Do you need a good book to read?

And by " to read" I mean "to listen to", obv.

I saw Blindside back at Christmastime along with the rest of the world. Then I read the book. I was so impressed! The best part? Michael Oher would never have been able to go to college for football without spending a summer taking BYU's online classes to bring his grades up. Michael's dad Sean Twohy referred to it as The Great Mormon Grade Graft.

I read another of Michael Lewis' books a few months ago, Moneyball, which was also interesting. I'm not a huge sports person but each book was well written and kept my attention. They're short and sweet so check them out.

Brittany was kind enough to loan Dawn and me her advance Oscars copy of Blindside so I could re-watch the movie after finishing the book. A Saturday doesn't get much better than that does it?

Actually it does. I recently reread The Great Gatsby as preparation to see the Washington Ballet perform an interpretation of the book. What could make ballet more enjoyable? Jazz! Who would have thought.

Don't you hate it when people cop-out and post about entertainment rather than real life?
Me too...

P.S. The hearse is still around...

Oops....

All I can say is it was a giant-run-in-the-tights kind of day.

Didn't happen until halfway through the workday at which point what could I do? The pictures really don't do it justice, the run is downright trashy and I should've been ashamed walking around the office until 11pm like that.

Oh well.

Here's a tiny glimpse of my bedroom. I do intend to share more photos soon. I think I basically have it set up the way it's going to be, I just need to sort through all the mail and clutter on my desk and bookshelf before it's ready for show and tell.


This kind ward-ie helped me hang my chandelier which made me feel 100x closer to being "done" with my room.

Time for bed.
Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.

Dear Courtney...

I painted my nails last weekend. It was in honor of Valentine's Day and in honor of YOU. Because having painted fingernails makes me think of you and all the bottles of nail polish you went through in Junior High. Thanks for being my friend!

P.S. Wanna go to CoCoSala with me? I really think you'd love it.

Please note the churros...

It's this swanky restaurant lounge where every item on the menu has some chocolate in it.
Like Mac n Cheese garnished with chocolate coated bacon.

Um, yes please.

They serve small plates of many things, which reminded me of pintxos-bar-hopping with you and Kirst in Spain a couple years ago. (And also reminds me I never published the post which included all the pictures of the food we ate that night... Oops)

Oh boy...

I just woke up. Because my head slipped off my hand and hit my laptop.


Is it really only Tuesday?

If a black cat crosses your path...

You have bad luck right?

Well what if the SAME black hearse passes your car on three different mornings when you're driving to work at three very different times? Creepy.

On Saturday I drove down to Fredericksburg for a big antique fair/flea market. I love this vintage wallpaper and wish I had found some to line my desk drawers.

I also wish this mirror had been cheaper. Like $200 cheaper...

On Sunday, new friends Kraig and Michael, plus Dawn and I spent time clearing snow from the banks along the side of the road. And by clearing snow I mean Kraig drove recklessly over large piles of snow while we held on for dear life. Goodness.


P.S. Did I forget to mention last week I got pulled over for the 14th time? (For reversing on a one-way road... I had driven past the person I was searching for and instead of going around the block I just backed up. Completely logical choice, no?) This time by a female cop. I thought for sure I would break my lucky streak. BUT NO. I have now been pulled over 14 times and only received 1 ticket. Ridiculous.

Love this.

Your dress should be tight enough
to show you're a woman
and loose enough to show you're a lady.

--Edith Head
(famous Hollywood costume designer)

Found here via here

Not quite...

As you know, I love my job. And I love the co-workers I sit by. I love the flexibility I have for when I arrive and when I leave.

BUT.

I do not love my desk decor. Or lack thereof as the case now is... I need to put up photos. I need to get control of the cords exploding all over my desk. I need to get some of those cute, stylish desk organization tools I see all over the blogosphere. I've been so focused on my apartment that the desk has taken a back seat...

Back in 2009, I spent a few weeks researching calendars and ended up with several lovely options in my mailbox. One particular favorite is this little $5 pocket-sized calendar with graphic prints on the back side of the little month pages. It's darling. But I haven't figured out a good way to use or display it at work. I don't want to tack them all up to the wall because the printing is really small so I wouldn't be able to see the calendar all the way on the side of my cubicle.

