H&M Pop-up Shop

Alright Dallas girls (and boys, if you so desire)...you've probably heard by now that H&M is finally coming to Dallas in the Spring of 2011. But what you might not have heard is that starting tomorrow, Wednesday, 12/8, a pop-up H&M is going to open at Northpark for the holidays. Merry Christmas to me! And you! And you, and you, and you!!! All of this is according to The D Magazine Shop Talk blog. Supposedly the pop-up shop will be in the old Express spot, across from Henri Bendel. Enjoy!!

Vegas, Take 2

In advance of the debauchery that will begin in 24 hours (a.k.a. Sally's bachelorette party), I figured it would be fun to post some pics from previous girls trips. Not that any of us need any more reason to get excited...

Las Vegas, 2006 – This is how we walked. Everywhere.

Cancun, 2008 – Coco Bongo dance party

San Diego, 2009 – ahhh!!

Horseshoe Bay, 2009 – An all-time favorite


Horseshoe Bay, 2010 – Peters teaches us Thriller

Wimberly, 2010 – Getting in touch with nature

Wanna Chat?

In case it wasn't already clear, I have a weird job. Interesting, but weird. I'm testing out this online research tool for Orkin that allows you to recruit people who fit whatever criteria you define, then have an online chat session with them. For this project, I recruited people who have a pest control service. See the bounty of insights I (using Robert's log-in info) got:

Robert: do you remember when you first thought about hiring a company how you went about finding the right one?

Guest: yes

Robert: ok, so how did you go about it then?

Guest: online search engine i am found that company 1year back

Robert: so you just typed in pest control and they popped up?

Guest: yes

Robert: and what made you choose them vs. the other companies that popped up?

Guest: notsure

Robert: ok, well what sort of things were most important to you?

Guest: ok

Guest: live and how beautiful my house may appear

Guest: I am always clean my house

Robert: I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow. I was just wanting to know what things were most important to you when selecting a pest control company...

Fail.

Kate Spade Twirl

A blogging lesson I clearly haven't yet learned is that it's not a good idea to start messing around with your background unless you've got some time to commit. Tonight I didn't...yet I did. And here we are. 

What I reeeaally wanted to post about tonight was the ridiculous cuteness that is Kate Spade. And how much I love that she has a new(ish) fragrance named "Twirl." As Lizzi pointed out when I scoffed at her wearing the Kate Spade "twirl" necklace (see pic), I do not own the word. I beg to differ, but that's neither here nor there. Regardless, you better believe I went out and bought the perfume. And downloaded the playlist. And stole the header.

I love everything about the Twirl look - it's bright and cheery and fun and festive! Love, love, love!

American (Thank God I'm Still Alive) Airlines

I'll preface this by saying that there's a good chance I'm going to sound like a big 'o racial profiling Bia...however, I truly thought I was going down in a plane last Tuesday night somewhere between Dallas and Sacramento, so I'm just going to tell it like it is...

For the most part I'm a pretty good flyer; don't usually get anxious, sick, etc. Last Tuesday? Different story. I booked my travel relatively last-minute and was stuck in a middle seat. It was an exit row, so that helped. Until I sat down next to my neighbor. Right before we left he called someone and left a message, in broken English, that went something like this: "Natifa, it's {indecipherable name}. It's 4:16 on October 25. I'm leaving Dallas, Texas for Sacramento, California. The plane is taking off now." Alright. I admit that in it's written form, that might not sound all that scary. In fact, it sort of sounds like the dude was giving someone his flight info. HOWEVER. At the time it sounded to me like, "Hi Natifa, I'm calling to confirm that I'm on the flight from Dallas to Sacramento where I'm going to blow $h!t up."

It wasn't just the phone call that set me off. It was him pulling out his plane tickets – from an envelope labeled "Mark Charles" – and looking at them over and over again. And how the soles of his shoes were a good 3 inches thick (bomb, anyone?). And how his beanie stuck up just enough for something dangerous to be hiding in there. And how even five minutes after the flight attendant told everyone to turn off all electronic devices, he was still typing cryptically into his phone. And how he kept looking out the window and to his back.

