O-H-I love Jon Stewart-O

Everyone watch The Daily Show this week as they broadcast from Columbus, Ohio.

In a sketch tonight where Samantha Bee thinks she grew up in Columbus and is touring her "house she grew up in", Bridget Kahle is the homeowner and she's my legal drafting professor. Very cool.

I'm back - sort of

Well I've decided that when I have time I'll throw up a post every now and then. I'm ridiculously busy with school, my upper level writing class, and a 20 hour work week, but I'm never too busy for my thoughts.

I haven't told anyone I plan on blogging again, so the only purpose this blog serves anymore is an outlet for my thoughts and perhaps some reading for the random person who stumbles upon this blog.

What's that Gilda Radner quote? The one about how much she thrives in not knowing what comes next? Something about "delicious ambiguity?" I don't view it the same way. While it can be exciting jumping into the unknown, there are apsects of my life where I just want some certainty. Jobs and my love life are two examples. I'm not all gloom and doom about either of those scenarios. I have no doubt that everything will work out just fine for me. But instead of thriving in the unknown, I'm having small bouts of anxiety.

There's so much I want to change about myself. But I'm not sure we can change who we are at the core. The things that drive me crazy about my mother I see in myself. I want to resist those traits and not display them. But I fear it's impossible. We are who we are. Genes are genes. As much as I want to deny it, I am going to be just like my mother. I guess there could be worse things in life.

Buckeye Faithful

I came home to Cincinnati this weekend to spend time with my lovely family. To my horror and dismay, this morning it was discovered that Cincinnati cable was not carrying the Ohio State game, but that a Dayton channel was carrying it. My Dad and I weighed our options but didn't really feel like spending 3+ hours at a sports bar. We discovered that using the antenna on our small TVs in the bedrooms brought in the Dayton channel we needed. The best place we got reception? Outside on the deck. The quality of the picture? Not so great. So my Dad and I spent 3 hours outside on the deck, on patio furniture, watching a 20 inch TV with a fuzzy picture. Go Bucks!

The wind of change is blowing wild and free

I am starting a new chapter in my life and it doesn't include this blog. Farewell.

I'm a loser

I'm serious. I'm a real loser. Tim Horton's has been carrying on this Roll up the Rim to Win contest. The premise is simple. You purchase a hot beverage of any size and then you roll up the rim to see if you have won a prize. They are giving away SUVs, barbecues, plasma TVs, cash, and free food or drink from Tim Horton's.

This contest has been going on since February 27th. Since then I have bought coffee from Tim Horton's every weekday. So I have bought approximately 20 coffees since the commencement of this contest. On the cup, it says odds of winning a coffee or donut are 1 in 9. So, theoretically and based on odds, I should have two free coffees under my belt. But this is not the case. I have won zero prizes. Every time I roll up the rim to win, the same message taunts me, "Please Play Again." My co-worker, who does not frequent Tim Horton's nearly as much as I do, has won a free coffee. I am officially a loser. My only hope is that the contest continues through May, so there is still time. And since I keep losing, when I finally do win I think it's going to be a TV.

Something interesting, and which I totally do not understand, is that on the cup it says in Canada to redeem your prize, a skill-testing question is required. What? So, I downloaded the rules and regulations, and it says the following:

In USA: U.S. participants are not required to answer a skill-testing question. Upon verification, of the Rim Tab, a food prize will be awarded.

In Canada: If you are eligible to win a coffee or donut, complete a contest prize claim form. Canadian participants ONLY must sign the declaration and answer the skill-testing question (below on the contest prize claim form) and, together with their eligible "winning" Rim Tab, present it to participating Tim Horton's stores. Before being declared a Canadian winner, your Rim Tab and answer to the skill-testing question must be verified.

And the skill-test question is: Multiply 5X11
Subtract 3
Add 8

What? In Canada, to win a free Donut or coffee (which cost no more than $2), you have to be able to do basic math and actually fill out and sign a form? This makes no sense to me. All you have to do in the U.S. is hand the person behind the counter your rim. I wonder why the difference? Strange, but oddly funny, is that apparently the only way you're worthy of a free donut or coffee in Canada is if you can come up with an answer of 60. It must be tough to be Canadian.

Bday Recap

I had a wonderful birthday. My schedule was favorable to festivities, so I had what my friends and I referred to as a birthday trifecta.

Wednesday: Some friends and I went to Coaches for some beers and pool. It was "Old School" night and I drank Natural Light...in a bottle. This was something new for me. Also something new to my friends: I cannot break in pool.

Thursday: A super laid back night as some friends and I chilled at the Pointe Tavern. Beers and big screens with basketball. It was early to bed that night due to the raucous events of the next day.

Friday (St. Patrick's Day and my birthday): Woke up at 6:30 am to go to Flannagan's, who claim they have the Biggest St. Patrick's Day party in Ohio. And to be honest, I don't doubt it. When we left around noon, I couldn't believe how crowded it was. We went early to celebrate the day with the local radio station's morning show, The Morning Zoo. My friends and I love the Morning Zoo - they're hysterical. I received a birthday shoutout from Jimmy Jam, which people heard because I was soon receiving telephone calls about said shoutout. Making the day even better, Derek, braving his sickness and dislike for waking up early and crowded, drunk-frat-guy-filled bars, surprised me by showing up at Flannagan's at 7:30 am. That trickster told me he had to work. At 10am Saving Jane went on and we all sang along loudly to their hit "Girl Next Door." We stayed until around noon and after five hours of drinking beer, it was time to sleep/pass out. But what fun it was. I will probably go back next year.

