This I must confess...

Every Executive, Director, and Manager in the office is not going to be here for the next two days. The only Executive that will be present at all will be my boss tomorrow. And while they are in this huge meeting, the entire office has decided that we are doing Pizza and Beer  for lunch. Maybe tomorrow so that my boss will be a softy and pay for it. I also wore flip flops in because there is no one hear to judge me.

My friend asked if I wanted to go to the river this weekend. For those of you who do not live in AZ the Salt River is a river that people go down to sit in an inter tube and get hammered out of  their minds. It just sounds like SO MUCH FUUNN.

I found myself reading the really gushy weird romantic books this weekend, and not only did I read one but I followed it by 4 others. And while it was weird and irritating at times, they still had decent story lines. Though I have decided that they just really aren't my cup of tea for full time reading, and I still refuse to read 50 Shades. 

I literally watched our lipstick ring culprit just put her coffee cup in the dishwasher without wiping of the coating of lipstick. While she was sitting there chatting with someone else I went to the dish washer, pulled out the coffee cup, rinsed it off wiping away the lipstick, and gave her a bitch face the entire time I did it. She was watching the entire time and just said "oh it would have washed off".

I run all of HR tasks for the company, and have access to adjust peoples pay rates. But when my boss wanted me to give the owner a $500 per month salary increase I lied and said that I did not have the authority. The HR Contact from the company we used sent me a personal email asking if I was ok to do it, and when I said NOPE she didn't fight it. She understands the frustration.

I keep talking myself in and out of getting a FitBit. Because I really, really want one. But I am having doubts on if I will use it to it's full capabilities. It is killing me. 

I went to Walmart with my brothers discount card.... And I was hungry... but I was only there to get dog food.... and several other things that were totally not necessary. Thank god I wasn't in Target.

I am blogging right now instead of doing the stack of accounting crap that I need to get done. I should get back to it huh? 

The Social Problem

The problem with social networking is that some people have lost all forms of real communication. They would rather communicate through Facebook or Twitter, vaguely throwing people under the bus.  It's funny that I am actually bringing up this topic, because I rarely do this. I mean I complain about my co workers and my boss. But I don't just come right out and say that "so and so is getting a raise and I don't think that it's fair" (insert dramatic baby cry here). I am an adult, I don't think I need to throw people under the bus and publicly shame them for something I don't like.

The main reason behind this whole entire post was a series of two posts on Facebook, had by people that I know rather closely. 

I first saw this post:  

A complete and random post for this individual to make. It was already weird enough that she was posting on Facebook since she really doesn't go on, but given the events I knew that she had been on a little more this weekend. But for her to post this was a little off. I just passed it off thinking that someone I didn't know, or had blocked/hid was ranting again. Until I saw this. 

This whole spiel of non-sense that was publicly aired for all of our scrapbook group to see. Seriously, seriously?  

I missed out on this tradition too. I was invited to go, but chose not too. This means that this next year I may not get an invitation to go, and I have gone for the past 11+ years consecutively. But this year my priorities to house sitting and money were different due to me really wanting to go to blogcation, and honestly my heart wasn't into it. There was so much drama happening that it made the entire situation uncomfortable, and it was the one thing my mom and I had together. Honestly my mom was the glue in the group, and I hope that the people now running this tradition see how hard it was to go when a big part of my life and the tradition isn't there. I went last year, but this year has been slightly harder for me with my mom not around. 

But not once did I feel like posting my irritations about this drama on Facebook. It was not the place, and it was not the adult thing to do. I did vocally give my opinions and grievances; showing my one character flaw of not addressing it to the actual person. But to me it was small talk and venting. In this instance a simple email to the people in charge would do, and I know that if I wanted to get my point across an email or personal message would be more affective than blasting them to all of our closest friends and family. 

So I am now reaching out to you guys, because we are all masters of freedom of speech. Why do people so publicly announce their problems and grievances on social networking now? Do you think it is appropriate to post this stuff? Or are you for first amendment, they can say what they want? Would you post something like this on Facebook? 

Thanks for letting me rant. 