Despite my best efforts, neither flight attendant seemed to notice my eyes bugging out of my head and darting from them to the gentleman beside me as they did their final round of "electronics off" checking. When the flight attendant asked if everyone sitting in the exit row was willing to help in case of an emergency, I seriously considered saying I wasn't feeling up to it, but then I decided he'd see right through me and make me a target later. So I shook my head yes. From there, I proceeded to take my scarf off and put it in my purse. If this shizzle was going down, he was either going to use whatever he was storing under his beanie or the explosives in his jacket - not because he strangled me with my own scarf.

At this point – in case you hadn't connected the dots – I was completely wigging out. Seriously feeling nauseous, heart-racing, maybe going to faint, probably going to die. This is also about the time the captain says that because of strong head winds we'll probably be in the air an extra 40 minutes. Thus, making the total trip length 4+ hours. Awesome. 

Eventually I decide that there is nothing for me to do, so if I can fall asleep (which, amazingly, I seem to be able to do – even when crazy stuff is happening), I should. So I do. A good couple hours later, I wake up. Which means I'm still alive. Excellent news. 

At this point I'm not feeling much more calm because I figure if smack is going down it's going down a good bit into the flight. So I pull my laptop out and decide to work to distract myself. As long as my little friend sits still, everything is fine. But then he asks to get up. Are you sure you need to go to the bathroom? Maybe you could actually just hold it? 

Long story not-so-short, I'm here so obviously didn't go down in the plane. Again, excellent news. Although I see the comedy in it now I was seriously freaking out; feeling bad for my mom, who'd be down one kid; wondering if I'd be able to take the guy or if I'd freeze and freak-out, etc. Not cool.

In other news, I think an ex-NBA player was sitting in the exit row on the other side. He looked familiar, was about 7 feet tall, and had a giant (championship?) ring on his right hand, which literally spanned the entire length of his tray table. Oh, I also think I heard the guy next to him talking with him about basketball. Being the cool, collected, and classy girl I am, I snapped a picture of him from behind once we were off the plane. Which basically makes him unidentifiable in any way. Buuuut, if you have any guesses let me know. 

In Case You Were Wondering...

Thanks to the unlocked wireless network (appropriately named "whatever"), I'm the proud owner stealer of WiFi this evening.

Before you keep reading, let me share some history. My 8th grade class voted on superlatives for the yearbook – most popular, most athletic, etc. I was voted most random. Thus, today's post.

- Probably two months ago, Lizzi and I went to Medieval Times (we had free tickets and it was the last day we could use them). We got there, bought a bottle of wine, watched maybe the first 10 minutes then left – both feeling a little nauseous. Partly from the lipstick stains on the wine glasses, partly from those poor trick horses. If you ever consider going (and I doubt you will), just say no!

- I finally got the raise I've been blabbing about forever. I'm rich bitch!! I'm not as poor as I used to be! Wee!

- The gym, directly underneath my apartment building, has been waiting for my lazy self to make an appearance. A couple weeks ago, it finally happened. I haven't gotten the gold star for attendance, per se, but it's all about baby steps. 

- In the past month(ish) I've been to two concerts (Vampire Weekend and Ghostland) at the Palladium here in Dallas. Not astounding numbers, I know, but for me, relatively impressive. And by impressive I mean sad. In more ways than one. Both times I thought I might have a seizure or get sick from all of the strobe lights and vibrating floors. I'm so hip.

- I've gotten a little crafty in the kitchen lately – some attempts much more successful than others. I have a funny picture from tonight's fun Tri-Delt supper club, but I think I'll save that for its own post. And to build the astounding suspense I know it will build. 

- A few week ago I went to Hot Springs, Arkansas with some high school friends. I could do a separate post about that but since the highlights include several trips to Walmart and finding an ice cream store open past 6pm, I think I'll just leave that there.

