look at the stars, look how they shine for you

so as you can see, i went to the coldplay concert at the gorge this weekend. and i've decided that i'm adding "piano player" to the list of things i'm looking for in a man, thanks to chris martin. he's incredible. & the show was awesome. here are some clips of what i experienced:

ah.
one more concert scheduled! next weekend - death cab. should be another great one!

meanwhile, the house is quiet. anna is with her daddy for 2 weeks and i miss her like crazy already.


love,
rose

her name is rio and she dances on the sand

i was a little worried when i purchased the tickets, but people, you need to know: simon le bon can still SING.
SO so so good! & so much fun.

not so much a fan of "come undone" live... and i think he forgot the words at least once (but i can't remember which song it was -- i think it was during "notorious"?) but i loved "rio", "the reflex" and "planet earth"... but "view to a kill" was my favorite of all.

next weekend: coldplay @ the gorge.
wooooooo!!!!

red white & blue

although i still haven't taken any pictures of where i live, (today! i promise! my camera cooperated long enough for me to take pictures yesterday...) here are some pictures of how we celebrated the 4th -- a parade, a picnic, a bbq, and an awesome fireworks show on the lake.
it was all-american. wooooo!

almost broken camera -slash- new home

i got a phone call a couple saturdays ago. i was in the checkout line and anna was at a birthday party. she ran into a branch and almost poked her eye, but not quite... and during that conversation i was in the checkout line at trader joes. i reached in my purse for my money while on my cell phone trying to determine the severity of the situation -- and my camera bounced out.
everything turned out okay with anna (thank God) -- i'm not so sure about my camera. i took a couple pictures last week while packing, but there are definite issues with it. bummer, because i can't replace it. i'm going to have to live with this stupid broken camera for a long time. it makes me not want to take any pictures because i'm so mad at myself. i swear, i try to take good care of these things. but then in a fit of carelessness i mess it up.
life story.
what i really want to do is take a few pictures of our new home and post them! because i really like it here. it is so cozy chill.
and guess what? today i bought a new bed. white bed, white comforter. i get it delivered tomorrow. i admit, i need to sell my old bed in order to pay for the new one. (craigslist, don't fail me now!) i was going to try to wait until after i sold it, but my back wouldn't let me. i can't get my old bed up the stairs -- it was too big. so i've been sleeping on anna's bed. i've learned that bed is HARD! poor kid. i need to get her a pillow top.
and i have a patio. i'm dreaming of a summer barbeque. (barbecue? what is the right way to spell that word?) i'm also looking forward to planting some flowers out there. i do great with flowers when i don't have to remember to water them every day. at my last place, the deck was covered so the rain never hit it, and i always forgot to water the plants. here, the rain will at least help.
so, yes, i know i need to break out my camera and post some pictures. maybe tomorrow will be the day for that.
today was the day for ikea and the first day of summer quarter. my last quarter. then i hope to get back to my real life - the one where i'm gainfully employed.
oh, but here are the pictures i took when we were packing. i need to explain. to help me pack, i was listening to some rock music... specifically, guns n roses. ever since anna saw slash on american idol, she asks me if slash plays the guitar in just about every rock song she hears. i know to some people that is a whole lot of "wrong", but it is true.
she said he has a magic hat. ha ha!
so while i packed, anna decided to make a guitar out of a piece of cardboard, rubber bands and a kleenex box. instead of writing "guns-n-roses" on her guitar, she just wrote "roses" and drew a picture of a rose on it. at first i thought it was a tribute to me (naturally!), but then i realized it was really all about slash and she just didn't want to write the word "guns" on her guitar. that just makes me smile. that's anna! oh how much i love this kid.
then she put on a show for her stuffed animals -- stuffed animals of which only five made it into the house. because of our stuffy problem, the rest are being stored in the garage. there's just toooo many.
ohmigosh i'm rambling. good night all. i have to get up kinda early so i better get some sleep on the rock hard bed.
love,
rose

mama se, mama sa , mamama coo sa

well, whaddya know! i'm online much sooner than expected. comcast expedited my installation, yet failed to call me to inform that that they were doing so. but it all worked out. and here i am.

