Laura the Intern-No-More

Picture of the Day

2009-11-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Lydia mentioned on Twitter that she would be going to the Yankees Victory Parade in New York this year (she lives about 2 blocks from where the parade was being held). So, I swallowed my pride and asked her to take some pictures of my boy Swish for me.

Here he is (In the center, between his girlfriend and his brother):

He is still so foxy. Thanks LYD!! (See her other shots of the parade here).

Friday Funny

2009-11-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this video makes me laugh so much. Enjoy.

My Latest Trips

2009-10-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

OK, Its been a while since I blogged. A few weekends ago, I went to Miami AND South Dakota in the same long weekend. I attended a legislative conference in Miami. But I had already told my friend, Brooke, that I would go to South Dakota that weekend. So Thursday-Saturday, I was in Miami. Sunday-Tuesday, I was in South Dakota. Random, I know. But that's how I roll.

This is the lobby of the hotel we stayed at in Miami, the Intercontinental. It was posh. I loved the centerpiece!

*Sidenote: EVERYONE in Miami speaks Spanish. At times, it seemed like I was in a different country. Not that I felt uncomfortable or anything...I just wish I spoke Spanish.

Here are a few of the conference participants (the girl on the left is my coworker, Emily. We had so much fun!) Friday was the only night open so we went to South Beach with a few people. We had dinner at a Cuban restaurant - YUM - and then headed to the beach. The water was so warm!

So, after walking along South Beach, Em and I decided that it would be a GREAT IDEA to walk back to our hotel with our new friend James from Georgia. It didn't seem like too long when we came on the taxi from our hotel. James was scared that we were in a sketchy neighborhood. This is a sign on one of the apartment buildings.

Em and I along our walk. Right after this picture was taken, we got to the bridge we needed to cross and realized that it was a lot farther than we assumed. So we asked a taxi driver how far it was to our hotel, and he laughed and said it was about 5 miles....Yikes. (Note the glow on our faces...it was SOOOOO humid there.)

Needless to say, we grabbed that taxi and he took us across the bridge. We stopped by the outdoor mall on the water and this cover band was playing. It was probably the best cover band I have ever heard.

Miami was amazing! So warm! I had such a blast and met random, cool people from other states.

Welcome to South Dakota! I got back from Miami late Saturday night, did some laundry, re-packed, and headed to South Dakota early Sunday morning. When I got there, this is the weather I encountered. Not in Miami anymore, Toto...

This is the house I stayed in. It was so great to relax in a warm house. Thanks Hullingers!

It was too foggy to go see Mount Rushmore, so we went to the Mammoth museum. It was actually pretty cool!

Crazy Horse. This monument has a cool story. Click here. My favorite part about this memorial is that they do not accept any government funding to complete it. It may never get completed. But I love that they want to only use private donations to complete. That's a true American!

In case you're wondering....

Extreme Close-Up! Brooke, Me, and the boys.

Ah, much better. It was so beautiful! But soooooo cold....

Right below the California flag. But I am ready to go....soooooo freezing......

An example of the MANY books on the shady past of the Early West.

So final recap...It was a great weekend. I went from High temps to Low temps but I had a blast. I crossed South Dakota off my list of states I still need to visit. And I spent a crazy few days in the Miami sun. Loved it.

Winter?

2009-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know I know. I have yet to post about my trips to Miami and South Dakota. I had a few technical difficulties trying to post the pictures! But a blog is forthcoming....

But for now, I will show you what we woke up to this morning in Utah. (I like this picture because the only color you see is from the lamp posts. No editing necessary.)

Nothing Extraordinary, as of late

2009-10-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I have been going through this phase. Lately, as per usual conversation, people have been politely asking me "So, how are you?" or "What's new?". I respond in sort of a mumbled "good" or "not much" and quickly ask them about a facet of their life so as to steer our conversation towards their adventures. The reason for this being I have nothing going on. Really. I am super boring right now. And it only makes things worse to discuss how much of a loser I actually have been. No crushes. No fun/crazy stories to report.

