Internet generation

It's not a rare occurance that I stop and ask myself, "How in the world did I get by without the Internet?"

For something that has only been available to the masses for about 10 years, the Internet has had such a gigantic effect on our every day lives that sometimes I have to take a step back and wonder if I'm too dependent upon something I'd never even heard of as recently as 1993.

According to a CNN poll, I'm joined by thousands of fellow Americans who find themselves drawn to the World Wide Web on a daily basis. Only 1 percent of more than 20,000 people who have taken the poll say they go online "weekly" ... another 1 percent say they are online "infrequently." For the rest of us, the Internet is part of our daily routines. For me, it's practically an hourly visit.

The one thing that really grabs me is the Internet's effect on schools and students. If you think about it, in high school, research papers were done the old-fashioned way. I spent hours at the downtown library searching for books in the card catalog. Once I found the books I was looking for, I slogged through page upon page of crap until I found one or two sentences I could pull to add to my work.

In college that all changed - and practically overnight. Suddenly I had a wealth of information at my fingertips. With a few clicks of my mouse I could read information in major research journals and find people all over the world to talk to about any given topic. I was in heaven - studying/writing took half the time, and I loved it.

Now I'm less reliant upon the Internet for practical purposes, but I feel like I'm using it more and more. In the last week I've gone online to search for a myriad of things ... a restaurant menu, ticket prices, a game or two during downtime, apartments, celebrity news (yes, I'm guilty), my favorite blogs and what would I do without my sacred e-mail account?!?

It's just amazing to me how dependent upon my computer I've become, and how grouchy I can get if I have trouble connecting to a Web site. I'm just waiting for chapters of Online-aholics Anonymous to start popping up across the United States for people like me.

Hello, my name is Stacey, and I'm an Internet addict.

Deck the Malls

Wow! What a crazy end of the week/weekend! I've been seeing myself coming and going lately ... it's been nonstop madness, but that's really the way I like it - so I've been happy as can be. However, my blog has taken a backseat to everything recently ... yikes!

To catch up on everything I've been up to ...

I spent Thanksgiving with Megan, Barry and Chattababy, along with some of their family and friends before going to work. Tons of delicious food and good conversation made Thanksgiving way better than it would have been if I'd stuck to my original plan of heating up a Lean Cuisine and watching TV before heading in to the office that afternoon.

I was off Friday-Sunday and, although I rested little and ran myself all over creation, it was the best weekend. Jon came up from Atlanta on Friday and we did the unthinkable ... We went to the mall for day-after-Thanksgiving sales. I know, I know ... we were crazy (especially because we found n-o-t-h-i-n-g), but it was fun to see all the wacko shoppers out in full effect.

All day Saturday was spent at the gigantic outlet mall in Dawsonville, Ga., with Megan. We shopped until we could shop no more ... and picked up some great deals! It was definitely a perfect shopping trip.

Sunday, again, was spent Christmas shopping. I had planned on being wise and staying home to rest up for the work week ahead, but the Mall of Georgia and Discover Mills were calling my name, so I made the trek down to Atlanta for even more shopping with Jon. I came home empty-handed, but it was fun nonetheless.

Today, it's back to the old grind. I'm tired and ready for some rest. I guess that'll come eventually, but it's nowhere in sight. Next weekend will be spent moving Cady from Dalton to Cartersville. But it will be a moving trip spent with friends, so it won't be half bad.

And I'll try to be better about posting on my blog. I promise.

Hallelujah!

I have found the perfect jeans. If you haven't gone to The Limited and tried on their jeans, you must go now - they're 40 percent off and man, do they fit perfectly! Not too long, not too low and not dirty looking. I love, love, love 'em!

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It hardly feels like it should be this time of year, and I just can't figure out how the holidays got here so soon. I'm not ready ... at all. I'll be working tomorrow (ick), but I have wonderful friends who've invited me for a pre-work lunch, so it won't be too terrible going in to the office later in the afternoon. Well, until I start getting sleepy after eating turkey. But, oh well!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you spend it with loads of family and friends!

Forever in Blue Jeans

I hate, hate, hate blue jean shopping.

I don't remember when - or even how - it became such a tedious process - but finding the right pair of jeans is a difficult challenge. ... And one that I'm failing at these days.

* Boot cut * flair *low rise
* ultra low rise * wide leg *original
* hipster * long and lean * relaxed fit
* boy cut *slim fit * cowboy cut

It's an endless sea of choices. And if that weren't enough, I'm curious as to how everyone suddenly got so long-legged except me. It seems as though every single pair of blue jeans I try on are waaaay too long - by 4 or 5 inches. Now, I know I'm not a tall girl (5'3"), but I'm not as short as a lot of women.

I've browsed through the petite sections of department stores, and it's not pretty. The selection is minimal and what is offered could be most aptly described as "mom pants."

I need help, and fast. None of my jeans fit right anymore (which is a good thing), and I feel as though I've exhausted my resources. I refuse to wear jeans that barely cover my butt, but it seems like it's all or nothing. Either you bend over and show your ass crack or you're stuck wearing jeans that come above your belly button. ... What gives?

