"So how was that," my brother-in-law asked as the trailer for "The Hunger Games" played on TV. "Is it really about kids hunting other kids?"
"Basically," I replied. "But it was really good."
"Very good," Vyelit said. "We'll go watch it with you if you want to go. Like tonight."
I smiled. I can't decide if Vye wants to go watch it again because a.) she fell asleep through parts of it or because b.) the parts she did see were just that good.
"Didn't... you... already see it?" Cheese asked.
"Uh, yeah?"
Silence.
CheeseCream shook his head at us and walked away.
I've read a few blog posts recently talking about strikes against reading or watching The Hunger Games because of all the hype. I'm not gonna lie: it upset me.
Lorraine Says: Nap on It
Last week my sister sent me a text message about her baby-sitter quitting on her. I have this conspiracy theory about the baby-sitter in fact quitting because she knew I was currently without a job. Lorraine would just fly to the rescue, she would be guilt (and child) free and everyone would be happy.
So, until further notice, I will be watching an 8 month old and a three year old, Monday to Friday, seven to five. And because I love my sister, I love my nieces, and this was the right thing to do, I have nothing to say about this.
But, then again, this is my blog and no one reads it anyways so...
So, until further notice, I will be watching an 8 month old and a three year old, Monday to Friday, seven to five. And because I love my sister, I love my nieces, and this was the right thing to do, I have nothing to say about this.
But, then again, this is my blog and no one reads it anyways so...
Lorraine Says: Doin' Homework Like It's 1999
My GPS happily chirped that I had arrived at my destination, but I was still driving down a main street. There were a number of plazas to my left and right, and I sort of 'I-pick-you-Pikachu'd into one. I did a little happy dance when I saw the restaurant to my right. I'd chosen correctly on my first try.
I parked quickly and entered the restaurant a little awkwardly. I avoided eye contact with the hostess and just started to scan the room when I saw Jennifer peek out from the booth and wave at me. I smiled and walked over, hugged her and she laughed, "oh good! You're me sized!"
If you would've told me a few years ago that I would be meeting people from all over the Internet, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Even beyond the "from the Internet" part, meeting people is hard when you are a five foot Lorraine Valverde. (So, basically, me.)
Last Sunday, though, I got to meet Jennifer of Starving, Insatiable. I've mentioned her a few times here as my "favorite Florida girl." I'm pretty sure she was the first Florida blogger I got to know thus cementing her position as my favorite. Despite only living four hours apart, we just finally got around to being in the same place at the same time.
Jennifer text me on Saturday while I was in Tampa to ask if I had any food preferences. It's a tricky question, though, right? When you are meeting someone new? I didn't want to be all, "oh, I only eat chicken" and then have her be all, "chicken is against my religion" or something, you know? Just me?
Anyways I answered with a pretty safe, "I like breakfast." I think I typed it that way when really in my head it was more like, "OMGOMG BREAKFAST NOW PLZ."I really like breakfast. She was super accommodating and picked a place very near me where we could have brunch.
Now, meeting fellow bloggers is always really exciting, in an entirely nerve wracking way. It's a weird place between knowing a person but maybe not really knowing them? It's having all the familiarity of having, let's say, read their journal for years, with all the awkwardness of a first meeting.
I tried not to think about this and was consoled when Jennifer made a comment about not knowing how to greet me when she first saw me. "Do I hug you or shake your hand..." she asked. I laughed and then remembered that I went straight in for the hug. I looked back down at my menu and hoped that was okay.
I apologized for my lack of voice and promised that I didn't normally sound that way. It was really bad, guys, though she didn't make fun of me or anything. Very diplomatic. We talked a little about our families and lack of Spanish-speaking skills. We talked about being Floridians and how much we love wearing dresses. We talked about how in our late 20's, nightlife is changing.
"I just want friends who understand that sometimes I like staying in on Saturday nights," I said and she looked at me sympathetically.