and, thanks to facebook, i know that michael jackson, farrah fawcett and ed mcmahon are all dead. i know, i learned it on FACEBOOK. how dumb do i sound?! maybe i should watch more real news. or listen to NPR more often. i'll catch up later after my house is unpacked. listening to music is what is going to help me get this house in order. and we've been listening to a lot of MJ today. my favorite michael jackson songs are wanna be startin somethin, rock with you, billie jean and beat it. i will not say the ones i don't like, because there are many. but these four (and thriller, too) are my best.

now, beat it is a funny song. read the lyrics:

they told him don't you ever come around here
don't wanna see your face, you better disappear
the fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear
so beat it...just beat it

you better run, you better do what you can
don't wanna see no blood, don't be a macho man
you wanna be tough, better do what you can
so beat it...but you wanna be bad

just beat it (beat it) beat it (beat it)
no one wants to be defeated
showin' how funky strong is your fight
it doesn't matter who's wrong or right
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it

they're out to get you, better leave while you can
don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man
you wanna stay alive, better do what you can
so beat it... just beat it

you have to show them that you're really not scared
you're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare
they'll kick you then they beat you
then they tell you it's fair
so beat it, but you wanna be bad

just beat it (beat it) beat it (beat it)
no one wants to be defeated
showin' how funky strong is your fight
it doesn't matter who's wrong or right
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it
just beat it, beat it

beat it. run for your life but act tough doing it. sorry, that just makes me laugh! i love the video, where they're all smoking, coming out of the sewer, running around looking tough... until MJ, in his red leather coat and white socks, breaks up the switchblade fight and everyone becomes friends. or maybe not friends, but at least they can put aside their fight for a dance.

i remember listening to billie jean on a ghettoblaster while jumping rope on the playground in third grade. don't ask me how we got the radio on the playground at recess. maybe a teacher was an MJ fan? my dad even bought the thriller record. and my dad recorded thriller off MTV on the VCR so we could watch it over and over again while we moonwalked.

i had an older cousin who was a HUGE fan - posters all over her wall, sparkle glove, red leather jacket and everything. i was too young to be that boy crazy over him (i was only 8 or 9) but i remember thinking she was sooooo cool.

in high school, i remember watching black or white on MTV while talking on the phone with this friend of mine. i think that video was number one for a month or something. i used to talk on the phone A LOT when i was in high school. and i watched a lot of MTV.

and later, when i was in college, i worked at a grocery store. one night, i was counting my till and i looked up to see this courtesy clerk ride by on a mart kart at 3 mph singing along to will you be there. i don't even remember that kid's name, but that was one of the funniest things i have ever seen to this day.

anyway, that's my lame little MJ tribute. i'm sure this will one of those moments in time when everyone will remember where they were and the how they heard the news.
i was on facebook, waiting for friends to show up to help me move.

and p.s.: i LOVE my friends for helping me move. holy cow. they are the BEST!!! LOVE you guys!!! thank you thank you thank you.

i'm going to collapse now. i'm beat :)

moving right along

i'm moving this week. i've been packing like crazy. i need more boxes, and tape. but i can't leave because someone is coming over to look at furniture i'm selling.

i have a confession. today i took a break, and i scrapbooked!

*gasp!*

actually, nothing went on paper. i just sorted through anna's montessori school projects and picked out items to use in an album. someday.

what i learned from all this today:

1) i still like scrapbooking. even though i haven't done it in a year, i still like it. i needed to do something creative.

2) no matter how hard it is, do not buy more than you need. i know you can get sucked in, trust me. but it is not worth it! it just makes your scrapbooking life overwhelming. best to buddy up with someone if you can. if you buy a paper pack, go halvesies. have a spool of ribbon? split it with a friend. share. it is more fun that way, anyway.

3) i have to move all of this stuff. like, tomorrow. that isn't something i learned, that is just something that i kept thinking about while i was up to my elbows in art projects.

and peeps, who knows when i'm going to be back online. i start moving tomorrow but i don't get cable/phone/internet hooked up until july 3! (and i have this fear that my computer won't turn work when i get it hooked back up, in which case i'll be sending out an s.o.s.)
i still have access to my email and facebook through my cell phone (thank GOD! ha ha!), and summer quarter starts next wednesday so i know i'm either going to have to go to school to check my online courses or borrow a computer from someone. but i don't think i'm going to be able to blog.

you know what else? i received a notification today that the first disk of the first season of Lost is on the way. i'm finally going to watch this show! but the question is, can i watch it while i unpack, or do i have to devote my full attention to it? i've never seen it. furthermore, will my tv/dvd player even work if it isn't hooked up to cable?

and will my itunes work without being hooked up to the internet? either way, i better sync my ipod tonight.

so many technical questions. it could be one loooonggg week.