Sunday Social

Let me start by saying... My house sitting dogs did not appreciate the current weather that happened last night (and is still happening thus making it current) in Arizona and I ended up passing out on the couch pinned in by two of the smallest dogs that I watch. Literally I think that they are the tiniest out of them all. And while it was super adorbs to have both of them snuggled up to me because it made them feel better, all of that adorbs-ness went away when I woke up at 3:30a with a very numb ass, a painfully pinched shoulder, and a very full bladder. That may have been tmi, but my point is I am up and creating posts like a boss. A boss who is helped by coffee, lots of coffee.

3 favorite songs right now:

Bad Intentions by Niykee Heaton because the vocals are amazing.

Young Love by Jesse McCartney because who didn't love him growing up? That and it's fun to dance around to. 

And a complete 180- Master of Puppets by Metallica. My brother used to always play this one guitar solo and I couldn't figure out which song it belonged to until now. Plus it is like 8 minutes long and keeps you pumped when the rest of your body is cursing at you for attempting to work out. 

3 movies that remind me of summer:

Dirty Dancing, Sweet Home Alabama, and Mama Mia because all three were played at Scrapbooking Camp and we all knew the words by heart.

3 of my favorite items of clothing that I own:

My jeans.

All of my Mossimo Red tank tops, I like to layer.

And a tattered old baton tank top that I have had for YEARS. It is extremely comfy now.

3 Items on my Amazon wish list:

Cooking Comically

The UP24 by Jawbone. 

And this nifty Canon 70D Kit. Give me all of the camera stuff! 

3 books I would recommend to someone:

I will be honest in saying that I may not be the best person to recommend books. I read them but I am poor with recommendations. So Instead I am going to give you 3 bloggers that are amazing at listing all of the books they read! 

Tiffany at Endless Bliss

Heather at My Little HEA

Natalie at Natalie Patalie

Now back to the favorite song while I blog. 

Real and Quick Book Review: The Maze Runner

Yes my friends you are reading this right. I finally read and finished The Maze Runner. After a few months of it being on my side bar, I finally got the patience to sit down and read it. So now I am going to give you a real quick, really short book review.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Main Character: Thomas (Greenie, Greenbean, Tom, Tommy)

Favorite Character: Chuck

Character I hated the most: Alby (I really didn't like him.)

What I liked the most: Had a quick paced feel to it and had tons of  action. Pretty good for a dysotopian, and followed the basic end of the world theme. It also had a really good twist at the end. 

What irritated me the most: I hated the language that was used. If they are going to pretend like the characters are swearing then make it a little more like the actual words. Plus they used same word for the different things and it confused the hell out of me. I just can't!  Let's just say that shank and shunk, really stunk.

Overall feelings: It was a quick read, but the words and language that they used really, really irritated me. It made the story just choppy and I just stopped even caring what they were being used for unless you could obviously tell. I don't know if I would definitely read the rest of the series, but I will consider it if it comes up on Amazon Unlimited. I am so hoping the movie changes my mind.  

Read more about it here. 

Have you read The Maze Runner yet? Who was your favorite character? 

Sunday Social

Well this may be the most depressing Sunday Social that I have ever done. As I was typing it, it made me instantaneously sad that a lot of this stuff I have never done or bothered to do. Time to get living!!! 

What has been the most difficult thing that I have been through? 

Instead of going through the entire story, I would like to direct you to this post. It has definitely been a pivotal moment in my life.

What was my best birthday? 

WWWEEELLLLLLLLL....... I haven't had the best birthday ever yet. this last one was full of drama, and the birthday before resulted in one of my BFF's ditching me and cabbing it home before the night was over because she drank to much and rode the mechanical bull. So the past few have not been winners. 

What has been the best thing that I have done in my city so far?

Well I think that now that I am exploring a little bit more by work, I think that going to some of the family restaurants has been the best little adventure. I definitely want to do more, but need to acquire friends who want to do more than just go to the dive bar and normal places. 

What is my idea of the perfect date night? 

I would say April 29th because it's not too hot and not too cold; all you need is a light jacket.

But in all seriousness, for me it would be going to  a new, funky restaurant, having a glass of wine, and talking at first. Then doing something weird like bowling or just something that we could enjoy. I may be getting a little classier than most guys want, but I think I am worth it in the end. 