Nothing.

Now, I must explain, that I keep extraordinary company. Lydia is livin' the life in NYC. Destiny is datin' and partyin' in DC. Erin is one of the poshest mommies in Manhattan. You get the point...

I am not trying to invoke pity from anyone. Truly. I just need something. But I just don't know what that something is. So, for now, lets keep the conversations focused on you.

TV = Enjoyment

2009-09-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Exhibit A: I have been watching NCIS religiously because the USA network has chosen to play multiple episodes at one time. More than once this week, I have been at the gym for 2 hours because I got sucked into episodes of NCIS. Love that show! (And for the record, I like Ziva better than Kate for the female role on the team...)

Exhibit B: SYTYCD is back. My summer addiction will now transform into my fall, possibly winter addiction.

Exhibit C: I look forward to Thursday nights. The Office (I am back to watching this after not watching a single episode last season) and Community (one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time). I hope that Community lasts. I have always thoroughly enjoyed Joel McHale on The Soup, but he is hilarious in this witty comedy. If you need more convincing, watch this little nugget:

And last, but certainly not least, Exhibit D: I am very sad that The Unit was canceled by CBS. Hopefully, the USA network picks up that show as well and plays it as much as NCIS. I miss my boys!

OK, so I usually don't have/make time for television, however, my roommate has a DVR so I can skip commercials. It really is the only way to watch TV.

Great Article for a Thursday

2009-09-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Boss-Bashing Backfires

Motown Philly Back Again

2009-09-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

Friday night. Couldn't be spend at a better venue. Boyz II Men at the Utah State Fair! What a great concert! It was a free concert with fair admission ($6.75), so it was quite the deal. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. It was a great end to a loooooong week.

We started off in the bleachers but realized that we could get better seats quite easily.

The Boyz have great voices!

Apparently, they put out an album of Motown songs. So, they performed a few popular motown songs. They even had the "motown" moves. What a fantastic group!

My roomie, Melissa and I. (There were a few more with us, just not pictured)

Look who I ran into!!! Love that Kimmy.....

My Twin Rocks

2009-09-18T11:24:00.001-07:00

No sleep. No Good.....

2009-09-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night: Rockin' Party at the Estate. So much fun! Probably about 300 people throughout the night. Ended up going to bed around 4, awaken every hour following.....

Sunday Night (with no Sunday Nap): Go to bed around 10:30 p.m. Don't go to sleep until around 1:00 a.m. Around 1:30 a.m., awake to my roommate and a male voice shouting. Then roommate saying "There's someone in our house!". I am freaked. Long story short: no guy in our house. Must have been a prank. But still scared out of my mind. Can't sleep until 4 a.m., up at 7 a.m. for work.

Monday Morning (continuing on throughout the day): Hating life.

Not my original thoughts, but I think these thoughts regularly

2009-09-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts of the Day (again, not my original, but I can relate to ALL OF THESE):

* I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

* More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

* Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

* Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no
one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

* The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

* Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or
FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

* There is a great need for sarcasm font.

* Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

* I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a
millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

* How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

* I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

* The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

* Was learning cursive really necessary?

* Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

* I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

* Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

* Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

* How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a Jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

* While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

* MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

* I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

* Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

* Bad decisions make good stories

* Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

* Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

* Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

* There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

* "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

* I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

* I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

* I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* When I meet a new boy, I'm terrified of mentioning something he hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

* As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

* Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

* Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time...

* It really ticks me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

* I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

* The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like
being made to feel like a fat lard before dinner.

I've been lazy...

2009-08-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

So I will just link to others' blogs...