- And finally, since the Cowboys are so amazing this year, I decided I should go support the superstars at Jerry-town. Our Orkin client (a big Giants fan) was in town, so we got hooked up with a suite and got to check out the "new" stadium (I hadn't been yet). Not the most amazing football game, but let's be honest – when you're there the game is hardly relevant.

What did I tell you? Random, right? Sealed and delivered.

TX/OU, According to Brad

My excuses for not blogging are two-fold: 1) I've been busy at work, and 2) I don't have Internet at home. In the spirit of blogging without actually having to write, however, I'll let Anne's friend Brad's email serve as a recap of TX/OU weekend (with a few content edits by me so he doesn't get in trouble). XOXO

Doak Clan & Juli (whose email I don’t have),

  

(Amy's Edit: "Blah, blah, thanks for helping clean up.")

Amy, your front bumpit provided hours of entertaining questions and frustrated responses: “Lizzi, I asked you if it was too high before we left the house.” I’m so glad that you were able to make it for an entire day without someone having to take you home or destroying any boxes. And I’d like to see that bouffant go even higher in the future…


Lizzi, your CSI-Miami-esque sunglasses tilt in response to the question about getting sweaty in the dope wagon was spot on. I’m dubbing you “Peppermint Patty” from now on if you continue to pass around Schnapps as punishment for all celebratory moments. Thank you for keeping everyone in the game and (Amy's Edit: inappropriate comment).


Anne, the one whose shirt was ravaged countless times by “Lots o Pulp” Mimosa accidents. We’ll have to get you a plastic poncho next year. And some boxing gloves and a realistic idea of how loud your voice is. Standing 2 feet away from the lady in question and screaming into my ear “Do you know this (Amy's Edit: kind lady) over here, I’m going to (Amy's Edit: show her who's boss)” isn’t the Anne I normally see throughout the year, but I’m glad she always makes an appearance in October.


And Juli, I remembered your name after all was said and done. Thanks for your help and thanks for throwing ice at my idiot friend Grant while he was  chugging cups of punch. I like your little jumpsuit. Would you like to get sweaty in the dope wagon?

(Amy's Edit: "Blah, blah, thanks again, love y'all.")

Mad Men

As an upstanding member of the advertising community, I decided – approximately 3 years after the cool kids – that it was time to start watching Mad Men. Aside from it being a popular show, I was always a little embarrassed when people would talk about it at work and I couldn't even say I'd seen a single episode. So, seeing as I’m currently living without cable (long story, hopefully to be resolved soon), I took the opportunity to hook-it-up at Target on one of my recent runs. I’m probably 85% through Season 1 (it only took about a week --- be impressed), and although I wouldn’t say I’m totally hooked just yet, I do like it. Plus, Season 2 is the one that's really supposed to suck you in.

A few early observations:

• At Sterling Cooper, the men drink heavily. All the time. At The Richards Group, we're a little more straight-laced than that. Too bad, really.
• At Sterling Cooper, they smoke. Again, all the time. This one they can have. I hate cigarette smoke.
• At Sterling Cooper, they dress like professionals. The men in suits, the women in their “smart” little outfits. We – for the most part – dress like we're in college. Jeans, flip flops, etc. (Our account people would argue that they do dress like professionals. Fair enough.) I'm a little torn on this one. Although I do love the Mad Men fashion, there is also something to be said for being able to roll out of bed and get ready for work in 20 minutes...
• And last, but not least, is the male/female dynamic. Although some people would argue that The Richards Group is still boy's club-esque, we (women) have come a long way. Not all the way, but nobody's called me sweet T!T$ lately. 1 point, TRG.

Target Loves UT

Target's guest designer this month is Tucker (I'll be honest, never heard of him/her/it), and he/she/it has tons 'o burnt orange gear. I'm not talking T-shirts, but cute tops, dresses, etc. After going to three different locations in one day hunting for the correct sizes, I ultimately decided that they weren't right for me (details below). That said, if you don't have the issues I had with them, and if you're in the market, they're pretty cute!