Clearly the only viable option was to tape them around the edges of my second monitor.

Nothing but class going on here.

In case you were wondering...

...what melon looks like when it sits out in The Commons over a 3-day weekend, here is a photo. I thought the janitors would have thrown it out Friday night but not so.

After

Before

Many thanks to Mr. Valentine #3 for the lovely gift delivered to the office on Friday.

In case you were wondering where your campaign contributions go...

Last night, roommate Dawn and I went out to dinner with fancy people at a fancy restaurant downtown. The city is full of staffers in town for CPAC, which I would know nothing about except for the fact that all my friends work in politics nowadays. When the bill came for this lavish meal, 'Bruce' took it and said "Don't worry guys, this one's on the PAC." Which I have come to learn means free dinner/drinks for all. Hands down best part of the night.

Good in theory, but not in reality...

#1 - Homemade Kettle corn...

Failed attempt number three displayed above.

#2 - Me in striped shirts...

I love them always, but I should wear them never. So I compromise by taking a photo in the dressing room.

Better in reality than in theory:
The fortunes in this month's batch of fortune cookies from PF Changs.
Seriously, go get one.

Storm watch!

You've probably heard about the storm in DC by now. I can attest that it is a real snow storm, although Utah will get 5 more storms like this before winter is over.

The snow hasn't really bothered me, except for the fact that I planned to unload my pod into my new apartment this morning. I had movers lined up and everything. But when 8am came, the movers did not show up and I have never heard from them since. I couldn't get the doors of the pod open myself due to the knee-high snow piled in front.


I may have found new movers listed on craigslist as snow shovelers to come shovel out my pod and salt the area tonight. They may have agreed to come back and help me unload it in the morning. They may have then proceeded to get stuck in their truck in a snow bank as they attempted to leave Arlington. They may have then asked for a place to stay. They may be sleeping on the floor in my new, very, very empty apartment while I stay upstairs in my old apartment. I may feel a little weird about it all...

Catching up: Thanksgiving in Utah!

I headed out to Utah for Thanksgiving. It's confusing to my co-workers that I'm FROM Los Angeles but go to UTAH for the holidays. Not exactly sure how I feel about that either, but I digress...

The weekend was so much fun. Particularly, wasn't it great to have two Saturdays in a row after Thanksgiving? Placing that holiday on a Thursday was genius. Or maybe keeping offices closed on the Friday after is the genius part. Where am I going with this...

Things started off with the Orem Turkey Trot. Few things make me happier than a good local community race. And a race t-shirt.

Dinner with extended family.


Of course the BYU vs. Utah football game was a highlight of the weekend!


Loved the vintage blue jerseys!

Did you know you can get a Neapolitan shake? That changes everything.


There is much more I could report on but without good photos what's the point right?
I'm so excited to head back to Utah for Christmas!

Catching up: Visiting Summer in Atlanta.

One of the first things on my East Coast To-Do List was make a trip down to Atlanta to see BFF Summer, Travis and little Finley. I'm so glad timing and flights worked out for me to do so. They have created a beautiful life and home and it was a pleasure to be with them all.


Summer and I talked for a total of 40/48 hours I was in town. It was just what the doctor ordered! We looked through old photos and reminisced about our almost 20 years as friends. Also of note, I had my first experience with the Twilight series. Summer gave me a complete rundown on the first book before we went to see New Moon. I can definitely see why people love the series!

I look forward to seeing them much more frequently!!

**I really need to go through my physical photo boxes and digitize them all. We have some better vintage photos but this is all that's on my computer at this time..**

Catching up: KHill comes to town!

Can you believe how lucky I am? Only a couple weeks in DC and I had my first visitor! It was so fun exploring the city with Kristen, we hit as many hot spots as we could over her long weekend in the city. Seriously, you name it, we checked it off the list.

Mt. Vernon was a particular highlight. I did not know George and Martha had no children together. Instead they raised hers from a prior marriage. While that is sad, in a way it seems inspired. In such a young country with people who were used to royal families and monarchies, it almost seems inspired that there was no "monarchal heir" for our first president. Instead the power shifted smoothly to the next elected official. There is much about the formation of our country that is inspiring, and Mt. Vernon brings a lot of that to mind.