Have I ever been to a blogging conference? 

UM HELLO!!! I get to go to my very first conference this next January at Blogcation. I get to finally meet my amazing roommates Tiffany, Heather, and Emily; and some of the other bloggers that I stalk! Plus, as an added bonus, there will be sand, beaches, and two pina coladas in each of my hands! (Girls please help me remember to get this picture!) This is going to be a trip to remember. I mean look at this beach! 

Provided by the Blogcation Facebook

Call me Carlea, Carlea J. Swenson.

A little over a year ago I was contracted by our sister company to help post some of their accounting. I would go from my normal shift of 7am-4pm to an extra 2-3 hours of extra work. I didn't mind of course because it was extra money in my pocket. But by the end of the week some of the people in the office kept getting my name mixed up because I was sitting in someone else's desk more than they were.

Well in one week I had heard so many different versions of my name that I had begun to respond to anything that was similar. (It was a long summer.) So finally, Dave the Sarcastic, started calling me Carlea (Carly) which was a mixture of my name and the person who owned the cubicles name. Well I couldn't have a new first name and not a new last name, that just isn't right. So we mixed up our last names, creating Swenson. BAM! I had a first name and a last name, all I needed was a middle name. Well you know how apple likes to autocorrect. If you try to put my name in, it should autocorrect to Jules. Thus creating my middle name. 

from that moment on Carlea J. Swenson was born. My alter ego has become a little bit of an icon around there. When there is mischief a few people say, " Oh Carlea must have done that."  The best part about it is that none of the new people know who Carlea J. Swenson is. So if the people in accounting who know want to play a little prank, they tell them to go ask Carlea. It takes them forever to figure out that Carlea is actually me. It's fantastic! 

Well today Carlea is back at it, posting invoices and jamming out to some Saturday tunes. She may also cause some mischief in the office. ;) 

If you could have an alter ego, what would  your name be? 

Blogmopolitan Quiz

Um this is kind of the best week ever. Why? Because not only did we have the #totalsocial link up, but now we have the latest Blogmopolitan Quiz from Erin at Two Thirds Hazel. 

This is my third issue of The Blogmopolitan Quiz. To see my others go to Issue One and Issue Two. 

In this one you can tell that there are a few things I am slightly obsessed with right now. 

Also I will be having a dance party today at 10 am in my cubicle to celebrate the fact that it is Friday and pay day. Two of my favorite things that end with the word day. Here is the song, join in! 

All Time Favorites- Total Social

Guys and gals..... It's Thursday. Pretty much the best day of the week, especially this week because I just bought enough Monster to keep me wired for a week and because I get to link up with Helene and Sarah for total social!

The topic, favorites! And although my mother likes to refuse that she does not have a favorite child, we all know that I am by far the best of her three children. So as the favorite in my family, I thought I would give you a list of my all time favorites.

Favorite Color: Kelly Green, like St. Patricks day, bright obnoxious green.

Favorite Meal: Beef Stroganoff. It is one of those items that I can actually eat left overs for,and I really hate to eat left overs.

Favorite Place to Eat out: Anywhere that has pizza. Lately that place is known as The Humble Pie. They have one of the best roasted mushroom pizza's ever! Plus the guys there know to give me an extra glass of wine BEFORE happy hour is over.

Favorite thing I have Baked: I would have to say that that would be my Caramel Machiatto Cheesecake.

Favorite Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany's; I can watch that movie at any time and be perfectly content with life. I know all of the words but refuse to recite them because my voice would ruin the movie.

Favorite Book: I am a total re-reader so this is hard. But I have to go with the book that I have read the most and could still read today. Ella Enchanted. I mean the movie killed any form of joy I had in this world, but I still love the book.

Favorite Song: The Dance by Garth Brooks (Honorable mentions: Kicking My Heels by Tyler Hilton, and Earth Angel by The Penguins.)

Favorite Musical Artist: Keith Urban

Favorite Holiday: My birthday is slowly fading from the top spot,  but I always love a great traditional Christmas.

