Life in Beta

I’m packing. (For reals this time, ya’ll!)

Check it out. I even made my bed … so that I could then cover it in crap and sort through it all to figure out what I’m packing.

But… I HAVE A SYSTEM. Really. I know it doesn’t appear to the be the case, but I assure you that I know what I’m doing. It’s really complicated and involves light refraction and plumb-bobs.  Lots of physics too. You wouldn’t understand.

(Incidentally, how freakin’ cool is the word plumb-bob? Kind of tickles when you say it.)

My plan is to get everything packed tonight and either loaded into the car, or piled up next to the door ready to go out first thing in the morning. Normally when I drive home to Pennsylvania, I leave at 7 AM. That enables me to hit all the major cities that I go through (Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus) at non-rush hour times. However, this time I’m not traveling on a weekday, so that doesn’t really matter. So IF I can get my lazy arse out of bed earlier, I may leave at 6 AM or so.

… Not to mention, that gets me into the land of ice and snow while it is still daylight.

I will be on the road all day tomorrow: 611 miles, 10 (ish) hours. If you wanna keep up with my progress, follow me on Twitter.

Um… and if ya’ll have any, ya know, connections… if you could hook me up with dry, non-icy roads, that would be killer. Thanks!

The trouble with driving home, as opposed to flying, is that it gives me the opportunity to pack an inordinate amount of shit. For me, the whole thing with airlines charging extra for checked-luggage — that was a good thing. It forced me to reign in my packing-bonanza.

However, that is so not the case when you drive a Honda Element and know how to remove the back seats!

Muhahaha… fear my cubic feet of cargo space!

Seriously, Elements rock. I could go on and on about how much I love this vehicle. Sure, they look like toasters-on-wheels, but they are so versatile! And you can’t beat the cargo-space. Seriously. You could fit a pony in there.

See, I told you so.

It’s a good thing I don’t have a roof-rack or trailer hitch or I could really do some damage.

Anyway.

Packing … I have compiled a LIST so as to not forget anything. I am the master list-maker. I’m beginning to think my list is a little out of hand this trip though. For instance, I have five pairs of shoes on my list: snow boots, black dress shoes (heels and flats), brown dress shoes, and tennis shoes. I’m not entirely sure I need all of them, but I feel compelled to pack them all because I can! If I were flying, I’d have one pair of shoes on my feet and maybe one other pair packed. But dude, with all that space in the car, I could bring all my shoes if I wanted to!

What the crap is wrong with me?! Just because I can bring it, I feel compelled to do so.

Ok, wait — I think I’ve come up with an excuse! Ya know how you’re supposed to put weight (sandbags) in the back of your pickup truck during the winter? Well, I’m driving up north into the land of ice and snow … so my overpacking is actually good because it counts as weight in my car, right!? SAFETY FIRST, ya’ll!

Because I’m at a loss for something to post today, I give you: My Top 3 Celebrity Crushes (of the moment).

(1) Jon Hamm (“Don Draper” from Mad Men)

I haven’t been able to decide for certain if it’s him or the whole 1960′s businessman always-in-a-suit-and-fedora persona from Mad Men. (Because let’s face it – suits and fedoras? TO-DIE-FOR.) Also: that scruffy face stubble? YES PLEASE.

(2) Seth Rogen (actor, Knocked Up … Superbad … Zack and Miri … etc.)

I preferred him pre-diet. I like some chub meat on my men. Mmmm and that beard? Yes yes yes. Plus, a guy who can make you laugh? Always a winner.

(3) Taylor Lautner (werewolf, those damn Twilight movies)

Um… wait. How old is he? Can I be considered a pedophile for this? (*rushes off to IMDB*)

Well, crap. He was born Feb. 11, 1992. I was born in February of 1982. Somehow that seems inappropriate.

Seriously though, it’s not so much is body. It’s that jawline. DAMN. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a sucker for dark hair and eyes.

So… WHO are YOUR top 3 celebrity crushes?

And if I could pick one more … KEVIN ROSE. Omg. Geek love.

How sweet is this?! My friend Natalie over at Hope Springs Eternal gave me this sweet blog-award!

By the way…  if ya’ll have time, please go vote for Natalie for the Mom2Be Blog Awards. Today is the last day of voting!! Congrats, Natalie! Thanks to everyone who voted and helped her out!

RULES FOR HAPPY 101 AWARD

List 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. For those 10 bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your makes you happy list.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

1. My family and friends (cliché but true!)
2. Snuggling with Gracie (my dog) and Stuart (my cat)
3. Knitting with friends at TNKS (and then going out for 2-for-1 wine at Chilli’s!)
4. Driving around the peninsula back home in Erie
5. Taking pictures
6. Snuggling up to read a good book
7. Random weekdays off work (yay trashy daytime TV!)
8. Amazon.com and Amazon Prime … saving me beaucoup trips to the store
9. Waking up to sunshine streaming in the windows
10. A good cup of coffee!

TEN BLOGGERS I PASS THIS AWARD ON TO:

1. Tia at Clever Girl Goes Blog
2. Erica at Junepath.com
3. Amanda at Mandajuice
4. Lauren at Salt Says
5. Sara at Sara Without an H
6. Miss Dot at Saving the World One Cupcake at a Time
7. Rachel at Scientific Nature of the Whammy
8. That Girl Blogs
9. Alex at Whoa-Mumma!
10. Trish at Write or Wrong