Mt Vernon is also aesthetically inspiring. This is a snapshot of one of the room's inside George and Martha's home. I LOVE this room. I've been scheming ever since about how I can create a Kelly Green room. Look at that ceiling! And that woodwork! And those chairs! Oh I'm in heaven.

Of course the weekend involved great food. This is Eastern Market. Will you please come visit me? Because I NEED more excuses to breakfast here.

Lastly, this photo does a lot to explain why I had to live out here.
Just look at that.

Catching up: Turns out I love my job.

I'll start with a report about work. I really, really love my job. I feel so lucky to be in this office, this group, even sitting next to these people. I could not be in a better situation (at least I think so). I feel well prepared and eager to learn as much as I can (especially anything that can help me do my family/friend's taxes better, now and down the road!). It's our slow season so I haven't been overwhelmed with work which is nice (most of the time). I think I'll be well acclimated by the time busy season begins.

For the first few weeks on the job, we were training all day long. They had us in a couple conference rooms. That is a really great way to get to know people! And to share strep throat...

Even though I did not take a bite, it made me feel better to have the donut sitting right there, can't really explain why.. I mean, it's understandable that I felt awesome controlling myself in the face of such a blatant temptation, right? I thought so too. :-)

On that note, isn't it cute what Steve & IeLi gave me instead of cake on my birthday? Now that's love.

Figures...

>

> Tonight at 515pm...
>
> Me: 'Summer I'm about to miss my flight to Atlanta... There's
> another which leaves an hour later so standby for updates.'
>
> Summer: 'well you wouldn't be a Zackrison if you didn't miss a
> flight now and then!'
>
> Ah she knows me too well... But in my defense, I've gotten much
> better! I'm just adjusting to some new airports...
>
> So excited for the weekend in Atlanta!

Sweet.

These lovelies are out on the EA's desk which is to the left of mine. She's not in today and I'm hidden from view from the hallway. I get a kick seeing how many people come by and take a handful of these m&ms when they think no one is watching. Also interesting: who uses the spoon instead of their hands and who are the main repeat customers.


Oh the little joys of life.

Yesterday I had to be in our downtown office which is steps away from the White House. We finished up at 4:30pm and most people rushed out to beat traffic home (if that is even possible...). I instead took the time to check off some of the DC Walks on my list. I snapped this little shot of the White House. You know, just walking around after work, running into the White House, no big deal. :-) I really enjoy living here.

Last weekend I made the trek out to the DC temple and stopped by the house I lived in for the first 5 years of life. It was very lovely. Note to self: the iPhone gives you the route which is lowest in miles, nonetheless surface streets and backroads from Arlington, VA to Kensington, MD is NOT very efficient...

What a way to start a morning.

I can't believe my luck.

This morning I went to bootcamp so I was up and ready to go to work very early/on time. I wasn't far from my neighborhood when I was pulled over by an Arlington police officer. Apparently, I had rolled through a stop sign while turning right (very likely...) and I was not wearing my seat belt (I wasn't on the freeway yet, I would've gotten around to it...).

He took my license, info, etc and wrote me up a ticket for both offenses. As I waited, I was mostly bummed about the fact that my clear record was going to be ruined right when I'm about to start paying my own car insurance. Lame.

You see, in the exactly 8 years that I've had a license I have only received 1 traffic ticket. All the other times I've been pulled over, I've been given only a warning. Can you believe that?? I can't explain how I have been this lucky but for some reason I am always able to get out with just a warning. I hope this is some kind of magical, life-long ability! My one ticket was for a carpool violation the summer of 2002. I've had a sparkling, spotless record ever since, of which I'm very proud. I've more than made up for it in parking tickets, but that's besides the point.

I figured my streak would end sooner or later. Officer Peart brought my two citations back to my car and we chatted a bit about having just moved here, the procedures for contesting a ticket should I choose to (that's when I said "uhh but I WASN'T wearing my seatbelt, how can I contest that?"), I asked if I could just pay today instead of waiting for the court date, etc.

As we were about to part ways he said "You know what, I'm going to go ahead and switch these two tickets to official warnings instead of citations. You seem like a nice person. Welcome to Virginia." He extended his hand for a welcome shake and I happily drove away.

Which means, officially, as of today...

I've been pulled over 13 times and only received 1 ticket!!!