Favorite Grocery Splurge: Talenti Gelato. Ok well any ice cream is a splurge because I shouldn't be eating too much of it.

Favorite Alcoholic Drink: Classic Margarita on the rocks with salt.

Favorite Blog Post: I'm the kind of girl who... 

Favorite Picture I have taken: Not sure why, but this is my favorite. Maybe it was just because of the trip, but it would be amazing to be on the side of the Smoky Mountains right now.

Favorite Place: A beach, any beach will work. Just a place to put my but in the sand, soak up the sun, and clear my head.

Favorite Hobby: Scrapbooking and drinking wine, or sometimes both.

Favorite season: Summer when there is NO HUMIDITY! This 100+ degree weather with 20-40% humidity is killing me.

Favorite Teacher: 2nd grade, Mr. Chavez

Favorite Flower: Sunflowers!! (Honorable mention: Hydrangeas)

Favorite RAK:Paying for the person behind me when getting coffee. You never look for the thank you, but somehow it feels gratifying knowing that they might appreciate it or pay it forward.

Favorite Smell: Lemongrass (honorable mention: puppy breath)

What are some of your favorite things? 

Humpday Confessionals

Thank all of the heavens and that sweet little 8 pound 6 ounce sweet baby Jesus that today is Wednesday. I asked my grandma 4 times today whether it was Tuesday or Wednesday. Apparently I thought she was lying or something.

-I ate a piece of cheese cake for breakfast this morning, and I totally judged it based on the fact that it didn't taste like mine. But I don't regret eating it. I may have only wished that it were a piece of chocolate cake instead. 

-I feel like it is going to be a 5 cup of coffee day, but I feel lazy enough for it not to be, because that means I would have to get up.

-As I was processing payroll yesterday, I totally considered adding 8 hours of overtime onto my hours. I  decided not to based on the fact that it would take more energy to try and explain how much I worked from home the past two weeks.

-I have also thought about getting Chipotle for lunch today and putting it on the company AMEX.

But again too much energy to explain.

-I totally used my grandparents as an excuse to get out of doing stuff with people this weekend. Like if I didn't want to go do something I would say that I had to help them clean something or do yard work.

People who are my real friends should know that was a complete lie, because I don't do yard work like ever. I have been known to hire random sketchy people to do it for me because I refuse to do it. And you can pay them with beer.

- I miss having my boss in the same state.. and I kinda hate myself for saying that.

- I have been on an adopt an animal now kick. Granted I have not done so, but I really want a kitty and I am not even really a cat person. Why, just why?

-I am being pretty useless today at the office. But since I have spent a couple of hours looking for gifs to post with this post, with no success obviously, I guess I need to get back at it. 

A love letter to Coffee.

My Dearest Coffee,

I must admit that when we first met, I was just not that into you. I added so much fluff and cream that you did not taste like, well like you. It was a collection of sweet cream and caramel that I had become oh so addicted to in the beginning of our relationship. 

I was a mere child then; succumbing to the fads like much of my friends. I had been foolish spending a hefty $50 or more a week on Starbucks. I was a proud gold card carrying member then, and my drink was so sweet that I could not taste your elegance. This awful neglect and abusive way of living sadly occurred for much longer than it needed to. For that I am truly sorry.

As the years have passed and my tastes have become more sophisticated, I realized that I didn't need that much fluff in our relationship. My visits to Starbucks became a little less expensive by subtracting the fluff. Shortly after, I began to appreciate the other various coffee shops that brewed you with such grace. Now, I enjoy the simple coffee that I make at home and in the office. I had realized that all of the fluff and extra people were only substitutions that I was trying to use to fulfill our relationship. When all I really needed was just you. 

This past year, I have learned more about you than I have in our first years of courting. I have fallen madly in love with the various tastes of your many different roasts. And in May when I was served a cup of you that was french pressed. Well you know that saying, once you go pressed you never go back? Well it simply is true. The flavor! The aroma! I was even able to drink you black, and appreciate the flavors of your west coast specialty blend. 

I make this simple promise to you; I promise that I will always respect you, and tell you that I love you daily.  You will always have a place in my heart and in my mug, my sweet caffeinated angel. 