Here is what I did last Saturday night.
Here is a comment I left on Lydia's Blog about Harry Potter:

I think you know how I feel. Here's an example from our past:

Lydia: "Laura, you just have to try to read one book. I promise you will be hooked"

Laura: "You sound like you are a salesman for the Harry Potter books"

Lydia: "Laura, These books SELL THEMSELVES"

Lydia's Dad: "That's what a book salesman would say"

hahahaha.....Another quote from you, reading Harry Potter at the airport:

Lydia: "I can't get the words in fast enough!"

Ok, enough Harry Potter memories...

Lyd's Blog of NYC '09

2009-08-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

Lydia just put up her blog of my trip to NYC '09. We truly had the best time. I think I laugh with Lydia more than anyone else.

Here's Lyd's Crazy Red Hair blog.

Gotta get my Republican in there...

2009-08-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Lydia sent me this video. Glenn Beck seems to tap into my psyche on this one. Watch it. It is brilliant!

Have I offended you?

2009-08-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday. I get a random text from a number I didn't know:

Person X: Hey, just wanted to invite ya to my wedding reception on Sept 15

I was hanging out with friends and a movie was about to start so I just ignored it. The next day, I remembered that I had this mystery text. So I texted this person back.

Me: I'm sorry, but who is this?

Well, after a minute, I recognized the number. A number I had purposely erased months ago. And in true fashion, this person replied:

Person X: Nevermind then.

Because I knew who this mystery person was at this point, I was not shocked at all at this response. Childish, immature, mad that I had not pined for him for months. Not surprised. And I must mention that the name above should be changed to "Person eX".

Still laughing about this one.

Chicago '09

2009-07-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, I am finally getting around to posting the Chicago pictures. Part of the reason for my delay is that I have had no time since I got back. My other hesitation is that I look a little scraggly in these pics. My NYC pictures were much better.....but oh well. Here goes:

I went with my friends T.J. and Matt. Can you find T.J. and I in this picture?

T.J. loved using my blackberry to twitter and facebook.

Look who's on the cover of the Cub's schedule? (hint: #40)

Ok, picture one of day one in Chicago. Let me mention that we woke up on Friday to our hotel not having hot water! But of course, I didn't realize this until I jumped in the shower. The best I could do with the freezing water was washing my body and getting my hair wet. But then I realized that I did not bring my hair dryer! So needless to say, I looked terrible the first day.

This is after our river tour. It was great!

The craziest wedding cake I have ever seen!

The Bean. So cool. Can you find us?

At the fountain.

This is from a box on top of the Sears (Willis) Tower looking down. I love being up high!!

I sat down in the corner of the box for a picture. T.J. was really scared! His palms were sweating profusely. I loved it.

We didn't want to buy the picture so the boys hid me while I took a picture of the picture. As I mentioned earlier, it was probably best that the flash was on. I looked horrific.

The next day, we had hot water and I got my shower. We arrived at the ball park right when it opened. And this is the first player I saw. My RICHIE! Rich Harden came out to practice...I was dying.

We got hooked up with great seats! Amazing.

I had to take this picture. You will notice on the scoreboard that the A's scored 6 runs in one inning. Against the Yankees. I figure that can't happen too often!

On the bus ride home, I took a picture of T.J. and my feet. You may not be able to tell but there is about a foot of space between my feet and the floor of the bus.

That night, we met Courtney (my friend who lives in Chicago) downtown for Venetian night (Boat parade and fireworks). It was a great, last night in Chicago!

All of us. Court, her friend, me, T.J. and Matt.

We were riding the train home late. The lady behind T.J. and I was snoring SOOOOOO loudly. For some reason, I was laughing uncontrollably. Seriously, it went on for about 20 minutes. So we took pictures. I think you had to be there....

So that was the trip. On Sunday, Courtney and I walked around Wicker Park (where she lives) because there were festivals all around. We went to breakfast at this place called the Bongo Room. If you are ever in Chicago, look it up. You won't be sorry.

But the trip was great. I LOVE that city!

And if you didn't get enough of the Cubs game, check this out!

Pitching

2009-07-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Life is good.

