Twitterverse

Well ive finally gone and done it. After much deliberation (a semi drunk "good" idea) ive gone and created a twitter account. Im not quite sure what use i have for it, and whether or not it will actually fit into my life..most likely it wont but i did it anyways. The only reason i finally caved in is so i could post my random, and i do mean random thoughts that pop into my head numerous times throughout the day. Other than that i dont see a reason to have one. And let me just be honest here, i tend to think im a humorous person at times and my brain droppings should not be lost to a text message that is sent to one of my friends which will not be shared with the world. Soooo, i did it. The devil made me do it, and therefore i shall begin my second mini venture and i shall entertain the world, one brain dropping at a time. That is if the world chooses to follow me. For all of those inquiring minds out there, no i have no idea how to use twitter. And yes im pretty sure im borderline too old to be learning yet another form of social media however, im going to give it a shot just for shits and giggles, hopefully it will produce more giggles than shits but then again this is me were talking about. So follow me as i begin my world domination and take over "the interweb." @shandiddles
I have just successfully created my very first mobile blog attempt using "theres an app for that" blogger app. Go me!

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Good morning Chicago!!

Whew! After this whirlwind of traveling these past couple days I am HERE!!! So far I can say that I am a fan of the Chi-town. Our flight yesterday was pleasant, our pilots name....wait for it....Captain Champion!!! Hahahaha, how great is that!? Whenever he would say "this is captain champion...blah blah blah pilot speak, blah blah.." I cracked up a little inside. Is that not the greatest pilots name ever!? Man, he lucked out in the name department. For once on our travels I got to sit next to Shelley on our flight, and lucky me I was the cream to the sandwich in the middle. On my left was Shelley who lucked out with the window seat, and on my right was a guy who impressed me with his in flight drinking abilities. Talk about hardcore, the guy orded two vodkas, no mixer just straight up vodka and ice, and a Heineken. Nervous flier maybe? Either way he was nice and told us all about how beautiful Chicago is in the Summer. A lot of good that does, Im here in the Winter!!!


Check in went smoothly, so far the people here are really nice, but I think thats because most of the people Ive interacted with have been customer service people. I really enjoy the opportunities that I have to travel when it comes to my job and professional development. I feel like I learn so much more and have had some great opportunities thrown my way because of the people I work with, and how supportive they are. I am very excited for this conference and Im hoping to learn a lot while Im here, not to mention I plan on eating a lot while Im here. That seems to be how I travel though. :)

Speaking of food...Last night after we got settled in the hotel we went across the street to this great little place to grab some grub. The place was called Cosi and it was fantastic!! http://www.getcosi.com/ Check it out, its a chain that NEEDS to make its way to the Westcoast asap. Shelley and I both had a grilled chicken marinated in pesto, smothered in fresh mozzerella, with sun ripened tomato spread on a crispy whole wheat flatbread. OH. MY. GOSH. SOOOOO good! The combination of the flavors, the textures of the gooey, melty cheese combined with the chicken and the sweet tomato taste. Delish!