With deepest affection, 

Kylea

Finished Sentences

Random Picture of Ghillie because I can. 

So I may not be participating in the true blog everyday in July, because I am lame and haven't posted crap anyways, but I thought that this was a really cool prompt. So I thought that for a moment I would be a real live blogger and post something fun! 

Here we go! 

"When I open the fridge, I always hope I find..." water in my brita filter. I always hate it when I forget to fill it and then have to wait for water to filter through and be cold. 

"My favorite article of clothing is..." My yoga pants. So comfy.

"Last week I was really pissed when..." Someone sent me an order for work with no information and then got snippy with me when I asked for it. 

"One thing nobody understands about me is..." My need to take a nap every day. I literally have to have one or I get grumpy.

"One thing I don't understand is..." what the hell #OOTD is. I mean where did I miss the memo on what it actually means, because I can't even tell by peoples posts what it means. 

"The world would be a better place if..." Society didn't have such high expectations on what people should look like, and the food industry got back to growing healthy chemical free food instead of genetically modified food that is slowly killing us. 

"If I had a million dollars, I'd..." Rule the world.

"If I knew I'd die next week, this week I'd...." Eat all of the cupcakes, go to  London to go to Hogwarts, air my grievances, and write a novel on my last week of life. It will be a best seller after my death. 

"If I could change one thing about myself, it would be..." my lack of motivation. 

"Something that can always make me happy is..." a large iced tea.

"Something I'll never blog about is..." 

"If I could go anywhere I would go... Because..." Spain, because it is gorgeous there and they have a dedicated nap time. 

"If I were an animal I would be a ..." my dog... He lives a fabulous life. 

"A job I've always wanted is..." my own design show on HGTV. How magical it would be.

"My idea of a perfect day is..." It raining steadily outside, a book, a bed/couch full of fluffy pillows, and a nice cup of coffee that automatically refreshes itself.

Netflix has ruined my life.

We all have our favorite things in life, our favorite hobbies. But it appears that all of mine have fallen to the side. Why? Netflix, that's why! Yea that's right, I am blaming all of my problems on one convenient little subscription that brings pleasure to so many. 

So why am I blaming possibly the best invention of  my time? 

Well let's start with the fact that I get addicted to the shows that have been discontinued/stopped. I mean come ON! Why is it that I am now infatuated with Heroes, Dollhouse, and Heartland??? Netflix. And yes I do know that Heartland is still on but they never put new episodes on fast enough because it is Canadian.

Another fact... I have no social life on the weekends because I would rather binge watch an entire season of Witches of East End, then go to a party. I mean what sane single person in their mid 20's does that? Because then we can create a group and start recommending shows to each other. 

I am spoiled with no commercials. I watch regular tv now and I just cannot stand commercials! That is because of you Netflix. Why do I have a DVR? Because of Netflix and it's ad free, beautiful self. So now when I have to watch the new and final season of Sons of Anarchy, I have to wait 30 minutes after the show starts to start watching so that I can skip all of the commercials. 

I now want to live in a tiny house, will never go to Sea World again, am scarred to eat half of the foods in the U.S., and am now terrified to go into half of the abandoned cities in the US. Why? Because the documentaries Netflix posts are very convincing. And you only convinced me more that I want to live the tiny house lifestyle way. Because they are a bunch of wonderful jerk faces.

My taste in food has gotten pricier. Because why eat just a normal pint of ice cream when you really need that Talenti Gelato to get you through that heart wrenching independent film? And Pizza, I mean what marathon isn't complete with a large combo pizza with extra mushrooms that you can eat for 3 meals?

Impatience. I do not want to wait another year for the next season of OITNB! And where is Season one of Sleepy Hollow??? There are never enough episodes. 

Now if you don't mind... I may or may not be enjoying an episode of Dr. Who before I start to plan Geek Day. 

Sorry, I'm not sorry.

Work Habits

My co-workers view this morning at Monticello, NY.

I know that I mentioned that I would post an obnoxious amount of posts this week, but apparently I am a big fat liar. But no my pants are not in fire.