My two faves were:

This strappy little tank for just $22.99. My problem with this one is that it was 100% polyester, and polyester and I just aren't friends. If you do opt for this one, I don't recommend pairing it with the olive harlem pants shown to the right. But, as you will...

The other one I loved was this polka dot number. Who doesn't love some burnt orange polka dots? Come on. So cute. And again, very affordable at just $24.99. The problemo for me with this one is that I just don't like short shirts. I guess they're in style, but I like my stomach to be well covered (especially for football watching when hands tend to be thrown in the air) and this one just skimmed the top of my jeans. If that doesn't bug you, or if you happen to have a short torso, do it!

Status Updates That Don't Suck

It's kind of creepy for me to post someone else’s Facebook status updates, I know, but this woman (who I used to work with) has the BEST updates. So funny...

• Golf, wine, mountain climbing, a house with two pools,and lazyboy recliner--the pictures Porter {her son} cut out and glued on his "favorite things circle map"
• Chocolate cupcake batter stains on my workout clothes...not sure where to go from here...
• ‎--Parent-teacher conference--he can sit still during group time, likes his routine and will kick another child's ass if they take his legos more than twice. All great insights, thanks for 45 minutes of your time...
• The sign read "Due to national product shortage, Walmart will not be able to provide customers all varieties of frozen Eggo Waffle products".
• Damn, they really do understand everything you say- As I stopped for gas-"Mommy you are wasting my time, I need you to hurry up so I have time to play and watch a video before bed." 13 more years until he moves out, at least for a little awhile...
• While every adult knows that fish are given the porcelain bowl funeral, it is a little rough on a 4 yr old when the school official forgot to flush. Ride home and dinner conversation--mommy how to we get heaven? Is it on a rocket ship? An airplane? Not sure sweetie mommy is on the bullet train to hell. Go ask your father when he gets home.
• Thank you preschool class 110 teachers. I really enjoyed the "family tree" assignment. Our family's dysfunction is much more tolerable when I get to use construction paper and a glue stick. I would love to watch Porter talk his classmates through this one...

New Place. New Season.

Title Disclaimer: "New Season" is not intended to be a metaphor for a new stage in my life. It's football season, suckas!!! 

Version one of this post began like this…How does that country song go? “You’re lookin’ good, it’s been awhile…” However it goes, the point is I’m baaaack! 

Upon consulting Google, however, the tinsy bit more accurate version would read…How does that Bon Jovi song go? “How’s your life? It’s been awhile. God it’s good to see your smile.” 

Po-ta-to. Puh-tah-to. Turns out the real lyrics don’t make any sense to announce my return to blog-er-dom, but oh well. In my head it works.

After months and months (and months and months and months) of deciding what to do, I can officially say that the Austin vs. Dallas debate is over…at least for this round. I moved into my new place last weekend and so far so good. It’s a cool little apartment in the West Village and feels sort of hotel-ish. Maybe a weird comparison, but hey, I like hotels so it's all good. I’m still getting things put away and waiting for my couch to show up, but it’s nice to have my own place again. Not that living at home isn’t TOTALLY awesome. Love you, Mom and Lizzi! Pics to come once things are looking a bit less disastrous!

In other news, IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON. Allelujah, Little Baby Jesus! My Saturdays and Sundays (okay and Thursday and Monday nights too) just got way better. My Fantasy team's Week 1 was somewhat less than spectacular (yeah, not good at all actually), but it's Week 1. Not. Time. To. Panic.

What else, what else? I booked my flight to Vegas for Sally’s bachelorette party in December. That’s big-time exciting on multiple levels: 1) Sally’s getting married!! 2) It’s VEGAS! 3) Almost all of the Austin crew is going to be there. Plus LB. Plus Erica. Basically an all-around win.

