Detox begins NOW!

Phew. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I've been away from home for almost two weeks. Splitting my time between friends and family (Chris' and mine) in Dallas and Tulsa.

The last month between seeing our college friends, Chris' high school, and watching the World Cup our livers and waistlines have been hurting! It's not as if my pants don't fit anymore... but they are a little tighter.

Now I'm back to hitting the gym again! Every day for a month just like I tried to do in April. We're also taking a break from all alcohol and only eating healthy.

I know it's a little boring but I've got to shed some pounds!

I don't think I am going weigh myself every day, or strictly monitor and record my food intake. I'm just going to try to live my regular life... just with fewer calories!

I'll keep you updated on how it goes! So far I've already taken the stairs (11 flights!) after running an errand!

Advice for college freshmen

I've spent the last two weeks in Dallas taking care of some business things, seeing friends and family, and doing a little reminiscing. I graduated college three years ago. THREE YEARS my friends. I remember the day I moved in to my college dorm. I was wearing a pink v-neck polo t-shirt, khaki shorts from A&F, and rainbows. I had no idea what I was facing. I have no older siblings, friends, or even cousins. I had to figure it all out on my own. Last year a great family friend of mine started his freshman year at college and this year my youngest cousin is starting college. I sent them both an email with all of the things I wish I had known. Do you have any more advice to share?


I know that one of the things I loved the most about SMU was my small classes and the teachers who I really got to know. Once I had more experience and was in my Junior and Senior years I purposely tried to take a many seminar classes as possible and would without a doubt recommend the same to anyone else. At SMU seminars consisted of no more than 10 students sitting around a large conference table with a professor for 3 hours once a week. There was a ton of work to do but it was definitely worth it as I got to know my history professors and they got to know me in a way that would have been impossible in a lecture based class.

The other advise I have for Claire about classes is to take advantage of office hours. Even if she doesn't have an actual question use that time for the teacher to learn about her. Professors can be great allies at college and can give you the inside scoop about classes and professors in a way your friends never can. And they can give great recommendations after college!

And my last bit of advise for personal/social issues when starting college:
1. Your freshman year is golden. This is the perfect opportunity to meet as many new and wonderful people as you can. Don't be shy. The best way to not feel shy or nervous is simply to push through those feelings and go ahead and introduce yourself, start up a conversation, and try to make new friends. With exception of a few jerks every freshman is nervous and hopeful about making new friends. As a freshman you have permission to go anywhere, try any new thing, and meet anyone; social groups have not yet been set, clicks haven't formed, you can be friends with literally everyone.
And in that, I would encourage Claire to accept every social invitation she gets (after s he's done his homework of course) and use this time to establish easy friendships.

2. Get involved on campus! Join organizations as soon as possible. It's a great way to make new friends, build your resume, and get connected into campus opportunities. Student leaders find out about other leadership opportunities sooner and more often than students who are not involved. And it doesn't have to be anything as serious as student government. Freshman year I joined the "hall council" in my dorm and worked with another student to help celebrate students birthdays by putting notes on their doors and buying them a card. But, it was a great way to make friends in my dorm and a small time commitment.

3. There will be a lot of pressure to succeed (or at least there was for me- self induced) and the BIGGEST lesson I learned was that first and foremost your job is to be a student. If you weren't a student none of these wonderful opportunities, ie student extracurricular activities, intramural sports, friends, etc would be available to you. So, study, do you homework, talk to your profs when you have a problem, there is no shame in getting a tutor.

4. Don't feel like you have to be too involved (see feeling a lot of pressure from number 3) . I felt over stretched through out my college years between classes, sorority, extracurricular activites, and work. My mental and physical health suffered for it. Yes, Claire will be graduation one day and she will be competing for jobs; but she doesn't need to do so many activities that her resume and schedule is over flowing.

I can see your googlings!

Happy Monday. How are you all doing? Have a case of the Muuuundays?

