The Friday Five - Flaws

I didn't have time for one of these last week - booo. But it's back!

My co-workers like to mess with me and say things like "Ashley's perfect". A completely false statement but it made me think WHY they say it. It's because of my anal-retentive personality. I like everything organized - my desk, my emails, notes, etc. I also hate being behind or playing catch-up of any kind. So I always do whatever I can to get my work done in a timely manner. Work Ashley isn't so different than regular Ashley except work Ashley doesn't cuss. And I just wrote about myself in third person. Ah whatever. But I'm very much the same in my every day life. My entire house is cleaned every single week, I have been known to spend whole days organizing, I use my phone and physical calendar for everything, etc. It's just my personality. It's who I am but I am certainly NOT PERFECT. So this week's Friday Five are my five flaws.

1. SENSITIVE/OVER EMOTIONAL - I cry over everything - happy, sad, indifferent, stupid. It's pretty ridiculous. This morning I cried over a blog I read and the other day my eyes filled up with tears while I was at work even though I was trying my hardest to fight them back. And don't take me to the movies because I'll flood the place. A damn mess! I also take pretty much everything personally (Dustin tells me this all the time). I try not to but I do. I feel better once someone assures me they didn't mean it the way I took it. But initially I always take shit personally.

2. TEMPER - I have been known to have quite the temper. It's not something that happens all the time. I don't just walk around like a smaller version of the Hulk. But in traffic I will straight up flick you off while screaming "MOTHERFUCKINGPIECEOFSHITETCETC". I get mad easily over really dumb shit like when my Sims 3 stops working and I haven't saved my game. I will throw the nearest object. But I usually keep my cool when arguments break out with Dustin, friends, or family. It's always the little stuff that pisses me off and sends me into a rage. Definitely something I don't like about myself and hope to eventually change.

3. PATIENCE - What's that? Never heard of it. I hate waiting for anything. I like everything to be done or happen right that very moment or I get super grumpy and complain like there is no tomorrow.

4. GRUDGE HOLDER - I just asked Dustin to name a flaw of mine and although he was very scared to do so he said "grudge holder". I kind of have to agree with him. But I think it's more stubbornness (which is no better - believe me I know). I hate to give in first. I will always apologize and admit my wrongdoings but man oh man do I hate being the first.

5. OVER ANALYZER - I will literally think about something that is bothering me so much that it will make me sick. Physically ill from thought. I will pick it apart in my head for days. A fight. A hard time. A dream. Anything. I will think about a trillion different scenarios and what I should have said or done differently. I hope to someday learn to let things go a little easier. I don't need to hold on to things and let it take over my brain. I'm good about telling others how I feel but I definitely let shit eat me up before doing so.

This list could have gone on and on...paranoid, perfectionist, over-reacter, moody, control freak...

The Friday Five - Pens!

The Friday Five

It's officially hockey season now.
It's time for slapshots, shoot outs, and lots and lots of blood and stitches.

GO PENS! (not penis as some can't read.)

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1. Marc-Andre Fleury aka Flower aka my hockey boyfriend. He's one of the best goaltenders there is. He's French-Canadian. Annnnd he's hot.

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2. Sidney Crosby aka Sid the Kid - Captain of the team. One the greats. Also cute. Ridiculous. But I wouldn't trust him to put clothes in the dryer.



3. Evgeni Malkin aka Geno. Wears an 'A' for Alternate or Awesome. From Russia. English is getting better by the day. Funniest twitter updates. & he cooks!

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4. Brent Johnson. Back-up goaltender. Just bad ass. And he fucking loves it.

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5. Kris Letang aka Prince Caspian (I think i'm the only one who calls him this). Another awesome player who I find attractive. Oh darn! Just poor a bucket of ice on me. Score!

The Friday Five

MUSIC VIDEOSThis was hard. There are so many good music videos out there!
I might just have to do more music video Friday Fives.
1. Coffee & TV - Blur



2. Nevermind Me - Maria Mena



3. Buddy Holly - Weezer




4. My Hero - Foo Fighters

5. Our Deal - Best Coast

The Friday Five

Steelers

The season got off to a rough start but us Steelers fans are hoping they got that shitty playing out of their system. So here's to a good Sunday Night Football game. BLACK & YELLOW!

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1. Jerome Bettis - I miss the BUS!