ANYWHO, wish me luck with this moving thing!

i'm out...for now.

love,
rose

later skater

anna is trying to become a skateboarder.
she's so brave! even with all the gear i make her wear. :)

junk going on in june

1. picked up new glasses because i broke my old ones the week before. i still have no pictures of me with the new pair. i like them and hate them at the same time. someday i will be able to afford lasik. then maybe i can see the "gold slugbugs in the sky" that anna says only girls with "eagle eyes" can see. i don't have eagle eyes and, therefore, lose the slugbug game daily because i can't see the flying golden slugbugs.

2. get my car serviced --which ended up being the most expensive day i've had in a loooong time because i got the car tuned up the same day i got my glasses. somebody needs to queue the 'wah-wah' sound effect when i get my credit card bill next month...

that was also the same day we rode the monorail to the seattle center and saw the movie up in 3D, which was awesome and worth every penny. my favorite line? "tents are hard."

3. garage sale weekend part one. here is the evidence of how much junk my friend jessica & i had. total sanford & son.

4. the annual montessori school hike, the annual montessori school picnic, and anna's last day of kindergarten/montessori school. wow. she's going into first grade! kids and their growing up. geesh :)

5. garage sale weekend, part two: that was today at my sister's house in stanwood. i got rid of so much stuff the past couple weekends. i'm now posting to craigslist. it's time to sell some furniture. sanford & son of the future.

6. finals are this monday... i cannot stress enough how ready i am for this quarter to be over with. i'm a hater right now of all of it. if i think too hard about it, i'll question my entire career. i can't do that right now. i need to get through the rest of this month, because...

7. next week i've also got the thing with the judge and the ex and the attorneys... but la-la-la-la. blocking it out. i have to think about that after finals. for every ounce of me that's a hater, there's equal part over-achiever. it's a balance act. and he's not going to win, anyway.

8. then a break! a glorious break.
i hope for a break.
please.
i need a break.

9. then moving! just down the street.

10. and finally, june is over. then july starts, which is the start of summer quarter, the month i have three concerts (duran duran, death cab for cutie, and coldplay so far...), and the month anna goes to hawaii with her dad.

phew.

well, i just got an email from my team. that bike jersey project. apparently they are waiting on me to wrap up. so much for taking a break from bike jerseys. i better finish this up.

love,
me

one big cupcake

i'm totally going to borrow this pan from my friend, jen, to make a huge cupcake. doesn't that just look like fun?

looooooove it!

my glasses! i can't see without my glasses!

last week was another whopper of a week. among all the dirty laundry (literally and figuratively) i broke my glasses, in half.

wah-wah.

last wednesday afternoon i went on campus for this event for my project management class. i was wearing my prescription sunglasses, so i set my regular glasses in a pocket of my bag. someone moved that bag or set it down elsewhere -- and when i picked it up to leave i reached into the pocket and the glasses had snapped in half. i'm not going to blame anyone but myself. i've been wearing glasses for 23 years. i should know better than to set them in a pocket of a bag.

my most recent spare broke about a month ago. i rarely wear them. but one day i took them out and was thinking of switching it up, but decided against it. set them on the bathroom counter. they got knocked off and i stepped back right on the frame.

so, last week i spent a fair amount of time driving around to see if any place would be able to fit my old lenses in new frames. if you're ever in this situation and desperate enough to try this solution, try something else. don't waste your time or gas. no one could help me.

although, one optician named hans tried. but first he told me, "you're prescription is old."
i said, "maybe a little old, but i can see just fine."
he replied, "remind me to get off the road next time you're driving!"
ok, mr. dramatic. my prescription hasn't changed that much. although at least hans tried to help, but the only frames he could find for me had sparkle flowers on the side.

rose doesn't wear sparkle flower glasses.
ever.

so i got a new eye exam. the doctor told me he'd be able to get me in contacts the same day. i also don't do contacts. i can't stick anything in my eye. even eye drops are hard for me. no.

after my eye exam i drove to lens crafters where i could have a new pair made in an hour. however, they had to order the lenses so the wait would have been just as long as any place else..." looking at a week or so." boo.