On Saturday, although post-birthday trifecta, I had a nice day with Derek where we saw V for Vendetta and he taught me some stick shift driving. It's all about learning the mechanics. Then, he took me for a lovely birthday dinner at M. Dinner was amazing as was my company and it rounded out an outstanding birthday weekend.

Thank you to all my friends and family.

Now it's Spring Break 06 and I am spending it here in Columbus, working full time, with reports of an impending ice storm. Wild and crazy.

I Heart TV

It's time for the 15 on 15 and this month it is TV shows. Now, I blame my sister for a lot of the shows on this list. She had quite an eclectic taste in what she considered good television and when you're plopped on the couch after school, you're subject to the whims of the person in charge of the remote (which was always Meghan).

15. You Can't Do that On Television - This show was classic. My sisters and I would create our own talking out of the lockers scene with closet doors. My parents were not such a big fan of that one. The slime scenes would be reenacted in the swimming pool (along with the requisite Little Mermaid scene).

14. Days of Our Lives - This is the only soap opera I ever got hooked on. My mom was always an All My Children and One Life to Live watcher, but somehow over the summers off from school my sisters and I got hooked on this one. We started watching when Vivian buried Carly alive. That was awesome. And then Marlena was possessed by the devil. And Stefano would NOT die! And Hope was actually alive, but she had amnesia and thought she was Gina. And Carrie got acid thrown on her face and we referred to her as "Patches" and then she rode off into the sunset with Mike, but now she's back! And Roman died, but he really didn't. My goodness soap operas are amazing.

13. Trading Spaces - Have you ever turned this on in the middle of a marathon? Don't. Because you will be hooked. This show is like crack. Two years ago on Christmas Day they had a marathon and my sisters, mom, and I could barely tear ourselves away from the TV to see what Santa had brought. I love Verne and sometimes Genevieve. Paige Davis? Has got to go - she bugs.

12. Breaker High - This was a show on UPN that came on after school after episodes of Sweet Valley High. Does anyone else remember this show besides me? It only ran for one season. These students lived and went to class on a boat. And of course there was quirkyness, and romances, and a hot guy. And a young Ryan Gosling. This was where Meghan first fell in love with him. She always reminds me that she saw him first. (She then proceeded to follow him to his turn as Young Hercules - I was not a fan of this show, however.)

11. Wonder Years - The summer before my sophomore year in high school, I worked at a pizza call center where I would work until 10 o'clock on Sunday nights. When I got off work, I always had the same routine. Before logging off I would place an order for breadsticks with cheese, get in my car, pick up my food, go home, sit on the couch with my breadsticks and a Diet Coke and watch The Wonder Years on Nick at Nite. Those were good Sundays.

10. I Love Lucy - I don't remember where I saw these episodes, but my mom loved them. And nothing beats classic Lucy - she was hysterical. Vitameatavegamine? Breaking the chocolate conveyor belt? Fantastic.

9. Dawson's Creek - This show defined my high school years. I shopped at American Eagle so I could dress like Joey Potter. I watched it every week and would talk about it with my friends at school. It was such a cool show and my high school crush bore a striking resemblance to Pacey. Now the reruns are on weekday mornings on TBS. The college years got lame but the old school, Pacey sleeping with a teacher episodes are classic.

8. Animaniacs - Bologna in our slacks. Hahaha. I think this show would be so much more funny if I watched it now that I know a little more. This show was on right after school when I was in the 5th and 6th grade and I rarely missed it. Yakko, Wakko, Dot, Slappy the Squirrel. They were great. On an hour long drive to a basketball tournament, I terrorized my friend Jennifer by making her sing "Pinky and the Brain" in a round with me. NARF!

7. Saved By the Bell - I don't think much more can be said about this show other than every person our age has seen it and knows every episode by heart. What an impact this show had on our generation.

6. Sex and the City - I did not catch a single episode of this show when it was new. I didn't get HBO, so I only heard of this show by word of mouth and my mom bought me Season One as a gift because she had also heard good things about it. Now I own every single season on DVD, watch the reruns on TBS, and wish for the glamorous lives these women lived.

5. The Price is Right - My sister and I would watch this show constantly. When she was little and didn't actually know what it was called, she referred to it as "Come on Down." Good enough guess as any, I guess. Now when I have a day off, I usually try to catch this show. Plinko, I'm down. Lucky 7s? Hell yes. This show is old as the hills but still has its appeal.

4. Gilmore Girls - As I have said in a previous post, this show is excellent. I adore every part of it: the writing, the cultural references, the fast-paced dialogue, the meta, the sleepy little town where the show takes place. I don't know why, but I just love it...I would love to be Lorelai Gilmore (minus the having a baby out-of-wedlock at age 16).

3. Law and Order - I don't know what I would do without TNT playing these reruns. Watching this show gets my adrenaline pumping and I think how cool it would be to be an ADA in New York City. Even the cast changes haven't hurt the show any.

2. American Idol - I know some people (Derek) think it's crazy that this show is on my list and so high. However, I have watched every single episode of every single season and even voted many many times. I get so involved and invested in the outcome of this show. There was even a little wager between friends and I in Season 2 between Ruben and Clay. This show made me a Kelly Clarkson fan, which I am today. This show bonds me and my parents who watch. After the show, we'll always call each other and discuss who was good, who was bad, and who we love. No other show has had this kind of effect.

1. Beverly Hills, 90210 - I remember where I was the day after the episode aired where Donna finally lost her virginity. I was in junior high, we were at lunch, and my friends and I were talking about the episode while I ate Cheetos and a chocolate malt (this is crazy weird that I remember this. I know.) I loved this show and have watched it on reruns so much. I am waiting for the day Aaron Spelling releases all 10 seasons on DVD because I will race to the store to buy all of them. Drama, high school, love, intrigue, and death - it had it all.