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2. Antonio Brown - Fave newbie.

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3. Troy Polamalu - Nicest person. Best Hair. Flies like superman.

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4. Brett Kiesel - Bad ass beard.

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5. Daniel Sepulveda - Dustin calls him the 'puntisher'. Everyone forgets about punters and kickers. Not me!

The Friday Five

Fall/Autumn

When autumn comes, it doesn't ask.
It just walks in, where it left you last.
And you never know, when it starts
Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart.
-John Mayer

The first official day of fall isn't for another week and according to weather.com the high for that day, here in FL, is going to be 89 degrees. Twitter has been annoying lately with all the 'feels like fall' tweets and the warm drinks/hoodie pictures. Obviously Florida's fall is a lot different. The weather doesn't start to get cooler until maybe around Halloween but usually November. And when I say cool I mean in the nice, lovely 70s. So basically we all still wear tank tops and flip flops and are finally able to do things outside without dropping to the ground of heat exhaustion.

So here's to hoping our fall comes sooner rather than later this year.

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1. Colors - This is something I have never gotten to see in person. I would love to go up north and see all the trees changing. To just sit and admire the reds, oranges, and yellows. One day.

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2. Cardigans/Sweaters - I am kind of a sweater freak. I can't wait to pull them out of the closet in our guest bedroom and wear a different one every day. As soon as the first cool air blows through I immediately want to go shopping for more. I've definitely got a little more pep in my step when the cool air hits and I've got a cute cardigan on.

(my Voldy pumpkin from last year)

3. Pumpkins - Halloween is the first big holiday of fall and there is nothing I enjoy more than getting my hands all slimy while pumpkin carving. I think I love it so much because I get to be creative with it and it's something Dustin has fun with too. We have carved pumpkins together every year we've been together. This year will mark our 7th pumpkin!

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4. Football/Hockey - Fall means sports are on again - at least in this house. We don't bother with baseball, basketball, or any of the others. We enjoy the two most physically demanding sports out there. It's fun getting all Steeler'd out on Sundays and jumping around the TV. Screaming at the TV "Ben, throw the fucking ball NOW!!". Doing my own touchdown dances (Travolta style). And then there is hockey where we celebrate each save Fleury makes. We yell at Sid the Kid like he can hear us "Shoooooot!". It can be heartbreaking at times but more than anything it's fun.

(pizza soup courtesy of chef Dustin)

5. Food -Soups never taste as good in summer. I'm convinced soups taste 1,000X better during cooler months. I don't drink hot coffee so that doesn't really matter BUT I do love hot cocoa. I eat/drink anything and everything apple all year long and even more so during the fall. Also, love pumpkin flavored things! Mmmm. And of course all the usual Thanksgiving goodies.

Hurry up fall! Florida is so ready for you!

The Friday Five

Childhood Movies: Girly

These were the kind of movies that were most fun to watch with a group of girls during a slumber party - right after you start feeling sick from too much ice cream and have told 5 other girls who your secret crush is (& they can't stop giggling about it). Those were the days!

I also remember lazy weekends on the couch just watching movie after movie.

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1. A Little Princess - If you are a girl or have a girl then you need to see this movie. It was one of my favorites as a kid. Usually, I cringe at the mention of anything princess-y because that's just not really me but this is nothing like that frou-frou crap.

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2. My Girl - A story about friendship and growing up. Great cast. Heartbreaking ending.

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3. Now and Then - I wanted to be apart of this group of friends so badly when I was 10. They were all so fun and adventurous with a bit of spunk. Plus I loved their 1970 summer wardrobe.

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4. It Takes Two - Yeah, I was one of those girls who liked the Olsen twins. So what? This movie is so cute and kind of has a Parent Trap feel.

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5. Casper - I was obsessed with Whipstaff Manor (the house that is 'haunted' by Casper and the other ghosts). I would pretend every house I was at was Whipstaff. I felt bad for Casper so I always got excited during THIS scene. This is especially fun to watch around Halloween.

The Friday Five

Childhood Movies: Sports

I always tell Dustin how many great kid movies came out in the 1990s (when we were growing up). I never see anything nearly as good these days. Poor kids! I have so many favorites that I'm going to have to break them down into categories. Here are my favorite sports related kid movies.

