Would you like some Testosterone with that?

So I have to browse health websites for articles at work and I came across this article about how modern life is hard on men. They are dealing with dwindling testosterone levels. I find this really interesting that things like birth control and sexual freedom, we are becoming less than what our predecessors. The artificial hormones that us women consume through our birth control - it doesn't just disappear - it passes through our system and becomes part of the water supply. The synthetic estrogen can't be filtered out - so between our water and our bottles it comes in - we are emasculating out men.

I wonder about the hormones that transgendered people use as well - what happens to those testosterone and estrogen additives?!? Are we going to become evolve to A-sexual beings because our hormones are beginning to match?

I was laughing and joking about how I'd have to give in and date an older man now - since the older man is one carrying enough testosterone - oh, how I was taught a lesson. A 40 year-old man came into my place of work and kept staring at me and asking me all these questions. He asked me how old I was and if I had a boyfriend - I lied and said yes. He was telling me about how his parents were going to be away for the weekend and he'd be throwing a rager in his parents absence. I think he thinks he is still in high school.

Movie Weekend

So I watched several movies this weekend. I watched Angels and Demons, Robin Hood, and The Conspirator.

To start, The Conspirator is about the trial of Mary Surratt. She is charged with conspiring to murder the President, Vice President, and the Secretary of State. Her boarding house was used as a meeting point and her son's involvement in the plot had led her to the court room. Frederick Aiken (Jame McAvoy - sigh) is a Union Captain and lawyer. He gets caught up in her trail and decides to pursue the case because the military tribunal is a violation of Mary Surratt's rights as a civilian.

It is a BRILLIANT movie. I loved every minute of it...and I watched it twice. I feel so bad for Frederick who is honestly trying to defend the rights he had sacrificed years of his life fighting for those freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. The movie was filled with some pretty noticeable actors (at least from my movie background - Jenny from Forrest Gump, Lucy from Across the Universe, U.S. Grant and Artemus Gordon from Wild Wild West, Murphy from The Boondock Saints, and Rory from Gilmore Girls - not to mention James :D ).

Angels and Demons was really interesting. Is it weird that I still find Tom Hanks hot? I'm super glad he passed on his hotness to Colin Hanks as well! Anyways - Tom plays Professor Robert Langdon again. Maybe it is his intelligence in this role that really gets me...but then again, I've ALWAYS loved Tom Hanks. I mean, he is TOM HANKS! He's kind of like Paul Newman. Yet again, back to the story line - four preferitti (I have no idea on the spelling or whether or not that is a title and needs to be capitalized) are kidnapped and threatened by the Illuminati. The Pope has recently died and the Conclave is having trouble deciding on whom to elect when the four preferitti are being murdered hour after hour. Of course, to make matters worse, anti-matter has been stolen and is being used as a bomb threat on the Vatican. The Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor - yet another hot Scot!) is trying to lead the Vatican through this hard time and protect the people. Twits and turns ensue but Robert Langdon is able to solve the mystery and save the day!

It was a pretty interesting story - with beautiful scenery of Italy. It was super interesting and totally worth staying up until 1am! There isn't too much more to say on the matter, except: Watch It!

The next movie I watched was Robin Hood. It tells the pre-story to Robin Hood. Robin Longstride escapes the Crusades after the death of Richard the Lionhearted with some friends: Will Scarlett, Little John, and Alan A'Dale. They end up being the ones that bring the crown back to the Tower of London, impersonating Knights. They end up taking Sir Robert Loxley's sword back to his father in Nottingham. There, Robin is persuaded to stay and pretend to be Robert Loxley. There are invading French to fight off, wild boys in the woods to worry about, and the greedy church and crown to deal with. The end of the movie is the beginning of Robin Hood's story as an outlaw living in the woods.

I really liked this movie too. Watched this one twice too...if you couldn't tell, I didn't have a lot to do this weekend. I liked that this story gave a different side to Robin Hood. I do think this is one of the better stories about Robin Hood; however, I think the best story of Robin Hood is Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I began to wonder after a while if Little John was one of the creepy brothers from Smokin' Aces...yup, yup he was. Anyways...I am off for some sleep!