"I don't know what I'd do if I ever found myself single again," she mused. "I'm lucky my current boyfriend liked the quiet girl who was standing behind the other girls."
We talked a lot about blogging. Neither of our families know about our blogs and it's always refreshing to talk about LttP out in the open.
"What do I call you, anyways," she asked me, well into our meal. Jen is one of a few readers who knows my real name. "I didn't even realize Lor wasn't your name until you sent me that message one day."
Story of my blog life. I smiled and assured her I was used to hearing Lor and she could call me that. The more we talked about blogging, the more we talked about the good, the bad and the marked as read. She mentioned a plan to highlight her favorite blogs and that all evolved into me having some "homework" after I left. To be clear, Jennifer also told me she was totally kidding but after she graciously treated me to a brunch where I consumed an omelet the size of my head, the least I can do is participate.
I'm pretty sure I said, "it was so great to meet you," about 10 times between paying for the meal and walking out to our cars. She said I could call her again if I were even in the area so I'm chalking that up to success.
Now, for my homework. She asked me which of my own posts were my favorites. I've listed the seven below in no particular order. It's always hard to go back and read and some of this stuff felt like I just wrote it yesterday. I'm not claiming these are my best or funny or um, cool, or anything; just my personal favorites.
1. The Breakfast of Champions - "My cereal would more likely feature leprechauns, unicorns, and fairies. My cereal is often in the "family" section of cereals, so that I feel judged for eating it even though I'm not actually buying it for a "family." So, I posed this question to my friends: does anyone actually eat Wheaties?"
2. Moldy Adventures - "I never leave a four way stop happy."
3. I Will Not Talk Bad About Valentines Day - "I'm obviously taking my girly cart into the men's side of the aisle when I'm shopping for razors"
4. Here Kitty, Kitty - "I wish I knew how to speak Spanish. All I know how to say is that there is a cat in my pants."
5. Stalk You Like Woah - "Also great is that it's mostly caused by overuse of muscles. Hahahahahaha. I mean, I haven't been lifting THAT many zebra cakes. I read another article (probably not scientific) that said something about this mostly happening to athletes, especially rowers. Yep. Athletes and Lor, that sounds about right."
6. How Are You? - "Mostly because at the exact moment I was calling Sara names, I also had another window open where I was watching my second episode of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" of the day. It's getting really good, because I'm in season two, and Clark and Lois are figuring out they like each other which means the Saxophones of Impending Sexy Time are working over time, and those are my favorite."
7. The One With a Lot of Teeth - "I mean, I HATE DORA. Like irrationally. Like with a fiery passion that is usually reserved for people and situations that are real. But it doesn't matter because I hate her."
It feels like I've got a ton of stuff to update you on, which I will do soon, but quickly: I went to see The Hunger Games this morning, which I have all sorts of thoughts on, I had an interview this week, I'm going to be taking care of nieces full time until I find a job, and as the second part of this post, I will be highlighting some blogs I like to read over the course of the next few posts.
I hope you all have wonderful weekends. I honestly wish I could meet you all.
Or, you know, most of you.
;)
I parked quickly and entered the restaurant a little awkwardly. I avoided eye contact with the hostess and just started to scan the room when I saw Jennifer peek out from the booth and wave at me. I smiled and walked over, hugged her and she laughed, "oh good! You're me sized!"
If you would've told me a few years ago that I would be meeting people from all over the Internet, I probably wouldn't have believed it. Even beyond the "from the Internet" part, meeting people is hard when you are a five foot Lorraine Valverde. (So, basically, me.)
Last Sunday, though, I got to meet Jennifer of Starving, Insatiable. I've mentioned her a few times here as my "favorite Florida girl." I'm pretty sure she was the first Florida blogger I got to know thus cementing her position as my favorite. Despite only living four hours apart, we just finally got around to being in the same place at the same time.
Jennifer text me on Saturday while I was in Tampa to ask if I had any food preferences. It's a tricky question, though, right? When you are meeting someone new? I didn't want to be all, "oh, I only eat chicken" and then have her be all, "chicken is against my religion" or something, you know? Just me?
