January 2012
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Year of the Rabbit →
In honor of Chinese New Year, Lena and I have been analyzing our zodiac animals. I am a rabbit.
I find these characteristics from chinesezodiac.com particularly insightful in terms of my personality:
The Rabbit symbolizes such character traits as creativity, compassion, and sensitivity.
Rabbits are friendly, outgoing and prefer the company of others.
Classy, sophisticated, expressive, ...
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The pillow that makes long-distance relationships... →
On Friday afternoon one of my coworkers sent me the link above and wrote something like, “Hey, have you seen this? It’s a little extreme…and perhaps a little creepy, but I thought of you.”
After reading about the “interactive pillows that allow lovers to sleep together — even if they’re separated by continents or oceans,” I’ve determined that it is,...
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119 Amazing Facts for National Trivia Day →
The long-lost (and over-fed) blogger returns!
I apologize for the infrequency of my posts this month. I have been busy traveling, celebrating Christmas through binge eating no less than five times, welcoming in a new year, and getting back to work after a rejuvenating 10-day vacation.
I decided to break my silence to wish you all a Happy National Trivia Day!
My friend, Jen, introduced me to the...
December 2011
8 posts
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Smoke Screening →
As you stand in endless lines this holiday season, here’s a comforting thought: all those security measures accomplish nothing, at enormous cost. That’s the conclusion of Charles C. Mann, who put the T.S.A. to the test with the help of one of America’s top security experts.
My coworker, Travis, is such a little darling that he decided to provide me with this article about the flaws in...
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Laura's 10 easy steps to Christmas trip packing
1. Wash all of the clothes you own.
2. Start selecting outfits for the trip ahead.
3. Pick accessories that match each outfit.
4. Begin considering over-analyzing all of the possible activities that may await you, taking into consideration the unlikely chance that you’ll go swimming in Minnesota in December, need a costume, have to transition an outfit from day to night, be too cold, be...
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Goodbye fat pants
For the first time in our three-year history as roommates and our six-year history as friends, Lena and I have lost weight at the same time. This is not supposed to be a post about vanity or our best impression of a Subway “Jared” commercial. I honestly didn’t realize that my clothes had become so incredibly huge until I brought home new pants and compared them to the glorified...
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Holidaze
It’s beginning to look and feel a lot more like Christmas. Last night Lena and I did a little holiday shopping downtown, and we splurged on $1 tacos — hooray for Taco Tuesday and Feliz Navidad to you all.
We also treated ourselves to buy-one-get-one frozen yogurt because of a Christmas promotion. I sampled the fro-yo flavored like egg nog, but I wasn’t impressed enough to commit...
November 2011
10 posts
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Angelic evening
Tonight — in honor of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — I’m devouring the last piece of my birthday ice cream cake, staying home where neither of the TVs work, listening to Lissie, and thinking about how great it is to indulge in potatoes and nachos whenever I please.
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Northward bound
I am incredibly excited for my upcoming Thanksgiving trip to Minnesota. Tonight I began filling my suitcase even though I don’t fly out until Wednesday, which means my level of anticipation has somehow overcome my intense hatred for packing.
Two of my coworkers took trips to the Midwest within the past few weeks, and they made me jealous with tales from Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and...
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WatchThe Petersons were on TV, dontcha know!
Every once in a while my hometown of Cannon Falls makes the local news, and I was happy to see WCCO’s coverage of Turkey Day incorporated Ferndale Market, which is quite an asset to our little community.
During my brief days in television reporting, I learned that the news industry is rarely inclined to share stories about genuinely nice, genuinely...
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Save the Date
Yesterday the cutest little save-the-date postcard showed up in my mailbox. My pals Steph and Erik are getting married in Minnesota in June, and Steph is tackling loads of wedding planning tasks in addition to finishing grad school, prepping for life as a foreign service officer and generally acting as a super human. You go girl.
This postcard directs people to Steph and Erik’s wedding...
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“You have to live, you know, in order to understand the Gospel. You have to live....”
– Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion, Sept. 3, 2011
—- In honor of election day —-
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Twenty-four
Despite my better judgment, I’ve done it.
I’ve moved from my early 20s to my mid 20s. My friend Beth (see No. 1 below) was kind enough to remind me that this age bracket jump is much better than moving from the late 20s to the early 30s. Yet, I know that I’ll blink; I’ll turn 30; I’ll think, “It seems like I just wrote that dang blog post about turning...