The hotel is HUGE, they have lower elevators and upper elevators, the lower ones will take you to the high floors, our room is on the 16th floor, and they have others that take you to the conference center floors. Not quite overwhelmingly huge, but close. This morning I woke up and there was a slight dusting of snow on the ground with flurries coming down. For some reason I was expecting to see more snow here but Im glad there isnt more or else I probably wouldnt want to go outside, since we all know how much I LOOOOVE snow. NOT! The hotel beds arent nearly as comfortable as the hotel we stayed in the night before last when we were in Portland but I guess I shouldnt expect super soft sheets and beyond comfortable pillows everywhere I stay at. Dino, the guy who checked us in at the hotel desk (I remember his name because it was unusual, and he was overly eager and happy to do his job) told us that our room was on the quiet side of the hotel with a pretty good view...HA! hahahaha, well...I guess he had the view thing sort of correct, our view isnt exactly obstructed by another building right in front but he lied about the noise thats for sure. I think we must be near a firehouse or something because last night all I heard were sirens going by, and they just KEPT GOING. Really? I mean really? Were on the quiet side? Im a little skeptical, but I cant complain Im in Chicago and how often am I going to have the opportunity to listen to emergency sirens go off all night?
Im currently sitting in the starbucks located in the lobby of our hotel. Its nice and warm in here and Im seated comfortably in the corner people watching, and let me tell you the poeople watching right now is fantastic!! Im pretty sure that a cleaner, more sober looking Amy Winehouse is sitting in here speaking Italian and is being a serial complainer, pain in the ass customer. First they didnt have the right cinnamon she likes, then her coffee wasnt hot enough, then she wanted her coffee cake warmed up again, and then, and then, and then!? Seriously, maybe if you would have ordered it and asked them the first time instead you keep going back and you are being a serious pain in the ass, can I slap you, even I know when too much complaining is too much. NOW she is telling the barista how she gets kicked out of places because she complains so much, and shes from Turkey. There goes my Amy Winehouse comparison. She is telling the guy how when she orders something that she wants it to be her way and that the service should be spectacular if shes going to pay for it. She goes on....happening now, in real time, I think Im a bad person for eavesdropping but who the hell cares, this is good shit!! "Starbucks is like a drug, an addiction, like cocaine" (exact words, you cant make this shit up people) (I feel like I should revisit my Amy Winehouse theory) Honey, I wouldnt go that far because it is mediocre coffee at best however I appreciate the consistency of ordering a drink and knowing that the drink you order is the drink youre going to get. THEN she left a giant mess on her table and left without cleaning is up, rude! The barista at this starbucks is my new favorite person for the day, very good customer service, despite having to deal with Drama Mama above. Either the prices here are REALLY low, or he really enjoyed conversing with me because I managed to get a grande caramel macchiatto and a coffee cake for $4.50, thank you for conversation about Washington and how pretty you think it is and my inexpensive breakfast. Heres another people watching experiences for you, happened about half an hour ago. A guy dressed very similarly like a bum came in and sat down in every single big comfy chair that is here, except for the one my rear is firmly planted in. The bum look alike came in and proceeded to sit very casually in a big cushy chair, he then discreetly reached his hands down under the cushion...I probably wouldnt have thought twice about it but he then checked every single cushy chair in the shop. Im pretty sure he wasnt just testing the plushness of the seats.
I think thats enough excitement for the day, Ive already managed to iron all of my clothes which if you know anything about me is a BIG accomplishment because I LOOOOVE ironing almost as much as I love snow.
Later my lovelies, Im off to check out the Nordstrom across the street. Im desperately in need of some more moisturizer.

Things that make you feel good

• Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Clean sheets (preferably high thread count sateen sheets)
• Warm towels fresh from the dryer, even better if they smell like fabric softener
• A good book
• Completing a tough workout
• Dutch brothers coffee, a cocomo hits just the right spot
• Seeing a flirty baby smile at you
• Playing with puppies
• Fresh air and sunshine
• A good pair of well fitting jeans
• Meditation
• Hugs

Words that make you go blech!

So everybody has those words that make you go "blech!" when you hear them. And because I am an ass that enjoys watching peoples faces when you discover those words I have decided to compile a list of words that make you go blech. These are words that I think are gross, and potentially words that other people think arent very pleasant as well. My roommate has a list of 5 words that she cannot stand, absolutely cannot stand at all. I do not know all of the words that make her want to wretch but I know the most entertaining one thats for sure! Whenever she hears the word "moist" she gets the dry heaves. Wierd right? Talk about entertaining when you are mentioning a brand of "supermoist" cake that youre going to bake, or when a tv show talks about something being moist(Brie VanDecamp on Desperate Housewives does this quite often when describing food). It's hilarious! I cannot express how funny it is! For some reason she hates that word so much that by hearing it something physical happens to her body and she is utterly repulsed by the sound of the word. Now Im not nearly that repulsed by words, I actually have to hear something happen for me to be grossed out like that. I feel like gross words arent really gross at all, its the association that we have for them. I used to play volleyball with a girl who was really repulsed by the word "cream cheese", now that one I didnt really understand. I can see how moist can get a bad rep but cream cheese? Really? Anyways, heres a list of what I think are some of the grossest words in the english language. Secretions, this one made the list because it just sounds wierd and because of the association I have with it. Alien secretions is what it reminds me of and aliens are slimy, icky things that ooze or secrete if you will foreign liquid like substances from their pores...or maybe im just watching the wrong alien movies. Phlegm, not just a gross word because it describes something disgusting but really bad when your associations with the word are what make you shivver in repulsion. Phlegm is a word that I associate with "hocking a loogee" and the sound of somebody trying to clear the phlegm from their throat is one that when I hear it I will actually gag a little, not from hearing the word but from hearing the sound of "the clearing of the phlegm." Ech!! Mucus is another gross one, mostly because I associate it with more snotty, viscous substances. Are you beginning to see a theme here? I dont like words that can be associated with bodily excretes. Puss, fester, putrid, and smear. Icky icky. Now that Ive given a little too much thought to what these words describe Im going to go try to distract myself to get these images out of my head..Im thinking laundry should do the trick.

