I heart vlogging

Every time I vlog I feel like it’s gratuitous (oh, but vlogging, why can’t I quit you?), and this is two minutes of your life that you will never get back, but I got inspired when Rachel at I’m a Mom in Real Life vlogged about the winner of her contest.

Guess who won, by the way?

ME!

And all I had to do was vote for her new comic blog, which, incidentally, you should be reading. So go there now and add it to your reader.

See what a good contest winner I am? Gettin’ all linky and shit? Future contest holders, take note.

I’m ecstatic about all the prizes, but I am especially excited about this little gem. I <3 it!

So here’s my vlog. You’re welcome. Or I’m sorry. It could go either way.

And yes, I know I have a ridiculous southern accent. Do it, y’all! REDNECK POWER!

Ahem.

Also, in the spot where I focus on my cat Oliver, you can see my foot, and I am wearing the shoes NY so lovingly calls “pilgrim shoes,” because they look like, well, pilgrim shoes.

I gotta P

The lovely, hilarious, and beautiful brookem over at Skrinkering Hearts did one of those posts where you are assigned a letter of the alphabet and then you have to blog about ten things you love starting with that letter. I wanted to participate, so brookem assigned me with the letter P. If you want to participate, leave me a note in the comments and I’ll assign a letter to you. Fun fun!

10 Things That Make LRC’s Life That Much More Enjoyable, Beginning With The Letter P

1. Purring. Those of you who are cat lovers can attest to this—there is nothing more soothing than the sound of a cat purring in your ear. Especially when kitty has that look of contentment on her face, eyes closed and an expression that you’d swear was a smile, if only cats could smile (pictured below). My kitty, Pepper (yep, that’s her in the picture!) is the BEST at purring and snuggling. She has it down to a fine art. I’m one who has to have a low, constant buzzing noise to go to sleep (box fan, let’s elope) and Pepper’s purring soothes me to sleep almost immediately.
2. Photography. This has become a hobby of mine over the past year, since I got my current job and hence inherited the task of handling a big, fancy DSLR camera. The one I use is pictured below. I want to purchase one of my own someday (D90, I’m looking at you), but right now it’s just not in the budget. Thanks, Murray, for leaving me with a mortgage I can’t afford. You’re super! I recently went to a photography class so I could figure out how the eff to use the damn thing. I’m still pretty green at this, but one day I hope to improve and who knows, maybe I can make a side job out of it, photographing events and such. Right now, though? It’s just a hobby.
3. Pearls. They’re just so classy and timeless to me. I love them in any size or color. I’ve begun my own collection; I just can’t stop. My attire can seem a bit stuffy sometimes, what with the cardigans and argyle that can be found in abundance in my wardrobe, but I just love the classic look. Pearls just seem to complement my clothes nicely. Boys: no pearl necklace jokes here, mmkay?
4. Pretzels. Almost every time I go to the mall I get one of those gigantic, greasy, salt-covered pretzels from Auntie Anne’s and devour it in one sitting with a little tub of cream cheese. I don’t care how many calories these things pack. They’re just too damned good for it to matter. And none of that sugary shit. I want my pretzel with big ol’ fat grains of salt all over it. Bring it.
5. Photoshop. I use this on a daily basis, for work and personal use alike. I’m no expert, but I’ve done my fair share of photo editing and illustration in my day. Those of you who use it know exactly why I’m singing its praises. Shit is AWESOME. You can take a totally crappy picture and fix it up. I always make sure to cover up blemishes and shine on people’s faces in photos. I never go too overboard with it (you don’t want the person to look freakish or not like themselves), but it’s great to be able to fix those little imperfections so you have a nice looking photograph. Also, the Pioneer Woman has some SUH-WEET Photoshop actions you can download. “Boost” is a gift from heaven.
6. Puppies. If you don’t like puppies, you have no soul and should probably leave my blog now. I don’t think I want to know you.(from CuteOverload.com)
7. Pulp Fiction. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s so quotable. Most memorable scenes include: Vincent (John Travolta) accidentally shooting that guy’s head off, the infamous dance scene (I can’t check to see if that is a good video or not since I’m at work and YouTube is blocked, so I’m just gonna trust Google), the scene where Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) has the wallet that says “Bad Mother Fucker” on it, the Christopher Walken watch-stuck-up-my ass scene, Jules’ monologue about “laying vengeance upon thee”, the Mia Wallace drug overdose scene . . . I mean, I could go on and on. But I won’t. But I do watch Pulp Fiction pretty much every time it comes on television.
8. Playlists. I love making playlists for EVERYTHING. When I’m working out, when I’m cooking, when I feel like singing, when I feel like DANCING, when I feel like hating men, when I’m feeling sullen, when I feel like chicken tonight (again, at work—can’t check the link) . . . I just love having music to fit my mood. Life’s better with music. Try to disagree with me. (Yes, I actually do have a playlist called “I Feel Like Chicken Tonight.”)
9. Porch Sittin’. In my area of the South, it’s sunny and warm about 632 days of the year (I might be making that figure up) and I love sittin’ (not sitting) on the porch and knocking back a few twelve ouncers while the sun sets and that gentle breeze brushes my skin. Relaxation at its finest.
10. Peen. Duh. I’ve you’ve been reading this blog for more than five minutes you know what a nymphomaniac I am. I can’t get enough of the sausage. You know what I’m talking about—that sweet man meat.