Conspiracy to Succeed

I just finished watching the Conspirator with my dad...it was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! James McAvoy is beyond fantastic. He is BRILLIANT, then again, I may be partial.


Recently, I have taken to drawing in a sketch pad at night before bed instead of writing in my journal. I am no artist, but it is a fun way to get out your emotions in a creative way. I have also recently done things like: get a loan and purchase a car! Oh joy! I apparently have a green thumb and am growing mystery plants in my apartment. I planted the orchid bulbs from my brothers wedding and they are 3 feet high now. I am not sure what kind of orchids these are or if one day I will suddenly discover it is a flesh eating Venus fly trap.

I am excited to have a quiet weekend at home this weekend. I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the whole month of September. I am ready for some time at my place. Heck, tomorrow I might actually have some furniture to put in it! Oh liquidation sales - you are so opportune!

I recently - like yesterday - applied for, and interviewed for, a position as a baker. It would be every other weekend and why not get paid to learn how to make things. I was thinking about paying someone to teach me these before - now it is the other way around. I would also be going to farmers markets to sell the wares and potentially adding pies (my favorite things to make) to the menu! It would be fun and an interesting way to learn about how to make organic foods. **Dreams of organic Highland farm and B&B** Someday! I got a book this last weekend entitled : 5. It is about planning the next 5 years of your life and how you are going to achieve the things you want. I am excited to fill it out. I stated earlier this week but I have been too busy to really focus on it.

Well - night!

How Long Can It Last?

I have to say it - despite my compete and utter want that this remain untrue. While perusing some of the comments on the page outing Marcus and his "fiancee" (ugh), I came across some comments talking about how their marriage will never work because they have only been together for 5 months.

I hate to say it, but it is the people in the courtship, not the length of it that make a marriage last. My friend likes telling me the story of how Bette Midler met her husband in Vegas and married him after a short 6 weeks. They have been married ever since - for 24 years! A marriage isn't going to work out whether you have been together for 1 day or 20 years. People will stay together if they honestly mean what they say in their vows. Haters will be hatin'!

I also tried out the non-heat curls this weekend. My sister wrapped my hair around a head band and I had some of the AWESOMEST CURLS EVER! I'll have to post a picture soon displaying the results.

Such a Small Thing - Yet Such a Pest!

Tonight - I am going to try...going home straight after work. No other stops - just home! I need to get some work done around my place and an early bed time is in order. I didn't want to drag my butt out of bed this morning - it might have had something to do with the down pouring rain and thunder storm that was happening too.

Last night I got home relatively early - enough time to watch Across the Universe and shower. My apartment some times scares me. I'm beginning to wonder if someone can remotely set off my fire alarm since it always seems to go off during or right after my shower...without there being any steam or overwhelming heat difference. I think someone just wants to see me run dripping wet to rip the alarm off the wall >.< Not Fair!

I am happy to report that I got about another 6 hours of "The Civil War" by Shelby Foote listened to while on the bus this weekend. I also got a few more chapters in "London: the Wicked City" read while on the bus too. It was much easier on my stomach - reading towards the front of the bus. The back of the bus was making me queasy looking at the pictures in "In Style."

Wow - that sucked

So One Day - that movie that I REALLY wanted to see...with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess (two people I LOVE) - DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE ON A GIRLS WEEKEND...unless you want your weekend to go from fun to absolutely depressing. It was fun - we went at 10 in the morning and there was only one other person in the theater...a man. But we giggled and had fun and put our feet up on the rail; that was until DEPRESSION comes at you like a lorrie from the right. Bloody lorries! It made me miss Edinburgh and Paris quite a bit to add to the depression factor. I do have to say though, Anne Hathaway's Scottish accent was pretty horrible! There were flashes of it being Scottish and then it was just kind of "sorta Englishy."