Anyways I answered with a pretty safe, "I like breakfast." I think I typed it that way when really in my head it was more like, "OMGOMG BREAKFAST NOW PLZ."I really like breakfast. She was super accommodating and picked a place very near me where we could have brunch.
Now, meeting fellow bloggers is always really exciting, in an entirely nerve wracking way. It's a weird place between knowing a person but maybe not really knowing them? It's having all the familiarity of having, let's say, read their journal for years, with all the awkwardness of a first meeting.
I tried not to think about this and was consoled when Jennifer made a comment about not knowing how to greet me when she first saw me. "Do I hug you or shake your hand..." she asked. I laughed and then remembered that I went straight in for the hug. I looked back down at my menu and hoped that was okay.
I apologized for my lack of voice and promised that I didn't normally sound that way. It was really bad, guys, though she didn't make fun of me or anything. Very diplomatic. We talked a little about our families and lack of Spanish-speaking skills. We talked about being Floridians and how much we love wearing dresses. We talked about how in our late 20's, nightlife is changing.
"I just want friends who understand that sometimes I like staying in on Saturday nights," I said and she looked at me sympathetically.
"I don't know what I'd do if I ever found myself single again," she mused. "I'm lucky my current boyfriend liked the quiet girl who was standing behind the other girls."
We talked a lot about blogging. Neither of our families know about our blogs and it's always refreshing to talk about LttP out in the open.
"What do I call you, anyways," she asked me, well into our meal. Jen is one of a few readers who knows my real name. "I didn't even realize Lor wasn't your name until you sent me that message one day."
Story of my blog life. I smiled and assured her I was used to hearing Lor and she could call me that. The more we talked about blogging, the more we talked about the good, the bad and the marked as read. She mentioned a plan to highlight her favorite blogs and that all evolved into me having some "homework" after I left. To be clear, Jennifer also told me she was totally kidding but after she graciously treated me to a brunch where I consumed an omelet the size of my head, the least I can do is participate.
I'm pretty sure I said, "it was so great to meet you," about 10 times between paying for the meal and walking out to our cars. She said I could call her again if I were even in the area so I'm chalking that up to success.
Now, for my homework. She asked me which of my own posts were my favorites. I've listed the seven below in no particular order. It's always hard to go back and read and some of this stuff felt like I just wrote it yesterday. I'm not claiming these are my best or funny or um, cool, or anything; just my personal favorites.
Lorraine's Seven Favorite Lorraine Posts
1. The Breakfast of Champions - "My cereal would more likely feature leprechauns, unicorns, and fairies. My cereal is often in the "family" section of cereals, so that I feel judged for eating it even though I'm not actually buying it for a "family." So, I posed this question to my friends: does anyone actually eat Wheaties?"
2. Moldy Adventures - "I never leave a four way stop happy."
3. I Will Not Talk Bad About Valentines Day - "I'm obviously taking my girly cart into the men's side of the aisle when I'm shopping for razors"
4. Here Kitty, Kitty - "I wish I knew how to speak Spanish. All I know how to say is that there is a cat in my pants."
5. Stalk You Like Woah - "Also great is that it's mostly caused by overuse of muscles. Hahahahahaha. I mean, I haven't been lifting THAT many zebra cakes. I read another article (probably not scientific) that said something about this mostly happening to athletes, especially rowers. Yep. Athletes and Lor, that sounds about right."
6. How Are You? - "Mostly because at the exact moment I was calling Sara names, I also had another window open where I was watching my second episode of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" of the day. It's getting really good, because I'm in season two, and Clark and Lois are figuring out they like each other which means the Saxophones of Impending Sexy Time are working over time, and those are my favorite."
7. The One With a Lot of Teeth - "I mean, I HATE DORA. Like irrationally. Like with a fiery passion that is usually reserved for people and situations that are real. But it doesn't matter because I hate her."