And what is up with jeans that look like they're dirty? That's just not cool.

Is it too much to ask to offer cute jeans that fall right at the hips without being super-ultra-low-rise and LONG? Where do you guys find your favorite jeans? Anyone running into the same problems? Please tell me I'm not alone.

Is it just me?

I realize it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but Christmas is almost a month away and I've yet to feel even a glimmer of Christmas spirit. Usually by now I'm beginning to think about holiday plans, Christmas lists and all the wonderful treats that go along with the holidays. But not this year.

Not yet, anyway.

The only thing I can figure is that it's just too hot to be November. Right now, I've got all the windows in my apartment wide open and am enjoying a nice breeze that's not even the least bit nippy. I've worn my winter coat a grand total of two times this season, and have barely even tapped into my sweater stash.

All the Christmas decorations at the department stores just seem to be out of place this year. And I did a double-take the other day when I heard the familiar "Ho, Ho, Ho" coming from Santa's headquarters at the mall.

I've planned a Christmas shopping excursion with Megan in a couple weeks. I'm hoping that will set my Christmas spirit in motion. If not, I'm thinking people are going to have to start calling me Ms. Scrooge.

Breakfast of champions

I discovered a long-lost package of Reese's peanut butter cups in my freezer this morning when I woke up. Somehow my usual cereal breakfast was less than appealing after the yummy peanutbuttery chocolate emerged from the icy depths of my freezer.

After a weekend of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted - I figured one little candy bar wouldn't hurt me any more than the gigantic cheeseburger I ate for dinner Saturday night.

So I ate it. Peanut butter cups for breakfast ... how much worse can it get?

The diet resumes tomorrow. For real.

* Note: No weight was gained over the weekend, but I'm not pushing it.

I heart Anderson Cooper

He's on CNN this very moment and there's just something about him that I find both intriguing and hot at the same time. Don't ask. I have no idea. It's probably all the cold medicine I've bombarded my system with over the last 24 hours.

Yes, I am sick. Yes, I feel like a big baby. My head seems to be three times its normal size, I feel like I'm somewhat here (but mostly not with it) and I really could use a nap.

By the way, has anyone tried Airborne ? Supposedly if you take it when you first notice cold symptoms, you can head it off at the pass. Wondering if it would 've been worth giving it a shot a few days ago.

Weekend update

Going to Georgia Southern football games is right at the top of my list of favorite memories from college. The pre-game tailgating madness (usually induced via copious amounts of beer and chicken wings ... and maybe a little Jack and Coke for good measure) is a necessary component of any successful GSU game. Visiting with other fans, making stupid bets and seeing those long-lost friends who only show up once a season for that big game is what the art of tailgating is all about.

This year I was the long-lost friend - greeted with all the necessary enthusiasm to get me back down to South Georgia again next season.

(Pictured here: Me and Kelley, the crew and Scott and Jessica - if you didn't already figure that one out)

You can read all the game highlights over at Scott's blog if you're truly interested in the game (I'm guessing you're not). But I will say that our Eagles were screwed out of a touchdown thanks to the refs, but luckily GSU still came out on top of the (formerly) No. 1 I-AA team in the nation. It was a thriller of a game down to the final minute, and I was so glad to be there to witness it.

Besides the game, catching up with old friends was my priority. There's a pregnancy, a soon-to-be engagement and various other exciting news floating around my Statesboro crew these days. Amazing how much changes in such a short amount of time!

Then there's the campus ... which was transformed in a million different ways, making Jon and I get turned around while taking a walk before leaving town on Sunday. New buildings have sprouted up here and there, roads have been closed, others have been paved. The libarary is about to become much larger and a little too high-tech for this Georgia girl ... they're installing electronic arms to fetch students' books at the touch of a button. Come on people ... what ever happened to the Dewey Decimal system?!?

It was a good trip - even though I now have a killer sore throat and am not at all pleased to be sick during the remainder of my vacation. But, hey, it's worth it.

GSU wins!

Need I say more?

What a weekend; what a game! The Eagles came out ahead of Furman, but just barely. It was down to the last 2 minutes of play, which is my kind of game. The fans stormed the field, and I came home a happy camper.

More photos and more stories soon.

Is it Friday, yet?

This weekend begins 7 days of vacation time that I've been looking forward to all year. Not because I've had spectacular plans, but simply because I have really, really, really needed a vacation. (A big shocker, considering my blog title, I know.)

On Friday, I'm leaving for Statesboro and my alma mater, Georgia Southern University. You see, there's a football game - but not just any football game. We're playing vile Furman. We hate Furman. And Furman hates us. It makes for a grand time, really.

Jon, a fellow GSU alum, and I will hit the road right around Atlanta's rush hour (oh joy) and hopefully will make it down in time for some good ole Statesboro nightlife. Then Saturday, I suspect there will be some serious tailgating knowing my crew. Hopefully the Eagles will beat the snot out of Furman, and on Sunday I can go home a happy camper.

Let's cross our fingers.

In the mean time, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with my Stateboro friends!