All images were stolen from various sources, so sorry if I stole one of yours. Remember, if you want to participate, tell me in the comments and I’ll assign you a letter.

Eye on the prize

Okay y’all, I need a hobby something SERIOUS. I will never be able to enjoy being single (have I mentioned I have ADD and need constant entertainment in order to function? No? Well I do. So there’s that.) if I don’t have something to occupy my time. Lately, I’ve been Netflixing something FIERCE, but sitting on my couch watching The Office* and whatever random movie I’ve chosen every night is just not going to keep Miss LRC sa-tis-fied.

Well, unless . . . Jim Halpert? Want to come watch with me?

No?

Okay then, photography it is.

So lately, I have been eyeing this little beauty:

*drools*

I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

OH YEAH. Hobbies.

I need one.

And since I have access to all this camera equipment at work because part of my job is photography, I’ve taken a vested interest in it. When you get a great shot? It feels AWESOME. You just want to show it to, like, EVERYBODY.

But here’s my dilemma.

I’m broke.

On the one hand, I feel selfish for wanting a $1000 camera when I have access to perfectly good camera equipment at work, especially when I’m just scraping by every month and I DON’T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO EVEN GO SHOPPING. THE HORROR.

But on the other hand? This is something I am really passionate about, and I think with some time and practice I could be pretty decent at it.

GOOD, even.

Plus, if I use my work camera every weekend, I run the risk of damaging something, and I’d much rather damage my OWN property rather than face the wrath of my she-devil boss.

Plus, it’s nice to have something and be able to say, that’s MINE. You know?

Not to say that I grew up poor. Not at all. My family was probably actually UPPER middle class. But I was not a spoiled child. I got most of my clothes on sale. I hardly ever asked for anything. I got used to having things that weren’t as nice as some of the other kids’ things.

WELL NOW, I WANT SOMETHING NICE, DAMN IT.

My parents don’t understand, as it’s an interest they do not share. My mom regularly goes on ridiculous shopping sprees, and my dad will spend $300 on a pair of boots and over $1000 on a hunting bow, so their opinions on the subject are moot.

Plus, my hobby won’t murder defenseless animals.

I have a couple hundred dollars to put toward it. And I know I can finance it interest-free over two years, which, after buying a lens and paying taxes, etc., would only amount to be about $40 or $50 a month. $40 or $50 a month that I should probably be putting in savings, but you know what? I think my happiness and well-being is worth scrimping and saving for. If I can do something, and do it well, and ENJOY doing it?

That’s worth not being able to have home phone service or designer clothing. Any day of the week.

* I just started watching The Office, from the beginning so no I didn’t watch the latest episode so pls don’t try to discuss it with me kthx, so now I am part of That Group. Anyhoods, I was feeling nostalgic (read: INCREDIBLY BORED AND LONELY) so I tried to fire up my old DOS version of Wheel of Fortune, circa 1987 (YOU KNOW YOU ENVY MY SOCIAL LIFE) and MY FLOPPY DRIVE CEASED OPERATION. Tragic, I know, as we ALL use our floppy drives on a daily basis (that’s what she said). So I googled that shit, and found a TOTALLY FREE version of it here. I KNOW, RIGHT? (This is sarcasm, as, really, who the hell would PAY for this crap?)

(Me.)

This is relevant, I promise.

So away I go, into the land of 80’s terrible quality video gaming based on a mediocre television game show with a REDHEAD VANNA WHITE (WTF?), I enter my name, and who does the computer choose as my opponents?

Happy Friday, everyone!