieth birthday is in two weeks.

 I have been planning and saving for a gift for him.

 It's what I keep referencing when I talk about 'saving for something I can't talk about'.

My parents went to get their passports today and there was some issue with my dad's hospital issued birth certificate
 (I guess it needs to be state issued).

The guy said "Well, this might cause a delay in getting your passport, but you aren't planning on going anywhere soon, right?"

Wrong.

So, my mom had to tell my dad what I was getting him for his birthday.

A trip for him and my mom to Paris and London in November.

I am a little bummed that I missed out on surprising him
(which is what we had planned to do at his birthday in two weeks).

In any case..correct me if I am wrong, but I think I just heard the sound of someone clinching favorite child status.

Top that, siblings!!

Lori Ann

If you want to talk about it once again

My personal career philosophy

I am listening to Tracey Chapman "Baby, can I hold you tonight?".

 I don't know what it is about Tracey Chapman music that speaks to me so strongly.

You know how some kids don't look that much like their parents?

 Or how some siblings don't look like each other, but, if you catch them in the right moment, when they do a certain gesture, you can see it?

 You can see the similarities and how they are related?

I think that is what Tracey Chapman is for me.

It's the traces of my Dad's love of music that you can see in me.

I am more than half way through Don Quixote and I have to say that the Read the 100 best books of all time goal in my goal book has been the most enlightening and rewarding goal so far.

 From Dickinson to Austen to Twain to Cervantes, I've really come to understand why these are the greatest books ever written.

I've come to feel like these authors are my friends.

The only book which I did not love was "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. Eeek.

I spent 2.75 over my 40 dollar budget.

Now I can't spend ANY money until next Friday.

Saving for something important, but can't talk about it...
(and no, its not gender reassignment surgery or anything like that! It's not even for me!)

I wish all of my friends would blog more.

 I need some entertainment at work, people!

I called out one of my clients.

 I know, not as thrilling as a real call out.

 But for me, its progress.

 Usually I don't care about people and their loud mouths, but I wanted her to stop ruining my craft group for everyone else.

 I told her that if she needed to say something to me, she should say it.

 But she just needed to man up and look me in the eye when she did it.

That's my call out story.

Super professional, right?

If you were going to write a trashy romance novel, what would your first sentence be??

Lori Ann

Better believe i'm fearless

Ok..*taking a deep breath*..I totally chickened out from posting my manifesto yesterday!

 I drove up to the laundromat and there were PEOPLE there.

I went home, clutching my handful of manifestos, a defeated woman.

I even ordered Chinese (9.65!!) so great was my misery.

Then, something miraculous happened

. I continued my reading of Don Quixote.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story of Don Quixote, you can read up on it here.

Don Quixote may have been crazy, but he was afraid of nothing.

 Not windmills, or barbers, or sheep, or priests, or containers of wine.

 He fought them all.
  (and lost almost every time, but that is something else altogether)

He brought to my mind another one of my heroes, Martin Luther.

 He started the Protestant Reformation, and his story is here.
(yes, my source for everything is Wikipedia!)

He nailed his 95 Theses to the All Saints church door on Oct. 31st, 1517.

He nailed his revolutionary (at the time blasphemous) ideas to the church door.

It honestly doesn't get any more bad ass than that.

If Don Quixote was fearless, and Martin Luther could start a revolution, surely I could post a simple declaration of my beliefs in a laundromat??

 Right??

What started out as a fun project for me,
 (hey, I'll write my manifesto..what a great conversation starter)

 turned into an opportunity to learn how to be brave.

Location # 1- The Laundromat!! (I even saw someone reading it as I drove off!!)

Location # 2- The boarded up old Burger King (I also have a goal to dance in the parking lot of this BK, dressed as a giant whopper..but that goal is for another day!)

Location # 3- The car wash. (So many shady dealings go on here..I was once fleeced for 10 dollars here. It seemed like an appropriate location for the manifesto:)

Today, I did something that scared me. I feel so empowered.

Lori Ann 

I'm going crazy!

Today's the day, people!!

I am going to run around town and post my manifesto!!

Also, I plan to finish reading Don Quixote..even if it kills me.

Seriously, Cervantes..461 pages?

Don't worry about me though, dear readers, I've already read 28 of those pages, so the other 433 should be a snap!

Lori Ann

Money, Money, Money, Money

People, I am trying to save money.

Eek. This is not the life for me.

I REALLY wanted to go to Hobby Lobby this weekend and buy a bunch of stuff for craft projects.

I really, really want this chair from Target.

However, this saving money thing has been good for me in a lot of ways.

 It has triggered something in my brain that wasn't on before.

The "think before you spend" switch has been turned on.

Yesterday, I kept thinking that I wanted to order Chinese.

 However, every time I went to call and place the order, these thoughts would come into my mind

"I'm not hungry", "I don't even really like Chinese, just the idea of it", "I am going to regret this after I order it".

I ended up not ordering!!

 So strange, and it has been happening for a while now.

I keep thinking about elaborate gifts to get for my sister and brother for their birthdays (Aug. 3rd and 5th) and then my brain will ask me "Is this gift for them, or for you?"

I know this is kind of a boring post, but, for those of you who know me in real life, I am sure you find it most alarming!!

My free wheeling spending is my strongest attribute!!

I don't know if I like frugal Lori.

Only time will tell.

Anyway, in honor of this crazy new lifestyle and to further my goal of saving money, I am going to try and live the

Next two weeks with only 40 dollars spending money.

For some of you frugalistas out there, this might not seem like a challenge, but for me, it will be insanely difficult!

Lori Ann

Everyone's working for the Weekend

Japanese Cherry Blossom Bubble bath: 5 dollars

3 glade scent of spring candles: 4.75

1 trashy novel: 39 cents
 (from the thrift store)

1 icy cold glass of ginger ale: maybe 50 cents

The end of the work week: PRICELESS

Lori Ann

Random Thoughts Thursday

I started writing my manifesto today.

I will be posting it in all the laundromats in town, giving it out to random people, and posting it on facebook.

So yeah, I think it's safe to say that I'm going places.

 1st step- manifesto.

 2nd step- public office...or starting a band.

Whichever happens first.

I have recently become obsessed with that new Paramore song "The Only Exception".

I am listening to it over and over as I write this post.

My dad's 60th birthday is coming up.

 I am so excited.

 That's all I can say.

I was listening to my iPod on shuffle today at work (yeah, I'm not focused on the children I work with AT ALL) and every song I heard reminded me of the kids.

I miss them so much.

(they are the only exception, in the words of Paramore)

Apparently, the kids had another lemonade stand today.

 Beware, thirsty people of North Eastern Pennsylvania..beware.

Any recommendations for good books?

I was thinking about seeing "Salt" but the reviews made it sound really horrible.

 Has anyone seen Inception? Was it good?

Lori Ann