still, i browsed. i hate picking out new frames! 1) i can't see. 2) i have to wear these things every single day. and 3) they are expensive. it is like the perfect storm of indecisiveness in my world. bless anyone who goes shopping for glasses with me, because on top of that i've never tried on a pair of glasses i absolutely love. so i'm constantly looking in the mirror making faces and saying things like, "hmmm. i don't know. are you sure?"

i couldn't make up my mind and had too much else to think about, so i left.

the next day i drove to belltown where a different friend could get me an awesome deal on designer frames. ooh-la-la. and i ended up finding a pair. i paid about as much as i would elsewhere, except they are designer. was i crazy about the frames? no. i never am. this time they are brown and metal, with a little bit of green on the sides which i don't think you can really see with my haircut. they sound cute, right? i don't know. it will take some getting used to. i don't pick them up until the end of next week.

meanwhile, i'm using glasses i wore about 11-12 years ago. i look like a dork. but who cares. my eyes hurt, especially when on the computer. i've been typing and not looking at the screen to avoid the eye strain.

i just looked. wow. i wrote a lot.

enough. it's another sunny day. i've got to fit in a ton of homework, a walk and a trip to the grocery store before anna comes home this afternoon. i better get going!

hans, get off the road.

i heart 80s stickers

pop culture junkmail links to this website featuring 80's sticker books.

well, what a co-ink-ee-dink, because look what i found in my closet this week???

i remember having 2 other sticker books. one was a peel-away pine green photo album, the other i remember was kindof small and shaped like a rainbow with a heart or something like that. but this was the only one i must have kept, circa 1985. and here are some pages from it.

enjoy your trip back to 1985!

my sister - written on Jan 9, 1991

"my sister" - written by rose on january 9th, 1991, in mr. wilson's 10th grade english class:

my sister's name is erin marie anonson. she is 1 1/2 years younger than me. at the present time, she is 14 1/2. when we were little, we used to have screaming contests to see who could scream the loudest.

she would do anything i told her to do. i used to help her get into my mom's make-up and then tell on her. she used to be so trusting in me. if i told her to clean my room, she would. now, she knows better.

she is still a trusting person, though. kind of gullible, too. the other day i played a trick on her. i took the phone off the hook and told her she had a phone call. she came in and picked it up, and no one was there. i did that 2 more times in about a 5 minute period, and she still came in. the 4th time i really did make the phone ring, and i told her to answer it. she did. she was really mad. i was cracking up. then she went into the bathroom and hit me with the curling iron 3 times right in the elbow. it still hurts.

when she was in the 1st grade, she wanted to be in student council. she brought home the permission form and asked my dad if he would pledge her money. when my dad asked why, she said, "i'm running for student council." she thought it was like a fund run or a jog-a-thon and had to get pledges to be in the student council.

she is a really good person. she helps me a lot when i'm in trouble and is the best sister anyone could ever have.

well.

1) today i was sad, but mostly mad and plan on kicking some butt really bad.
be glad you're not that guy.
if you are, you suck and i feel sorry for you. but not that sorry.

2) my favorite part of the day was watching last night's recorded american idol with anna and seeing her do her adam lambert impression. that's some funny stuff right there. she is so hillarious!

3) our wonder fish miley has died. i guess she didn't have nine lives after all. RIP our little funny fish! we will miss you and plan on replacing you this weekend. i can't wait to hear what funny name anna comes up with this time... "limey?" so far we've had emily, miley and miley #2.

and well, on that note, i'm going to bed so i can start over tomorrow.

the return of the song of the week

this is the song of the week. matt & kim!



i would have opted for "good ol' fashion nightmare" over "daylight" because that is for sure the song i'm going to have stuck in my head all summer long, but that song isn't isn't on youtube. i like this song too, plus you might know it if you watch commercials as apparently it is featured in a bacardi commercial. i haven't seen it. anyway, it is the song of the week because i saw matt & kim live tonight and the music was happy and bouncy and it put me in a good mood.
the end.
:)

truth time

i messed up on my 100 days workout plan. it all started last week when i was going through some major stress -- a time when i really needed to work out, but couldn't find a minute in which to do it. since then it's been spotty. i really wasn't mad at myself until this morning, when i totally just skipped it in favor of sleep. that is not supposed to happen! but i had such a crappy night of not sleeping that when i really started snoozing nothing but my daughter was going to wake me up.
as far as the plan, i'm not going to start all over again at day 1, but instead i'll continue on as if the last week didn't happen.
works for me! :)