Open Mouth, Insert Foot

When I'm in a conversation where people start talking about their talents, I clam up and just listen. I hear people talk about musical talents, artistic talents, social talents, and even medical, legal, and educational talents. My sisters are talented; among their many talents, Melissa is a very gifted cook, Marianne is a gifted writer, and Kate is extremely crafty - give her a marker and a piece of paper, and you'll be amazed at the results. My brothers are talented, too. Mike is very artistically and technologically gifted, Dan is socially gifted - he's got a ton of charisma; Steve is educationally gifted - the kid has brains like no one I've ever met! - AND he's talented with quick wit, and Shawn is THE master punster - he's very gifted with words.
Me? Excuse me as I puff my chest out with pride as I share that my talent is...
Sticking my foot in my mouth.
UGH.
I have a talent for unintentionally saying the WRONG things.
Let me give you a few examples:
#1. A few years back, I was at a Denny's with my sisters getting ice cream. I LOVE chocolate shakes, so I got one at Denny's. When we were getting ready to leave, Mar asked how my shake was. I turned to her and said, "I've had better."
Ever seen "Liar, Liar" with Jim Carey? That's what he says to the woman he's in bed with, when she asked how it was for him. So that's what popped into everyone's mind when I said, "I've had better."
What Came Out: I've Had Better
What I Meant: There's better ice cream at other restaurants
What it Sounded Like: I wasn't thinking about ice cream at all, I was thinking about... something else.
#2. One day several years ago I was watching TV with, again, my sisters and cousin, Emily. One of those "Bod" commercials came on - you know, the ones selling a body mist for men, that have the totally hot, ripped guys with women falling all over them saying "I want your Bod." So I say, "I don't think I could do a bod like that." Again, a sexual reference I didn't mean to make.
What Came Out: I Don't Think I Could Do A Bod Like That
What I Meant: I don't care much for muscle-bound men - I like husky guys best
What it Sounded Like: I'm a picky little hussy

The other day at work, a couple of guys were teasing me about rooming with a guy - particularly a very shy, quiet, single guy we're all familiar with. They asked me if I was so immature and naive that I couldn't control myself with a male roommate. (One is LDS and the other was raised LDS, and they know I react easily, so of course they were just teasing me.) So out comes my talent, and the foot goes in the mouth: "It's not ME I'm worried about, it's HIM!" Yet again, more unintentional innuendo.
What I Said: It's Not Me I'm Worried About, It's Him
What I Meant: He could be a serial killer, would I want to put myself in that position
What it Sounded Like: Oh sure, like he could contain himself around ME, I'm so hot!

Not to worry, though! I've figured out a way to cure myself of this unsavory talent.

I just have to stop talking. :)

Celebrity Crushes

Yes, I realize my last post was about a celebrity crush, but I have another one. (I have lots, let's be honest.) I was house/dog sitting over the weekend, and since there isn't much I can do with three dogs on a snowy evening, I hung out with them in the basement and watched T.V. I noticed on the Guide that a movie was going to be on that I'd never seen - one that a friend told me I should watch, because it was a total "Mel Movie." (Man, I shouldn't be so dang transparent.) So I watched it - "Bend it Like Beckham" - and fell in love with this guy:

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. OH man. There's something about an athlete with an Irish accent... the only thing he lacked was fangs and eternal damnation, hehe. Wouldn't he make a great vampire?? Yes, yes he would. He's on a series currently running (or, at least it was on this year) called "The Tudors" - looks pretty gritty if you ask me, but I'd ALMOST watch it for this guy.

And yes, I REALLY need to get out more.

Eternal Damnation, Anyone?

I have a new crush. His name is Alex O'Loughlin - but I know him as Mick St. John, from my new favorite show 'Moonlight.' The picture does NOT do him justice - you have to actually see him in the show. He is DREAMY. Oh, and he's a vampire.

