Laughing Out Loud

I'm the kind of person that if I find something funny or if someone makes me laugh I cannot contain it... I MUST laugh out loud. There is nothing harder for me to do than to stifle giggles and this has caused some embarassment. This also has caused many instances of uncontrolable infectious laughter that spreads like wildfire in a windstorm to those around me. I like to think that it is one of my best attributes.

Well, anyhow, this morning on my way to work I was listening to a particular radio show (that I listen to most mornings) and found a couple of comments made to be quite hilarious... so I proceeded to laugh out loud to myself while driving. I stopped at a light while still laughing and looked over to my left at the car next to me. There was a lady in her car laughing out loud at something as well and we caught each others' eye at the same moment. I think we both felt silly at being caught laughing out loud whilst being alone, but then I think we both realized at the same time that this instance was pretty funny in itself and both started laughing after a quick second pause about that. It made my day. I kept giggling and then I wondered if perhaps we had been laughing at the same comments on the radio. I kind of wish that I had rolled down my window to see.

The world is good and it's the small moments that make life so valuable and wonderful. I hope everyone has a fun/silly/wonderful moment that they can laugh about today.

Excited About Life.. and Lysol

I've been feeling pretty down lately, and negative. Who knows why, there are probably a few reasons. But that was all replaced today with excitement and anticipation for the coming months. I don't know why, but music always puts me in a good mood and knowing that there are wonderful concerts in my future has made me the happiest girl in the world.

First of all, I have been a huge Foo Fighters fan for a while, but have never had the opportunity to see them in concert. It seems like every time they come to town I'm not here... or something comes up and I can't go. But, YAY! Brian, being so wonderful, got me tickets for their upcoming show in July. It's not for a while, but I am psyched to finally be able to see them live! Second... Jimmy Eat World is coming in April! Another superb band that I have LOVED for quite a long time but also never gotten to see. Finally, this Friday I am going to the ballet, which isn't really all about music, but I know it will feature fabulous French compositions as well as others. Plus, this time I think I will enjoy the dancers more because I know how hard it really is to execute movements and still look perfectly poised and energetic.

By the way, ballet is going well. I'm not great at it and I definitely mess up a lot towards the end of class when I get tired. I am going to keep taking classes though... my calves look great!

Also, I am thankful for the creators of Lysol and also of Clorox wipes. I completely disinfected my office this morning, which has also contributed to my good mood, in order to protect myself from the rampant cold and flu germs going around. I am contemplating wearing a protective mask as well. I hate being sick and I am finally over the cold I had since the begining of December. Hey, did you know that Lysol makes purse-sized disinfectant sprays? I may buy one for everyone I come into contact with regularly... for your protection as well as mine.

Cleaning 'Cause I Just Can't Stop

Have you ever cleaned because you just got the whim to do it? And often it's not a whim but an odd compulsion that I cannot ignore. I do this all of the time, and it's never in a conspicuous place that probably needs to be cleaned, but the hidden areas that I notice randomly that need some reorganizing or vaccuuming... and I ignore it until I have a complete freak-out about it and clean until my legs are stiff and I've got 3 trash-bags full of junk to get rid of from said area.

This happened to me last night. I needed, I emphasize NEEDED, to go to bed early because I was supposed to get up before the crack of dawn, but as I sat in my cozy bed trying to get comfortable I looked to the corner of my room. In said corner a stack of books and magazines that no longer fit on the bookshelves along with various other random things sat like jagged but stable pillars and columns from ancient ruins. I rolled over and watched a few minutes of television before setting the sleep timer for 10 minutes, ignoring the corner. Drowsiness came in waves and soon I realized that the television had turned itself off, as I had programmed it to earlier.

And then I was awake. WIDE awake.

I had lost all feelings of comfort and sleep, and slowly a voice whispered in my ear,"What about that corner? Are you going to let it just sit there? You should get up and just straighten it out a bit so you can sleep better." I ignored the voice. I defied the voice. Yet the voice persisted. I did not give in, I would not give in... but maybe I would sleep better if I just moved a few things around, right? Much tossing and turning ensued as I fought my hardest to ignore the call of the ruins in the corner. In the end, the voice won.

So I got up and turned on the lights, fumbled downstairs to get a trashbag or two, and returned to the corner in my room. I sat and began sorting the books into various piles depending on topic and size, and then stacking them up in a Rubbermaid tub that is my make-shift book repository until I move into a house with bookshelf-lined walls in almost every room. I riffled through the magazines, making a pile for the good ones I wanted to keep and tossing the old abused ones into a pile for recycling. I found old receipts, a few broken barrets, old pictures, wedding and shower invitations stuck between books that I had intended to save, along with random bits of stuff that I wasn't sure how had gotten into the corner and escaped the trash the first time around. I found my journal from last year and of course had to read through bits of that before finding a home for it in aforementioned tub.

Two and a half hours passed swiftly before I finished deconstructing the pillars of random items. I stood up and my legs buckled slightly beneath me from lack of use or movement and I felt tired and heavy. I slumped into bed and pulled the covers over my head. The little voice returned and said,"Don't you feel better now that it's all cleaned up?".

And I replied,"Yes".
I have said it before and I will say it again, where does it all come from?

PS. I secretly love cleaning. And kitchen gadgets.