Work has been kicking my rear, but that’s okay. I’m sure it will just make Baker realize that he wants to increase my salary to one cajillion dollars. Maybe two. Speaking of, I have Fruit of the Loom research to do. After Googling, “men’s underwear sales” at work and getting lots of banana hammocks in return, I decided to take a breather. But now I’m refreshed and ready to be a little more precise in my search terms.

‘Til next time…

Can't Touch This, Carmen Miranda

My sister, Anne, just posted this little jewel as her new profile pic on Facebook. Some people would hide this under the bed and make sure it was never seen by another human. But no. Not us. 

Perhaps we can use this as a learning moment. A moment to consider what might have happened to the small child living inside my not-so-child-size belly in this picture had I – say – eaten a grape off my head instead of the bag of Oreos I likely downed before the show. For ENERGY mom!

In case you're wondering, we put on a helluva show. Dancing our hearts out to Copacabana. Actually, that's a lie. Apparently people in the audience were crying they were laughing so hard. It was not a comedy routine.

Some Perspective

Sometimes life gets put into perspective by things you wish you could just undo. This is one of those instances.

A girl who lived at SRD (my beloved college dorm), and who I knew throughout college but admittedly haven't kept in touch with since, was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago. She was treated at MD Anderson and given a clean bill of health. Last week, at a regular checkup, the doctors saw some weird shadows on her x-rays. The cancer has returned and is now stage 4 sarcoma. After receiving this diagnosis at the end of last week, she and her fiance – who were planning to get married in November – got married. Apparently they made the decision on Saturday morning, and their church community worked together to make it happen on Sunday afternoon. Today she went back to MD Anderson and was told that the cancer has spread to her bones, hips, pelvis, and lungs, and that it's terminal.

This is a 27-year-old girl. A sweet, spirited, selfless 27-year old girl with the kind of faith I can't even pretend to come close to. My reason for posting is simply in hopes that you will please pray for Sarah, her husband, and her family.

Summer Remix

Here begins my attempt to catch-up on some recent summer things...

After meaning to go for a long time, I finally got out to Ad-Libs – an improv show that a couple of creatives I work with are in, together, every so often. I don't have a video, and this picture is bad, so you'll just have to trust me that it was really funny and worth checking out. Except the part where my 41-year old pod-mate (yes, I said pod-mate) decided I needed an up-close-and-personal view of his derrière as he did his Joe the Plumber routine. Am I scarred? Yes. Will I go again? Yes. 

After hearing about some pretty intense summer rehearsals, I was excited to see The McKinney Summer Musicals' rendition of Damn Yankees starring the entire Robertson/Kelso clan. Seriously. Lindsay's mom was the director and Lindsay, Brice, and Mr. Kelso were ALL in it. I went with Allison and Shaun and we had lots of fun seeing our little Lindsay perform on the stage. Lindsay is pretty much always in full-out performance mode, but it was fun to see her on a stage with an audience this time. (Haha, I LOVE  you Lindz!) Aren't the two of them adorable in this pic? Oh, there was also a little bonus prize at the show – seeing Lindsay's Aunt FAL (Favorite. Aunt. Linda.) who lives in Austin and who I first met in college when she invited Lindsay and her friends over to decorate Christmas cookies. After turning a camel into a Ninja Turtle, I think I cemented a place in her heart. And hers in mine. 

Although my still albino legs would beg to differ, I finally feel like I've gotten in some good pool time this summer. I don't have a pool, but Anne does, and I'm not – in any way – above sneaking into pools. If you know of any good ones (and their related key codes) don't be shy about sharing. ;) Per the picture, I've also been brushing up on some great American literature. I finished "Are you There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea" which I recommend as well as Heather McDonald's "You'll Never Blue Ball in this Town Again" which I also recommend. If you are in any way offended by politically incorrect or raunchy talk, however, I think these books are completely distasteful.

