Extra, extra!

Yesterday was a long, hot, grueling day, but I wouldn't change it for the world! We little Okies have been graced with a real Hollywood movie crew in recent months, complete with a fantastic director (Michael Winterbottom of A Mighty Heart) and big-name (Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Simon Baker), big-talent (Casey Affleck, Ned Beatty) stars. Yesterday, they made their way to downtown Tulsa, and I was lucky enough to be cast amongst the extras. We all showed up around 10 a.m., ladies with their hair in rollers. After a few hours of waiting around and making small talk, we were transformed via hair, make-up and wardrobe. Here is my end result:

And here's a close-up of my face:

I loved the I Love Lucy hair and gorgeous lipstick! Would you believe I rolled my own hair? I thought I would make a horrible mess of myself, but the stylist said I did the best job. She, of course, styled it into place and crunchified it with copious amounts of hairspray, but I was still proud of my early-morning battle with foam rollers.

The shoot was a truly interesting experience, but it was thoroughly tiring. We spent about 8 hours walking back and forth up a few blocks of downtown in 90-something heat, ill-fitting shoes and three layers of undergarments. How did ladies ever breathe in the '50s? All the girdles and belts must have kept them thin by preventing overeating. :)

For those interesting in star sightings, I did stand mere inches from Mr. Affleck. He was good-looking and polite, though you could tell he was tired, too. I also spied Mr. Beatty and the wonderful director, of course. Did you know he's British? Loved the accent.

So that was my experience. As much as I enjoyed the dolling up and star spotting, I'm glad to be off my feet in my air-conditioned office today!

Thankful Thursday

Though I've neglected this blog greatly thanks to my busy schedule, I love this feature enough to remember it every week. I guess I'm thankful for being thankful! :) But seriously, here's my list for today:

1. Water. I feel so calm and comfortable in a swimming pool. Must be my growing-up years spent on the swim team. A hop into the pool last night was so invigorating. We're going to make a point to go every week.

2. Lipstick. I've been wearing more of it lately and less eye make-up. It makes me feel so pretty and happy.

3. The lack of writer's block. My creativity has been totally stonewalled lately, probably by stress. At the moment, it's gone! This bodes well for my continued employment as a, you know, writer. :)

That's all! I hope you all have something to be thankful for today, too.

Thankful Thursday

I'm nearing the end of a stressful week. Yikes! Here are my three things:

1. A free, open weekend. I had forgotten that these existed!

2. The return of 50-cent popcorn at work. We have fresh, hot popcorn twice a day for the next few weeks. All sales go to the United Way fundraising campaign. All the hot, buttery, salty goodness goes to my tummy.

3. My first cherry tomatoes. Yep, the plant is fruitful and delicious. I'll post pictures soon!

What are your three?

Thankful Thursday

It is the perfect day for a "Thankful Thursday" post. My week has been insane, and the next one will only be slightly better. I haven't been sleeping well either, so I'm drained of all my positive, creative energy. Nonetheless, here are three things for which I'm thankful today:

1. Contact lenses. Yep, I got my first pair ever on Monday. So far, I love them. I see incredibly well, can't feel them most of the time, and I can again wear my massive, purple, heart-shaped sunglasses.

2. Job security. It's the positive spin to put on the crazy-busy schedule I'm keeping at work these days.

3. Modern dance. I have fallen in love with it since my class started last month. It has the softness of ballet, the flow of yoga, and the energy of jazz. I want to do it every day.

What are you thankful for today?

Scarcity

Sorry for being so scarce lately. I've been running around like a looney toonie between work and (the) play. I promise to have an update for you all soon complete with garden photos. Or at least one.

I miss you all!

Thankful "Thursday"

Oops, I forgot to do yesterday's Thankful Thursday post. Bad Brigid! Here are three things I'm thankful for today:

1. Weekends! This has been one insane week at the office. I'm sure my days off will fill up, but I know for sure I won't be writing any grants then!

2. Tea. It's been my throat savior this week with all the coughing.

3. Antibiotics. Thanks to them, my boyfriend is finally feeling better. He's back at work and will be good as new very soon.

That's all. I hope everyone has a delightful weekend!

Poll and contest winner!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my poll and left me comments! I went over to Random.org, who revealed my giveaway winner as . . . Funkybella! This lovely lady will receive one of my homemade scrubs and a crocheted washcloth. Katie, I'll get in touch with you for your prize.

I'm currently scheming up a new giveaway later this month, so stay tuned.

Baltimore

I promised to put up a Baltimore picture post yesterday, and I didn't deliver. Sorry! Things have been so busy at work and at home the past week. I can't wait until June 20th when the craziness subsides at least a little bit.

Anyway, here's all you need to know about my trip to that most Mary-est of Lands. Well, first of all, this is my dear, sweet Beth, great friend and former college roommate extraordinaire:

She lives near this adorable street:

In Baltimore, many trashcans have been painted by local art students:

Beth's roommate has a puggle named Olive:

Olive has a large, pink tongue:

And at some point, we ate incredibly tasty doughnuts:

The end.

Anniversary

This weekend, my love and I celebrated three years together. Hurray! We rang in the festivities with a quick lunch at Ri Le, our favorite Vietnamese place in town, and then an evening with his family. It was also his grandmother's 80th birthday -- wow!

Happy Anniversary, my love!

(I'll show you a few Baltimore shots later this week -- I promise!)