So. Remember last week when I wrote about my behind and how I don't need any padding for my tushy? Quite a few new visitors were interested in that post. Google searches were turning my little blog in all different corners of the internet. They found me using some pretty AWESOME search terms!

Check out these terms that brought my new "friends" over here to Goodbye Dallas Hello World:




Number 25 KILLS me! HILARIOUS!

I did some poking around the internet. I used the search term from number 7. I looked through 6 pages of search results. Not once did my page come up. Some people are looking for a really long time for some nastiness. blegh!

Creepers! I might think twice about posting about my booty again!

How were you weekends?

Me. Yo. Moi.

Happy Tuesday to you (And you! And you!)! Here I am blabbing about myself and my booty all the time and you really don't know that much about me! So, I thought today I would share a few random facts about myself:



- I am the least picky eater you will ever meet. There is not one single thing that I don't like to eat EXCEPT:



- I hate any food that jiggles. Jello? Flan? Pudding? Tres Leches Cake? Creme brule? BLARRRFFFFF



- EXCEPT I have been known to enjoy a jello shot or two in my time...



- I didn't drink soda until I was a teenager because I'm too much of a wuss and the bubbles burned my nose.



- My all time favoirte song is Soul Shine by the Allman Brothers.



- I've lost most of my North Carolina accent unless I'm at home with my friends or have had a few drinks

- As a kid I was certified by the Red Cross as an Advanced Canoer! I love canoeing!

- I can never keep a manicure on more that 4 or 5 days before I chip it all off.

If you missed it-- here are a handful embarassing facts I shared way back in Febuary.

I hope you all are having a fabulous week!

Revenge of Dr. Flat Butt!

**Update-- due to a large number of creepers coming to my blog from searching all sorts of dirty things I've changed around a few of the words here so maybe I won't get so many google hits about my behind.

I won't lie. I've got a big butt. I'm packing heat. I'm not saying that I'm Kim Kardashian or anything but I've never had any issues in the curves department.

Last weekend while walking around town my sweet and loving boyfriend decided that my personal super power would be my butt. That's right-- he named me the "Big Bo0ty Superhero". I would battle the evil Doctor Flat Butt whose behind was removed in a terrible accident, creating a never ending lust for revenge and the inability to sit comfortably on public transportation. I would battle my nemeses with a quick hip bump and the chant "Big Bo0ty Big Bo0ty- oh yea, Big Bo0ty!".

Embracing the goodness that is my behind I thought this was hilarious. Now if he had named me something like "Captain Muffin Top" I would not have been quite as amused.

Little did I know that Doctor Flat Butt really is out there and trying to zap my power one "Bo0ty Enhancing" pair of panties at a time. If you haven't seen them yet, let me introduce B0oty Pop. These padded panties come with a warning:


With just a little padding you too can go from a boring girl in an argyle sweater to a big b0otied sex siren with hair blowing in the wind.


Would you? Could you? HAVE you?

These are a few of my favorite things...

When the dog bites... when the bees sting.... when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad.

soft cotton dresses


Mascara that stays on your eyelashes


Is anything brightening your day that I'm missing?

Facebook-less-ish

Happy Monday to one and all! I know it's Monday and all, but let's at least just pretend Mondays are awesome and fabulous. Ummkay?

So we need to talk. I think I'm going to get rid of facebook. I KNOW, I KNOW! Blasphemy! I've been on facebook since Sophomore year of college. That's 5 years y'all! I've been in relationship with a social media site longer than I've ever been in a relationship with a MAN! Facebook and I have been through a lot of ups and downs over the years: format changes, strange friend requests, and a semi-stalker or two.

But, now facebook and I are having issues. Issues that might just be the end of a beautiful love. Facebook used to be the place where I joked with my friends about our stupid college escapades: posting pictures, leaving inside jokes on each others walls, and generally acting like the 19 year olds we were. But now my grandmother is on facebook (WHOMP WHOMP). My Dad is on facebook. My old bosses are on facebook. My 11 and 14 year old sisters are on facebook. EVERYONE IS ON FACEBOOK!