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1. Little Giants - I can't even tell you how many times I watched this movie while growing up. I loved how bad ass Becky aka "Icebox" was. She was tough and better than most of the boys at playing football! Becky had good taste in boys too. Remember Junior (Devon Sawa)? I had a serious crush on him for most of the 90s. He's probably the only reason I was interested in watching this at first. It's a funny movie that really makes you cheer on the underdogs. Trailer.

Quote:
Jake: I use these for acid indigestion.
Teammate: What are we going to use them for?
Jake: Intimidation.

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2. The Mighty Ducks (including D2 & D3) -QUACK QUACK QUACK! All three of these movies were just fantastic. Good story lines and interesting characters. Plus, lots of hockey. I think what really attracted me to this movie was the ice skating and all the tricks whether on ice skates or roller blades. I was big into rollerblading back then and secretly wished I could skate like them. My favorite characters were Charlie Conway (captain of the team), Goldberg (the comic relief), & Connie (one of the two girls on the team - girls who play hockey are just awesome).

Quote:
Goldberg: Be careful man, it almost hit me that time!
Conway: Goldberg, you're the goalie. It's supposed to hit you.
Goldberg: Does that sound stupid to anyone else?

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3. Rookie of the Year - Kid breaks arm then gets to play for the Chicago Cubs. Pretty sweet deal right? Most people recognize Thomas Ian Nicholas from American Pie but he'll always be Henry Rowengartner to me. So adorable with that squeaky little voice. And of course Gary Busey as Chet Steadman. He's not nearly as scary as you might think. Well, not in 1993 anyway. Trailer.

Quote:
Dr. Kersten: [muffled, with hands over his face] Funky, buttloving...!
George: Did he say "funky buttloving?"

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4. The Sandlot - I think we can all agree this is just one of those classic family movies. The most appealing part of the movie (for me) is the time period. The 1960s. So cool. I was just telling Dustin the other day while watching the Little League World Series, that I only like watching baseball when kids are playing. Hence, my love for this movie and Rookie of the Year. It's just not as fun watching adults play. Seems kind of like a kid sport anyway. I had a love/hate relationship with "The Beast". He's kind of scary but I'm always relieved when he shows his friendlier side towards the end. Trailer.

Quote:
Smalls: Oh yeah, the Great Bambino. Of course! I thought you said the Great Bambi.
Ham Porter: That wimpy deer?
Smalls: Yeah, I guess. Sorry.

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5. Brink - One of the best Disney channel movies to date. And like The Mighty Ducks, I thought these skaters were awesome. The tricks were impressive and it had a fun little story line too. It's definitely the cheesiest of the bunch but I still love it. Don't judge.

Quote:
Brink: We skate for fun. We're soul skaters.
Gabriella: That's how it all starts. You start doing something for love, then you start doing it for money and before you know it, you're just another sell-out.

The Friday Five (a day late)

Things that make my life easier (and probably yours too!)

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1. iPhone 4. (I guess any kind of smartphone really BUT I just happen to prefer the iPhone). Obviously it does a lot of cool stuff that is just for entertainment purposes which is great but I rather focus on the things that really help me out. First, the GPS/map feature. I used to get really bad anxiety about driving somewhere unfamiliar. I worry no more because I always know where I am. Then there is the weather app. If I was out and about and saw clouds or if it started to rain, I would call someone and ask them to look up the weather. Which way is it headed? How long? How bad? But now I don't have to bother anyone. I know exactly what the weather is doing. Internet + phone = genius. If I forgot to pay a bill - BAM done. I don't have to wait until I come home to worry about it. Plus being able to receive my emails instantly is just so nice.

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2. Jar Opener. Dustin's grandma randomly gave us one when we visited them in Pittsburgh last year and it is a life changer. I used to struggle to open my Apple Juice. I would wait until Dustin woke up and ask him to open it. (And by the way, he had trouble too so it wasn't just me.) But now I can open practically get into anything by myself with the help of this lovely little device.

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3. DVR. I remember the days where I would be out with friends and cut it short because I had to race home to catch that week's episode of Felicity. OR I would ask my mom to record (and by record I mean with a VCR and VHS tape. ha!) a show but it never quite worked out. I would be watching my show and then in the middle of it Victor Newman would pop up. But now thanks to DVR I can record every show my heart desires, watch it whenever the hell I feel like it, AND the best part is not wasting time on commercials. Commercials are like sitting in traffic - just a waste of time. Even the Superbowl ones.