No doubt it's summertime at work as well. I reaaaaally got the creative juices flowing the other day and decided to make a creative briefing, well, creative. I know it doesn't look like much, but the above "mural" was 12-feet long and required a trip to A Teacher's Aide. The idea was to get the creatives amped up and to convey that since Shamrock Farms has its own cows on its own farm, there's a shorter distance to go from the farm to consumers, which all means it's the freshest. That's what you got from my kindergarten art project, right? Stan might prefer that I focus on arts and crafts at home vs. on his dime, but I make no apologies. When inspiration strikes, it STRIKES!

I went to Austin for Emily's birthday and to float the river (and because Austin is the bomb diggity and there's no real "reason" needed to convince me to go). I mixed up the same yummy drink Juli concocted last time we went (Crystal Light lemonade + water + vodka), and it was delicious. Unlike last time, however, I did not break a toe. A real win win as far as I'm concerned. DJ was our church van DD and we went to The Gristmill after. All around A+ Saturday.

Back to Dallas. Last week, after a really long few days of work, Rebecca, Kristin, Meg, and I went to an outdoor concert at The Arboretum. We grabbed some Whole Foods to-go, and thanks to RB had a picnic blanket, comfy chairs, and delicious Chicken Wine (don't ask). It was a fun, relaxing, and surprisingly unique evening in Dallas. Good stuff. Oh! The people in front of us had these super cool things that stick into the ground to hold your bottle of wine and wine glasses. Excellent invention, Crate and Barrel. 

Keeping Pests In Their Place

One day every year I wake up, put on an Orkin uniform, and go see what the wonderful world of pest and termite control has to offer. Today was that day for 2010. The idea behind "ridealongs" is that those of us who work on the Orkin account spend a whole lot of time throughout the year doing research, developing strategies, and coming up with new creative to sell Orkin, so spending a day in the life of an Orkin Man (or woman, as the case may be) is another point of reference and way to keep us connected. Makes sense, right? 

I showed up this morning at the Carrollton branch and quickly spotted Sue – the only female tech at that branch and the manager of all of the guys (girl power, what what!). I wasn't riding with Sue today, but we're old friends (see picture below circa 2008). You can't see it, but I was definitely wearing a fake wedding ring that year. Just in case. (To clarify, Sue is not scary. I just didn't know who I'd be with or what they'd be like.) We were both supposed to do goofy faces in the pic, but she only got 1/2 the memo, so I might look like a jerk. Just a bit. Our glasses are pretty baller though, huh?

With Sue in 2008

Not that these two pics ARE good, but 2009's was exceptionally bad, so just use your imagination. And envision the sun being really bright for the whole year. Thus the blonder color in 2010. =)

With David today

My guy today – David – was pretty cool. Although when he came in this morning, and they told him I'd be riding with him, he cursed and threw his arms in the air. Then he realized I was in the room and apologized. Haha. Excellent start. I sat in on the team's morning meeting and really earned some street cred when the room full of guys (and Sue) couldn't think of the name of the new Chicago Bears QB. "Jay Cutler?" I threw out. BOOYAH! One point for Amy. David turned out to be a nice guy and later apologized again for his "reaction" saying he just hadn't remembered that today was the day. Haha, sorry  buddy. 

As for the work itself, it really wasn't bad. There was one house where David had to put on his HVAC suit and go under, but he didn't have an extra so I stood on the sidelines. Darn. Being a 27-year old girl in an Orkin uniform can really throw people off. To the point that it's pretty entertaining. An old guy at one of the houses today asked if David was my dad because we apparently look alike. David got a real kick out of that. We spent a lot of time driving in the truck from house to house, talking sports, listening to The Ticket, eating lunch at Hoffbrau House (my treat, his choice), and getting our termite detecting on. Aside from one moment of over-sharing (right before lunch came out he divulged that he'd taken 3 sick days this year because he'd been suffering from diarrhea), he was pleasant company and the day was a success! So until next year...