Where oh where am I suppose to post pictures of parties, ridiculous costumes, and general embarrassing daily acts? Basically, I don't want anyone but my friends knowing the way I really act on the weekend.

It's not as if I'm some sort of baby-sacrificing heathen who shoots heroine at swinger's parties. I'm just a regular 20-something who acts like an ass on a regular occasion.

A week and a half ago I left facebook, we were on a break. Not broken up. On a break. But then it was kind of a pain not being able to see email address, birthdays, and the like. So today facebook and I have reunited on a trial basis. I've brought my profile back but purged some random "friends", removed all photo access, and shut down my wall.

What do y'all do about facebook? Are you friending your grandma's? I need some help here lovlies!

"swing dat shit"

Chris and I were randomly Youtube-ing yesterday when we ran across this (definitely NOT work appropriate) hilarious song:




It's the WORST rap song I've ever heard. My favorite part is the random voice at 0:58 "you just got hit with some {bleep} you aint never heard before. Shut up and listen"

We took a look at the comments...

Eh.... nothing too interesting until we came to this comment:

"thiss usee teww behh dhee songg ritee naybogiee ] lOlss "

WHAT?

Here's what we've figured out so far:
"This used to be the song right {????????} LOLs"

NAYBOGIEE?

Anyone have a clue? I must know!

And then I cried

Have y'all heard this story yet? The local Make-A-Wish chapter in Seattle granted a wish for 13-year-old Erik Martin recently. Erik is suffering from terminal cancer and his greatest wish is be a super hero. With the help of hundreds of volunteers Erik was transformed into Electron Boy. He successfully defeated Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy thereby saving Seattle.

Take the 5 minutes to read the article from the Seattle Times. It's amazing. (I've copied and pasted it below to make it easy for you to read!)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011740342_electronboy30m.html

Local boy with cancer turns into a superhero for a day

Erik Martin, who is living with liver cancer, has always wanted to be a superhero. On Thursday, the regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him that wish with an elaborate event that involved hundreds of volunteers in Bellevue and Seattle.

Seattle Times Eastside reporter

Spider-Man happens to be one of the few people who knows that Erik, too, has a secret identity — he's Electron Boy, a superhero who fights the powers of evil with light.

And Spider-Man needed Erik's help.

Erik, who is living with liver cancer, has always wanted to be a superhero. On Thursday, the regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him that wish with an elaborate event that involved hundreds of volunteers in Bellevue and Seattle.

The local chapter, which serves four states, grants more than 300 wishes every year to children with life-threatening medical conditions, but only a few of them involve so many participants.

Pulling off a wish like this one required a big story, and a lot of heart. And so, with a note of panic in his voice, Spider-Man explained the dilemma: "Dr. Dark" and "Blackout Boy" had imprisoned the Seattle Sounders in a locker room at Qwest Field. Only Electron Boy could free them.

Erik got into his red-and-blue superhero costume, and called on the powers of Moonshine Maid, who owns a DeLorean sports car. For good measure, more than 20 motorcycle officers from the Bellevue Police Department and King County and Snohomish sheriff's offices escorted Electron Boy to Seattle.

"They shut down 405 — they shut down I-90," marveled Moonshine Maid, aka Misty Peterson. "I thought it would just be me, in the car."

At Qwest Field, Electron Boy was directed by frantic fans to the Sounders locker room, where the entire team was shouting for help behind jammed doors. With a little help from Lightning Lad, the alter ego of local actor Rob Burgess, Erik opened the door with his lightning rod. The Sounders cheered.

"Thank you, Electron Boy," said defender Taylor Graham.

"You saved us!" exclaimed forward Nate Jaqua.

"Good job, big man," said defender Tyrone Marshall. And forward Steve Zakuani mutely bowed his thanks.