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Kim Kardashian vs. education
sethpalmer3:
“So Kim Kardashian is getting a divorce, 72 days after a wedding that is variously reported to have cost $10 million or more. Just to put that in perspective, that sum could have built 200 schools in poor countries around the world for kids who desperately want an education. Then Kardashian could have helped transform the world, not just entertain it. And the schools would...
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October 2011
8 posts
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“Why does eating make you fat? I think being mean should make you fat instead.”
– A quote from Maggie, one of my Ithaca College peers
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Wisgansin
Today I had the opportunity to speak with my friend, Arthur, who is in the midst of his first trip to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit one of our fellow Ithaca College friends. He insists on referring to the state as “Wisgansin” to poke fun of the native accent, but admitted that it’s pretty cool…meaning both chilly and awesome (naturally). This is ultimate praise coming from a...
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It's a small town Saturday night
David has been overseeing the installation of new equipment at a lactose processing plant in Norfolk, Nebraska, for the past few months. Lately he’s been making trips to the plant to manage the project in person. As you can tell, he’s enthusiastic about the nightlife options in Norfolk. The No. 1 tourist attraction in the community is the county history museum, so he knew he was in...
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One year.
I’ve been a fully-employed, benefits-receiving, vacation-accruing worker bee for the past 365 days.
I feel a tinge of accomplishment but much more nostalgia for my adolescence.
September 2011
9 posts
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“In a few decades, the relationship between the environment, resources and...”
– Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner
April 1, 1940 - September 25, 2011
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Savoring Savannah →
One of the Star Tribune’s columnists took a trip down to the Hostess City, and he made a fairly accurate assessment of Savannah.
Touristy Savannah, that is.
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All things considered
Tonight I attempted to pick one topic to blog on, but I’ve decided that my day was a compilation of various mini-triumphs. I’m just going to rattle them off, and you’ll have to read and be amused, or read and deem me ridiculous. Ready, set, go….
Happy first day of autumn, everybody! I started my workday with Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte in-hand and that, my...
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One wise woman in a world of nonsense →
“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you.
But I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry...
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The sweet smell of success
Lena’s bedroom door has been obnoxiously squeaky for quite a while. Tonight Lena and I christened our very first can of DW-40 and sprayed down the hinges. Her door is now back in silent working order, and we only managed to use 1/1000th of the can. Since we had so much spray left (and loved the instant gratification) we proceeded to tame the minor squeals of my bedroom and bathroom doors.
...
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Gus and Lula →
Earlier this evening I was sitting in the comfy living room chair looking at my Facebook when I said to Lena, who was sitting across from me on the comfy living room sofa, “Isn’t it nice that we’ve reached the age where we can look at our friends’ babies on the Internet and adore their cuteness without needing our own?”
As I spoke I flipped around my laptop to show...
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Fashion flop
Tonight I went to downtown Savannah for Fashion’s Night Out, my city’s petite version of a national event where shoppers indulge in special FNO discounts and promotions. The event should have been bank account-busting fun, but I walked away with only one purchase: a new set of bracelets. I simply cannot enjoy shopping solo in Savannah. I’m picky and the kind of person who needs...
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August 2011
20 posts
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What's in a name?
Lena and I were just discussing odd names we’ve heard of since moving to Georgia. Here’s my favorite:
La-A
Now take a moment to pause and ponder how you’d pronounce that.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Think.
Think.
La-A is pronounced LaDASHuh.
The dash don’t be silent, yo. This is my life. I really live here.
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It's time to 'choose the next generation over the...
President Obama visited Cannon Falls yesterday.
Yes, I know. This is old news…yesterday’s news…not news at all.
But what you may not know is that Cannon Falls made its mark on social media history during Obama’s visit. While I cannot support this claim with 100 percent certainty, I’d presume Mr. President prompted the first-ever appearance of “Cannon...
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Reasons to love Minneapolis/St. Paul →
In addition to my official title of writer/editor in the office, I informally serve as fourth floor social coordinator. This position essentially requires me to remember my officemates’ birthdays, announce special occasions and bake outrageously caloric, sugary treats. Luckily, during my youth in Minnesota I cultivated a talent for creating pies and pastries, cakes and cookies. This leads me...
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Little kid lingo
I was struck by an uncontrollable hunger pang while sitting at my desk this past Thursday afternoon. The ache was of no fault but my own because I foolishly attempted to eat a salad for lunch. Some people, namely skinny girls, swear that they can eat only a salad and achieve supreme digestive fulfillment. I have never reached such a state of nirvana after eating foliage. Instead, leafy greens make...