Anyway - the story is of two people Dexter (Jim Sturgess) and Emma (Anne Hathaway). They meet up again on graduation night, almost "do it," end up deciding to not "do it" and just be friends. The following day is St. Swithun's Day and from that day on, July 15 is a day where they usually meet up again in some way or another. It follows them from 1988 to 2011 and there friendship goes from good to great, to not so hot, to dead, to rekindled and so on. There friendship with each other makes them. One of the characters says to Dexter: "She made you decent and in return you made her so happy."

It was a fantastic movie, just horribly depressing and not fitting a celebratory weekend. This is a - I want to sit down and bawl my eyes out kind of movie. Go prepared with lot of tissues and waterproof mascara! I don't know if I can bring myself to read the book now, despite the fact that I am on the holds list for it at the library.

Ladies Night

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND! It is going to be a girls weekend of non-stop FUN! I love my sisters...so this weekend is going to ROCK.

Relationships: Hmmmm...I've made very good friends with my recent books selections from Half Priced books. I also got a letter from my friend out in VT. I'm super excited to finally write my letters in French and send them off to my Professor and BFF! I got to see some of my host family from Scotland this last weekend. That was so nice. There were so many other people there all vying for their attention. I miss them all - I can't wait until I can afford to see them again in Scotland!

Health: I apparently still have an ear infection. For Goodness Sakes - it has been almost a month now and I've been on two different antibiotics. I don't know what else I can do! I am also contemplating eliminating as much meat from my diet as possible. I don't know how well this will work since I am a girl that craves the bloody taste of red meat :D YUM! I guess we'll see what I decide to end up doing.

Career: My job is going really well. I'm just starting out, but I've got so many plans for the future!

Burr...It's Cold in Here

Besides being absolutely amazingly unique: Ice is pretty wonderful. It has all those pretty crystalline textures, it's lighter in solid form than liquid...it FLOATS for crying out loud! I am obviously too enamored with ice right now - maybe because I'm about to go apply some to my migraine throbbing head! I can feel the relief as we speak...well, while you read and I relax with a baggie of frozen water on my face.

Twist and Curl

Today I set up meetings and met with a bunch of people to discuss car loans. O. M. G. Talk about all over my head. The only loan I've ever signed for was my student loan for Scotland. It is so crazy...and I'm sure the loan agent can see you comin' from a mile away. Oi! Let's see if I can make it through all the meetings I have scheduled for this week.

Anyways, my sisters attacked me the other morning and did my hair in the "Bohemian Style" that is shown in the video below. It was really cute and I had some amazing curls the next day. It was worth the 5 minutes of torture, but I don't think I can do the twist by myself. I am one of the least coordinated and dexterous people there is out there and the twist would take me a whole lot more than 5 minutes!




I'm looking forward to trying out this, I just haven't been able to find a loose elastic headband to use. I'm also kind of worried about it getting all tangled. My hair easily tangles and this looks like it just might be hell. Someone did suggest in the comments to use a cotton strip of cloth the you can untie in the back.

I'm A Diva

Let's just say...aside from getting internet, I totally need a new computer. How am I supposed to have anything read to discuss here when it takes my computer hours to download one book!?!?!? Oi! I have been working on several books lately, it seems that I haven't really gotten anywhere lately. I started Angela's Ashes this weekend and last week I started reading The Devil on Horseback, I'm almost finished with The Wind in the Willows, and I'm still working on my Thousand Years of Vice book. I was listening to "Civil War" last week and I still have over 30 some hours to listen too. I have been working on that book since before I left France in February!

The "literature" I want to talk about today is my other summer crave! I love watching Drop Dead Diva. I was staying at my sister's place and I came across that on Netflix and honestly watched the whole first season while she was at work! It follows "Deb" who was an aspiring model that ends up dying. She hyjacks her way back to earth in another lady's body. This gives her the body and "brain" of Jane - a super sucessful lawyer. The firm ends up hiring Deb's boyfriend and she has to face him every day as "Jane." She has all the lawyer knowledge that was in Jane's brain, so she is able to continue on working as a lawyer. Her guarding angel sticks around her and helps her work through switching lives - still having Jane's body and brain but being the soul of Deb. It is now in the third season...and I still haven't seen any of Season 2. It wasn't on Netflix yet and by the time I found out that it was still airing on Lifetime, it was Season 3. Hopefully I'll be able to find Season 2 somewhere or there will be an all day marathon some time!