Electron Boy seemed a little dazed by his powers. Out on Qwest Field, the Sounders gave Erik a hero's congratulations, posed for pictures and gave him a jersey and autographed ball.

Everyone was startled when, overhead, the Jumbotron crackled to life.

"Electron Boy, I am Dr. Dark and this is Blackout Boy," sneered an evil voice, as the villain — Edgar Hansen, and his sidekick Jake Anderson, both of Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" — taunted the young superhero. "We are here to take over Seattle and make it dark!"

On the Jumbotron, a video showed a Puget Sound Electric employee Jim Hutchinson trapped in the top of his bucket truck in front of PSE's Bellevue headquarters. Only Electron Boy could save him.

As Electron Boy's motorcade — the DeLorean, the 25 motorcycle officers and a white limo — rolled through downtown Bellevue, pedestrians stopped in their tracks and pulled out their cameras to take pictures. Clearly, somebody famous was in town. But who could it be?

"It's Electron Boy," Erik's older sister, Charlotte Foote, shouted out the window of the limousine.

More than 250 PSE employees gathered outside the company's headquarters and cheered as Electron Boy freed the trapped worker. "It was so loud, people in office buildings were looking out the window," said Make-A-Wish communications director Jeannette Tarcha.

But Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy were still at large. Electron Boy got a tip that the evil duo were at the Space Needle, where they had disabled the elevator and trapped people on the observation deck. Racing back to Seattle, Electron Boy stepped out of the DeLorean to a cheering crowd of dozens of admirers, and confronted his nemesis.

"How did you find us, Electron Boy?" Dr. Dark demanded.

Erik wordlessly leapt at Dr. Dark with his lightning rod, freezing the villain. Then he unlocked the elevator and freed the people trapped upstairs.

Bellevue police Officer Curtis McIvor snapped handcuffs on Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy, who couldn't resist some last words: "How can we thank you for saving our souls?"

A tiny smile played around Electron Boy's mouth. Just for good measure, he held his lightning sword to Blackout Boy's throat again. The crowd went wild. "Hip-hip, hooray!"

Seattle City Councilwoman Sally Bagshaw stepped forward with a key to the city and a proclamation that Thursday was Electron Boy Day. Afterward, Erik posed for the TV cameras, flexed his muscles and spent some time astride a Bellevue police motorcycle.

"He's over the moon," said Foote. "This is definitely beyond anything we thought it would be."

Watching her son run across the plaza in front of the Space Needle, mom Judy Martin said Erik goes to school when he's able, but is often too tired. "He hasn't had this much energy in a long time," she said. "They called it the power of the wish, and they're right."

Like any good superhero, Electron Boy kept his innermost thoughts to himself. But he did have one important thing to say:

"This is the best day of my life."

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com


Electron Boy lances Blackout Boy (Jake Anderson) before turning on  Dr. Dark (Edgar Hansen) in the battle between good and evil at the Space  Needle. Erik Martin's dream of becoming a superhero came true Thursday.  At left is Lightning Lad, played by actor Rob Burgess.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Electron Boy lances Blackout Boy (Jake Anderson) before turning on Dr. Dark (Edgar Hansen) in the battle between good and evil at the Space Needle. Erik Martin's dream of becoming a superhero came true Thursday. At left is Lightning Lad, played by actor Rob Burgess.

A crowd of better than 200 gather outside Puget Sound Energy in  Bellevue to cheer on Electron Boy as he saves a stranded worker in a  bucket truck on Thursday.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

A crowd of better than 200 gather outside Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue to cheer on Electron Boy as he saves a stranded worker in a bucket truck on Thursday.

The Seattle Sounders are grateful as they meet Electron Boy, aka  Erik Martin, who has freed them from their Qwest Field locker room  Thursday. The Make-A-Wish Foundation arranged the adventure.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

The Seattle Sounders are grateful as they meet Electron Boy, aka Erik Martin, who has freed them from their Qwest Field locker room Thursday. The Make-A-Wish Foundation arranged the adventure.