2009-07-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

So, I know I just got back from NYC '09, but I am gearing up for Chicago '09! I am leaving this Thursday with my friends Matt and TJ and headed to the Windy City! I have Friday off (bless Utah and Pioneer Day as a state holiday). I have been to Chicago once before and my friend, Courtney, still lives there, so we will meet up with her for our short little trip.

I was supposed to go camping to Lava Hot Springs last weekend (you'll remember my near-death experience from last year) but I ended up working late late on Friday and missed it. Which, according to those who came back beat-up from the river, was a good thing.

So, stay tuned for pics from Chicago '09 (which will include a Cubs game, and hopefully a Rich Harden sighting!).

After this, where shall I go next?? I need something to look forward to. Suggestions are appreciated.

NYC '09

2009-07-14T16:45:00.001-07:00

Ok, there are a lot of pictures from my trip to NY. I thought I would give the reader's digest version of the trip.

So, Thursday, I arrived in NYC at 6:30 a.m. Lydia came to pick me up and we were both exhausted. So we decided to take a cat nap so we could enjoy the rest of the day. We slept, then decided to start my trip off right, with lunch at the Shake Shack. And I must say, the Shake Shack has the best burger I have had in a long time!

Try it if you go to NY. Trust me.

We took a walk through Central Park. This picture is taken from the Castle.

I thought this wall of the castle was cool with Lydia's red hair.

As we walked through the park, we noticed something being filmed. We couldn't get close enough to see what was being filmed, but the Monocular came to the rescue. We discovered that it was a movie with Neil Patrick Harris (only, we couldn't remember his real name, so it was Doogie Howser to us).

This is what I call, The Approach. Lydia wanted me to do one of those jumping pictures because I thought this was a cool part of the park.

This was the best one that we got. Notice the people watching me. As I landed this jump (after about 4 tries), I totally bailed and ended up on the ground with all kinds of strangers laughing at me. The couple you see watching said "THAT'S what I would have taken a picture of...."(me falling)

Laura at the Plaza.

Gelato at the Lincoln Center. At this point, I was so tired and had been wearing that outfit for 24 hours straight so I didn't want any close-ups.

The next day, Lydia and I went to the Statue of Liberty island. We spent a lot of time on the island so we skipped Ellis Island. It had been a long day at that point (waiting in lines, etc.)

Lydia and I met my DC friend, Erin (who is now a fabulous Upper East Side mommy) for yogurt - appropriate for Erin and I's relationship - and then we walked to Washington Square park. It was beautiful! And great to see Erin!

OK, later that day, Lydia and I met her friends, Justin and Rachel (above in the Lincoln Center picture) at Union Square park. We went to dinner at S'Mac (Make your own Mac and Cheese..yummy) then to dessert at Max Brenner chocolate. Lydia and I ordered these sundaes and had no idea what we were getting into. Don't worry, we barely made it through half of each of ours. Soooooooo good.

Saturday, We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to meet my friend Destiny and her friend Tara.

Lydia...hahaha

Grimaldi's. GREAT NY pizza! With my two besties......We waited in line for less than an hour and decided to get it to go and eat on the pier in Brooklyn.

We just sat on the pier to eat. Great view of the city.

We then headed back to Manhattan and ate Crumbs cupcakes in Bryant Park (my favorite of the parks). Yes, by this time, you should know that we ate REALLY well. But we also walked EVERYWHERE.

Shopping. Couldn't get away from Yankee paraphernalia.

Sunday, went to church at the Manhattan Temple with Destiny (one of the floors is for church). Sunday afternoon, lunch/dinner in Central Park. Sunday night. Lyd and I hit the Empire State Building. Here we are in the elevator. We had to take the picture fast because the elevator was filling fast.

Looking towards the upper east side (I think). This one may be more midtown, but whatever.

Looking West. Sunset at the Empire State Building.