Most people who know me, know that I am obsessed with vampires right now - after reading Stephenie Meyers' 'Twilight' books, mere mortal men just don't do it for me anymore. I'm all about eternally damned monsters. ATTRACTIVE eternally damned monsters. So when mom and I happened across this show a couple of weeks ago, and learned it was about vampires (she likes vampires now too, hehe) we decided to watch. The show itself isn't anything special so far... it's a murder-mystery without the mystery. Very predictable. But there IS something about it that draws attention - probably the vampires, hehe. Mick St. John is a private investigator -and a vampire with morals, like the Cullens - who hunts down and kills bad guys, and at the same time is watching over Beth, whom he saved when she was a child. So you know it's going to turn into a love story - they opened that right up at the beginning. But there are so many pretty people in it to watch - among whom is another favorite, Jason Dohring of the 'Veronica Mars' fame.

OH yes, we love Jason. He's exactly like Logan Eccles (his character in Veronica Mars) but with fangs. He's the 'leader' of the vampires - kind-of like the Volturi in the Twilight books. Very boyish and cute - and irresistible.

Read about the show and the other characters at http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/moonlight/

In the meantime... I'm just gonna sit back and look at my attractive, eternally damned new crush. *Sigh*

FINALLY!!!

OCTOBER WEATHER! It's about time. This 80-degree crap is just bizarre October weather. But it was rainy and windy and cloudy an creepy all weekend - now THAT is what I'm talking about! Fun colors in the canyons, creepy weather, and Halloween!

At a family dinner yesterday, I was at a table chatting with some cousins, when one of them made the comment that Halloween ceased to be fun after you're too old to trick-or-treat... to use a phrase from Steve, "I disagree vehemently." There's still scary movies (which I don't usually watch), Haunted Deseret where they do scary story-telling, the Haunted Canyon on the Heeber Creeper (geared mostly toward younger kids, but still fun), and I still dress up every year for Halloween - who cares if I don't trick-or-treat? Thanks to my good friend Holly, I get to wear a cool dress! And as Holly says, Halloween is a great excuse to wear a really cool dress that makes you look better than everyone else, hehe. This is me last year:

For anyone that doesn't know the Lord of the Rings movies, this is me as Eowyn, from the Two Towers.

Oh yes, Halloween is for EVERYONE, not just kids! :)

Office Shenanigans

Generally, I like my job. Maybe it's not so much the job itself, as it is the people I work with. I enjoy coming to the office because everyone is so fun, in spite of all the "office politics" that go on, and I have friends here. I also have some... well, not enemies, but... people who don't appreciate my "enthusiasm," I'll just say. :) There's someone that sits nearby that has complained about me twice in the past six months, saying I'm too loud and there is too much visiting going on at my desk. Hey, I can't help it if I'm popular! Okay, I'm kidding. She's right, though, because I'm not that quiet - when I get excited and animated, I get loud. But the people who DO appreciate me... well, for example, last Monday, Mug (Emily) came past my desk, and for some odd reason I got too shy to ask what she was doing for lunch, and to see if she wanted to go out; so all I said was, "I'm SO hungry!" She laughed, and continued on her merry way. (Generally, I'm NOT shy with Mug - she knows me too well.) Ten minutes later, SHE called ME and asked if I had lunch plans and wanted to know if I wanted to go get Mexican food with her and Matt. Um, YEAH!! Either she felt sorry for me not being able to be subtle, or she just wanted to invite me to lunch. Whichever, she's just AWESOME.
The guys in the mail room are a blast. They drive me nuts sometimes - I'll get to my desk, and my computer speakers will be turned up all the way - only I don't notice until my computer makes a blaring noise. (They still deny doing this...) Last year sometime, one of them put a cell phone in my jacket pocket (the jacket was hanging on the back of my chair) when I was away from my desk, and then they called it and the ringer was Darth Vader breathing - scared the crap out of me. The other day, a couple of them (Matt and Dustin) were out visiting at my desk, eating candy, and Dustin picked up a candy corn and aimed it at me, like he wanted me to catch it in my mouth. So I opened my mouth, and he tossed it - but at the last second, I chickened out and closed my mouth and backed away. The fate of the candy corn? It sailed right down my shirt. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, but poor Dustin was mortified. I STILL like to tell people that story because it's so funny. Yep, those mail room guys - they're so fun!
It's people like Mug and the mail room guys that make work so fun. That's the reason I come here every day. The actual work and the paycheck? Minor details. :)