It feels like I've got a ton of stuff to update you on, which I will do soon, but quickly: I went to see The Hunger Games this morning, which I have all sorts of thoughts on, I had an interview this week, I'm going to be taking care of nieces full time until I find a job, and as the second part of this post, I will be highlighting some blogs I like to read over the course of the next few posts.
I hope you all have wonderful weekends. I honestly wish I could meet you all.
Or, you know, most of you.
;)
Lorraine Says: The Last Time I Was Here
We were driving down Dale Mabry, seven adult cousins in a mini-van, heading back home after a successful quest for snacks. I forget what I was saying, or what I was trying to say, when my cousin Sweet whipped around and looked back at me.
"What the heck is wrong with your voice?"
"I don't know," I squeaked. "It's getting worse... and I'm not going to shut up, so..."
That basically sums up the best weekend of my year so far: unable to breath properly, without a voice, squeaking and squawking, but surrounded by family, completely happy and unwilling to shut up.
This trip almost didn't happen. Thursday I woke up clearly having had sweat out a fever throughout the course of the night. The evidence was in my achy body and my suddenly crimped hair. It wasn't a good look.
"What the heck is wrong with your voice?"
"I don't know," I squeaked. "It's getting worse... and I'm not going to shut up, so..."
That basically sums up the best weekend of my year so far: unable to breath properly, without a voice, squeaking and squawking, but surrounded by family, completely happy and unwilling to shut up.
 |
| This is a reenactment. |
Lorraine Says: Baby Fever
I'm not sure how many of you, my dear readers are blessed with siblings. As you all know, I have two sisters, and one of the strangest parts of my 20-something life, of growing up and growing older, has been watching them grow older two.
Let me just astound you with some facts:
My older sister Pink turns 30 this year.
Pink has two daughters.
My younger sister is now four months pregnant.
Okay, so maybe those facts aren't actually astounding to anyone but me. People grow up and have kids and la la la, the circle of life.
Let me just astound you with some facts:
My older sister Pink turns 30 this year.
Pink has two daughters.
My younger sister is now four months pregnant.
Okay, so maybe those facts aren't actually astounding to anyone but me. People grow up and have kids and la la la, the circle of life.
Lorraine Says: Clearly, I Need a Puppet Now
So, the other day, in my now indefinitely long quest to constantly entertain myself, I did something I probably should never do: I watched a documentary.
Netflix is now instant streaming "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey." Sigh.
Netflix is now instant streaming "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey." Sigh.
Lorraine Says: Time Greedy
It's March my dears and I celebrated by "borrowing" my sister's debit card and using it to buy us tickets to the midnight showing of the Hunger Games. She wasn't even mad about the whole borrowing thing because I bought Hunger Games tickets with it, and who can be mad at that?
Since getting laid off last week, not a whole lot has happened. I mean, I feel like I should clarify that when I wrote my last post, most of the wallowing had passed. It was a very small window of wallow. I'm up and at 'em. I'm searching for a new job. I'm not sitting around in bed too much. I'm feeling like my usual self, thanks in part to all of your wonderful comments. Each comment was like an individually wrapped pack of two zebra cakes. I know that might seem like I'm exaggerating the importance of your comments, but no. They were each that delicious, and again I thank you guys for the support and encouragement.
You learn a lot about things and stuff when you have so much time to yourself, and more importantly, with your self.
Since getting laid off last week, not a whole lot has happened. I mean, I feel like I should clarify that when I wrote my last post, most of the wallowing had passed. It was a very small window of wallow. I'm up and at 'em. I'm searching for a new job. I'm not sitting around in bed too much. I'm feeling like my usual self, thanks in part to all of your wonderful comments. Each comment was like an individually wrapped pack of two zebra cakes. I know that might seem like I'm exaggerating the importance of your comments, but no. They were each that delicious, and again I thank you guys for the support and encouragement.
You learn a lot about things and stuff when you have so much time to yourself, and more importantly, with your self.
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