Monday. Scouted out and found the UN Headquarters. We didn't take a tour, but we went inside the building and it was beautiful!

Lydia liked this picture. And made sure to get the guy who enforces it.

So, we walked and walked and walked the last day (no different from the other days). We had about an hour before I had to leave so we got pedicures. Well deserved pedicures.

So that's it. That's my trip. It was amazing. I could live in NYC, easily (although I would have to be better about the eating....). I had fun with Lydia and Destiny and Erin and everyone I met there! The weather was perfect. I really do [heart] NY!!

Can't wait to go back!

I know, I know, its been too long...

2009-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in my posting. I have been taking care of the web-related things at work and have duly ignored my own blog. I have also been fighting off a few different bugs in my system and am hoping to feel normal at some point in my life!

But for now, you get a short blurb. Nothing new in my world at the moment. Although, I am headed to NYC tonight (flight leaves at 11:59 PM). I will be scouring the town with Lydia with a few adventures with Destiny thrown in there. I can't wait. I get to see my 2 besties in the same weekend!! In true fashion, I will be taking a lot of pictures so my next post should be pretty great. (Hopefully, Lyd will be taking pictures because she is a Fantastic photog)

Other than that, I am the same boring Laura B you all know and love.

Obsessions o' the moment

2009-06-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

(I googled "Obsession" and this is one of the pics that came up....random)

Hand Sanitizer (well, sanitizing anything, really)
Roasted Garlic Triscuits
Frozen Yogurt (Fro-yo to those in the know-yo)
Anderson Cooper
SYTYCD
Sleep (obsessing about not having enough)
Summer Trip to NYC
Public Enemies....probably because I shouldn't see it
Gym
Google Translator (especially when used to communicate with my foxy Croatian mailman....don't worry, he's in his 20's)

My germaphobia pays off

2009-06-19T14:51:00.001-07:00

Can you guess who the "receptionist" with the hand sanitizer on her desk is? (I put "receptionist" in quotes because I am far more than that. I just happen to sit at the front)

Click here: Lege gets swine flu scare

Hard work did not pay off

2009-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Again, the Onion is a fake news source. This is borderline messed-up, but pretty darn funny at the same time.

Gymnast Shawn Johnson Put To Sleep After Breaking Leg

Miss Independent

2009-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Kelly Clarkson. I know, I am a nerd, but I am a fan. Anne and I went to her concert at the Orem Summerfest (summer, pffft) on Thursday and it was amazing! It has been raining like crazy here in Utah so we were up for an adventure, since the concert was outside. But the weather held up quite nicely. It only rained during "Behind These Hazel Eyes" but it was clear after that. I was trying to convince some of my friends to come to the concert, but they were afraid of the rain. But it was a great concert and I had fun with the sis!

It was general admission so there were crowds of people. Luckily, there were no big, tall people who decided to stand in front of 5'4" me! So I had a clear view.

Me and my twin...haha

A beautiful rainbow showed up around the concert.

Me and Anne loving it.

And if I still haven't convinced of the fun you can have at a Kelly Clarkson concert, watch this (I didn't know Anne was taping so this is completely authentic):

Lydia's not the only star of last week

2009-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Remember my post on exfoliating my life and how less is more? I apologize that I never followed up, but I DID get rid of a lot of belongings whilst I moved. Well, the author of Makeunder my Life emailed me and asked me to share my story. So, I sent her a few pictures and a short explanation of what I accomplished in my move. She posted my exfoliation last Friday! Click here and scroll down to the entry from "Laura" (you may recognize my purple dresser...).

But in all honesty, I enjoyed getting rid of things I didn't use. Brooke commented on my post and said exactly how I feel:

I have to say... that since I have been exfoliating, every once in a while, I'll think "oh, I used to have a {insert tossed item here}" and it has never been heartbreaking, or even remotely upsetting. Because then I think "But was I really going to keep that {insert tossed item here} for 4 years just so I could use it on this one random occasion?"