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4. Calendar. This is probably pretty weird for most people (especially since everything is digital and paperless these days) but I love my calendar. I like to visualize what my month looks like - whose birthday is coming up, when bills are due, and weekend activities planned. It keeps me organized and on top of everything.

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5. Remote Control Ceiling Fan with Light. I was totally fine with getting up and down to turn lights on and off, to change the speed of the fan but then we moved into a house with a remote. The ceiling fan had a remote! It was all very new to us and although it seems like it might make someone lazy, it's quite convenient. When you have had a rough day and you are laying on the couch lifeless watching some crap reality show and all you want is to cool down and you don't feel like getting up - problem solved!

The Friday Five

Actors that everyone else seems to find attractive except ME.

I guess I'm the weird one.

1. Johnny Depp - This man is obviously a great actor but that's not why he made this list. He looks like he hasn't showered in years and has weird bone structure. Sorry girls, he just doesn't do it for me.

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2. Stepehn Moyer - OK, I admit I don't even watch TrueBlood but it's like Twilight in that it can't be escaped. I never even knew who this guy was until he started dating Anna Paquin. I mean what's up with his hair? Does he straighten it, then glue it on?

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3. James Franco - No one freak out! I love him as an actor and even more so now that I have finished Freaks and Geeks. BUT he is not cute. Not even a little. He always looks high as a cloud and that is not attractive to me.

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4. George Clooney - He reminds me of Jay Leno with a shorter chin. Clearly I am alone in this because every woman on the planet has dated him or slept with him. What's the difference?

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5. Justin Timberlake - The boy band types have zero manliness and that's a problem for me. I will admit that shaving the bleach blonde curls helped a bit but he'll need more than that if I'm going to hang his poster on my wall. I don't get what all the fuss is about. I really don't.

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So which celebrity do you think is no big deal in the looks department?

The Friday Five

COVER SONGS! So I had this whole other 5 I was going to share today but then I heard Jayme Dee's cover of Toxic and was blown away. So here are my 5 faves:

Jayme Dee - Britney Spears/Toxic

New Found Glory - Go West/King of Wishful Thinking

Copeland - Phil Collins/Another Day in Paradise

Mandy Moore - Elton John/Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters

Thrice - The Beatles/Eleanor Rigby

I also enjoy Alex Goot's covers.
And of course Karmin.

The Friday Five

FOOD. Meals. Dustin asked what my my top 5 meals were. This was tough but most are homemade faves.

In no particular order:

CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
My grandmother makes this from scratch and the whole family comes running. Not only does it taste good, but it reminds me of big family meals outside on picnic tables.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
My mom never cooked while I was growing up but the three things she DID make were the best. This one was my favorite of the three. The little 'crunchies' she puts on top are just fantastic.

FETTUCCINE ALFREDO with CHICKEN & BROCCOLI
Yeah, I like my pasta. What is the problem? Dustin makes a killer (I don't know why I just typed the word killer because I never even say that in real life. But I'll keep it in here. It can be a part of my blogcabulary.) fettuccine alfredo with chicken. Since he hates anything in the veggie category, I add in the broccoli myself. It's just so damn good.

CHEESEBURGER
My favorite burger of all time comes from Five Guys. No one does it like them. No fast food or even home cooked burger has come close to theirs. Their fries are also awesome.

TURKEY SANDWICH
I have one of these almost every day for lunch. I just love some turkey lunch meat on honeywheat loaded with veggies. Mmmm. I like to add some chips or an apple on the side. It's my favorite lunch.

Yep, I like things simple. Not into fancy meals. Sure, I'll try most things but it always comes back to the comfort food.

The Friday Five - Braid Brigade

So I thought I would start this 'feature-ish' on Fridays where I list 5 things that share the same theme. I love a good list. Lists rule.

I love braids. I actually wore a braid in my hair today. And for my wedding? A braid. They can be simple or intricate but ALWAYS fun. That's really my main point - braids are fun!

My go-to braid. (Thanks Lauren for feeding my obsession)

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Growing my hair out JUST so I can attempt the fishtail.

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Summer braid.

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Not just for hair.

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Coolest braid toy.
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