It has been a hard HARD summer to get through so far, and it isn't even over. There are a lot of things that have me down about work, and it gets really hard to shake them. There have been a lot of bad attitudes, complaints, and overall lack of detail. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't hear practically everything anyone says. My boss always jokes that I have the ears of a rabbit.

But there are some pretty great things about my job; one being that I get to work from home whenever I want to. So this morning when I woke up, I decided to do just that. I left the PJ's on, made a cup of coffee, and logged into my email at 6am.

When I work from home:  

• I have like 7 cups of coffee, no joke, but I am never wired or hyper.
• I eventually change, but always back into comfy clothes like yoga pants. 
• I take a 2 hour long lunch.
• Said lunch consists of taking a shower and a nap.
• My TV does not go on until two or so.
• I work until the late hours of the evening, but only because I have taken that nap or two.
• I tend to get caught up on a lot of personal stuff.
• I listen to my music loudly, and sing very poorly to it. 
• If I come across a  good song, I take a dance break. Life needs more dance breaks.
• I am literally on less of my social media when I work at home than when I am in the office.
• There is no foot to mouth filter! I literally just say what I need to.
• I rarely tell my boss, until he asks if he asks. 

I never remember how nice it is to work from home until I actually do. What does your daily routine look like if and when you work from home? 

Sunday Social

What a week.

What a weekend.

No I did not do anything crazy or remotely fun other than digest a whole season of Witches of East End. Why is it that Netflix always makes shows more appetizing than the commercials or when the shows are actually on TV? That damn Netflix.  But in all honesty, I worked all weekend. Yup you read that right, I worked. Partially because I knew I wouldn't have squat to do this weekend, but mainly because I knew that I would be making some extra dough to add to my Blogcation fund. And well this girl likes to make that cheddar. I didn't do as many hours as I thought I would, but messing with someone else's books gets a bit complicated at times.

The only thing positive that happened this week was that I made these super cute little S'mores kits for the peeps in the office. Aren't they stinking cute?!!

But since I had to manage so much with work, I had no chance to actually post anything this week. Sometimes that is the downside of this whole thing. I feel really crappy when I do not post anything for an entire week. But I promise I have a bunch that will be posted this week! Like you should be highly annoyed with me by the end of the week amount of posts.

May I also tell you that I am so happy that Scrappy Happiness is back with his scrapbooking blog! This kid is only 18 and he does such fantastic work. If you scrapbook go a head and check out Drew's page Scrappy Happiness.

But now on to Sunday Social. Best post of the week!

1. Favorite Genre of Music?

I literally listen to almost every genre there is, but I always go back to Country. It is also the genre that I attend the most concerts for. Sorry but my alternative, heavy metal, and rock shows are not ones that I really enjoy going to because for some reason people think I need to be a part of the mosh pits and pull me in. The only ones that I don't get pulled into are my brothers shows. Typically I have one of his friends from high school who know me to thank for that, but a lot of the time those with cameras are not touched.

 2. Favorite Genre of movies?

Action adventure or Indie. I mean sure who doesn't love a nice chick flick or two, but they are so predictable. I like a little action in my movies, plus it doesn't hurt that most of the male characters go shirtless at one point or another in them. Indies to me are raw and there is just something about them that makes sense to me.

 3. Do I watch Reality TV? If so what was the first show I remember watching?

I really don't watch reality TV unless I am desperate. The only two that I do watch are So You Think You Can Dance and Breaking Amish. I think SYTYCD was the first that I watched and paid attention to it, but I haven't seen all of the seasons.

 4. Actress i'd want to be BFF’s with?

I would want to be BFF's with Anna Kendrick. Because she is awesome, hilarious, and seems like a generally sarcastic person. And we all know how much I love sarcasm. (Not said in sarcastic tone.)

 5. Actor i'd be happy to be stuck on an island with?

Stephen Amell. Shirtless.

Keep in mind that the scarring and tattoos are all placed for dramatic effect. Yup, I would love to be stuck on an Island with that. Plus he knows how to actually shoot a bow and arrow in real life. Meaning I would not have to kill things, just send him out there. Should be a really good acting exercise for him, no? 

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope y'all have a fantastic remainder of your weekend.