Biggest Loser

Love, love, LOVE this show! It inspires me t0....not eat cookies in bed at 10pm. Work out before the sun is up. Drink so much water that I have to urinate every half an hour. Run 5k races and do something healthy at least once a day. All joking aside this is one show that I really look forward to watching. This season I am strangely addicted to watching the contestants sweat their asses off, and show their shrinking bodies on national television (or internet). Sadly, this show at times makes me feel a little emo and I get a little choked up. I mean come on, some of the breakthroughs that these people have are incredible and life altering. I want to have a life altering breakthrough; why cant I be on this show? How does one experience a life altering breakthrough similar to those of the contestants of the biggest loser, while not going on national television to shed tears, which I am convinced contribute to at least half a pound of weight each week. I would like a little extra motivation, a little Jillian Michaels on my shoulder saying suck it up fatass and keep running, or Bob telling me to put the fork down because I really dont need another forkfull of cheesy baked potato goodness.
Where does one go for motivation, and where do you find these breakthroughs at because I wouldnt mind having one right about now.

Tutorial

When it comes to toilet paper "the water flows over the waterfall, not under."

The magic is in the hole

Oh Voodoo Doughnut, you have no idea what you do to me. I wait outside in the cold just to get in the doors to your wonderfully dark, and yummy smelling shop. You make me pull out cash from the machine in the corner, and then you make me wait some more. As soon as I get close enough to make a decision you make me choose more than one, because well...itd be rude not to. Tonight I left the warmth of your bosom, went back to my hotel room and indulged in half of an oreo cookie crumble doughnut, and half of a maple bar with with bacon on it. As I sit here in this incredibly comfortable hotel room chair, I cant help but think of how delicious you were. About how moist your dough was, and how sickly sweet your frosting was, not to mention the crunchy oreo cookie topping that made my taste buds dance. I call this a sugar induced coma, and I will without a doubt return for another. Until we meet again Voodoo.

Home, home on the range

So in my super excited life adventures I sometimes get to go to some super cool places, like my old stomping ground, Spokane!!! *applause* or not. Last weekend I got to visit the city of lilacs, which I am very confused as to how they got that name, its not like there are a lot of lilacs over there. I see more of those on the westside that in Spokane, but clearly I dont rule the world, because if I did then everything would make more sense. Aaaanyways, back to my worldly travels on a 1hr flight across the state...Spokane has THE best martinis, which is really confusing to me. Its a wierd little (not really actually its kind of large) town that has a ton of kitche little martini bars. I had my first go round with bacardi dragon berry rum and oh. my. gosh. it was amazing, Im talking mouthgasmic. This martini had dragon berry rum, fresh sour, soda, and strawberry liquor, shake it up, pour it in a glass and dip the rim in sugar and you have what the bar calls a dragons breath martini...in Shandys world its really just a super delicious martini that tastes like skittles. Ill have another please!!! Spokane can be such a pretty, relaxing, and sunny place. I enjoy long walks along riverfront park, lazy days shopping at the downtown nordys, and is home to my second favorite pizza of all time the black and white pizza from rock city grill. I have a love hate relationship with this cold but sunny and sometimes very very hot city. I spent a good 3 years of my life over there and while I was there I loved a lot of things about it but I hated being so far away from home. I often think about the opportunities that I am missing by moving back home and staying in the same city I grew up in, and my argument with myself is, but I moved away for a few years that counts as leaving doesn it? Technically yes, but no. I dont really have a want or a need to move anywhere, Im happy where Im at. I have a good job, Im close to everything I need to be close to, Im near my family, Im close to all my friends, I have fun coaching opportunities, and Im connected to this community. When I think about whether or not I could leave this place I like to call home I cant help but shudder at the thought. Where would I go? Why? I dont have a good reason, and its certainly not on my radar at this time but is it healthy for someone to stay in the same city all of their life and not experience a little more of the world? Am I limiting myself and my opportunities by staying here? As much as I like to think of myself as a ballsy person I really am kind of set in my ways and reluctant to change. I love change, but I cant honestly say how Id do with that kind of change. Ive done it before and I can say that it was a rollercoaster for me. I hated being away but yet I loved the freedom. I loved the weather but missed how green the other side of the state was. I hated the mass amounts of snow, but when I moved back I was thankful that my experience on the snowy side of the state taught me how to drive in it. I loved making new friends but felt that they were all artificial and werent going to last very long....which surprise surprise, most of them didnt. I guess what Im trying to get at here is what makes a person leave their comfort zone? I know a lot of people who are in the career field I am in and they move around because thats where the jobs are, and I keep thinking what if a job opportunity came up, would I be willing to move for it? I know I wont be where Im at forever, but where would I go? Where would I be willing to go? What would it take for me to uproot my life and move on? Im not really sure where I stand on this issue, I know it would take a lot, but Im not sure how much. I like to think of myself as a strong and resiliant person but when it comes down to it thats just my hard exterior talking when my interior is shouting "you might be ok for awhile, but youll never make it". I think that Dorothy had it right when she said "theres no place like home, theres no place like home." Now if only I could get my hands on a pair of those sparkly ruby slippers Id have it all.