You can watch some of the latest episodes and upcoming clips on MyLifetime.com

Pillow Talk!

I had such an amazing weekend. I feel bad that I wasn't able to blog several nights last week, but without Internet at my place...it can be difficult to post! My friends and I made a run to Half Priced Books and found: Pillow Talk. I love Rock Hudson! And Rock Hudson and Doris Day movies are just classic....take it every one of them is the exact same in plot with small details changed. This is how they go: Doris Day HATES Rock Hudson's character (whom she's never laid eyes on before), he finds out who she is, likes her, tricks her into falling in love with him by playing a sweet and innocent man, she finds him out, she leaves him, both are hurting, he realizes he really does love her, then, they get back together because they are just so MADLY in love. It's the same for Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back. While I was watching Pillow Talk, I began to see where more and more of the innuendos and bad puns and pans in Down With Love come from! The movies are so funny! Despite the fact that both Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back are both practically the same movie - I'd recommend that everybody go watch them.

Galway Girl

I didn't get to write last night since I forgot to write before I went home and I still don't have internet at my place...SOON! I'm so excited for this weekend...I'm going to my first Irish Fest! It is going to be so much FUN! Especially since I'll be with some LOVELY ladies. I'm excited that I get to have two girl weekends in a row. I'm really excited to hear both Irish and Scottish accents this weekend! I think it is weird that I feel Scotland is more my home than the US. I only lived there for 4 months and I miss it so much. My heart aches. I miss France and Paris too, but I mostly miss the people I loved there and all the wonderful places that keep you so busy - unlike the middle-of-no-where Wisconsin.

Ok, I'm off to go read some more and hopefully get to sleep early tonight!

Shame on Me

I have been a little remiss in actually getting a book read this last week. In my defense, it has been kind of crazy/hectic this last week. Weddings, Sister's movie nights, shopping days, working! I'll have to go home and hit the books!

I did read some HORRIFYING news today...Marcus is engaged! DAMN! That wasn't a very lovely thing to find out today. Spoiled my whole afternoon. Oh well...First Prince William and now Marcus! I really am going to turn into an old maid! Thanks Jake Gyllenhaal for re-introducing them. I can't believe he's going to marry Carey Mulligan...she played Kittie Bennett in Pride and Prejudice - Kittie!?!? Oi!

Carey Mulligan, Marcus Mumford Engaged After Five Months! - UsMagazine.com

Ask the Dust

I watched the movie Ask the Dust the other night...and I really enjoyed it. It is based off the similarly titled book by John Fante. It follows author Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell) in Depression L.A. - his struggles to write, live, and love. He meets a Mexican lady, Camilla (Salma Hayeck), and begins to fall in love. He meets several interesting characters and experiences some very interesting events.


The movie was brilliant. It had some beautiful scenes and the way it was narrated was really interesting. It is an interesting concept - a movie about an author attempting to write. Donald Sutherland's character was rather interesting. He only appears briefly from time to time, but he is an extreme character...one of those that can really only be based off the oddities of a real person. I thought that part where he taught Camilla to read was really sweet. The story he had her learn to read with was adorable...she did tell him she liked dog stories :D I think I'll need to go get the book and have a read.

One Day

Last night I was kept out late by my two great uncles. They were putting on a concert at the Dean House in Madison. It was so beautiful. A cool summer evening spent listening to jazz. Then we got ice cream! It was such a gorgeous sunset with lovely music. We so miss out on the luxury of a live band. We now have grinding and DJs - they had dancing and live bands. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Relationships: My brother is now married and I now have a wonderful sister-in-law. I'm having a movie night with my sister and we have a couple movies to work through...lots of Colin Farrell! Yum!

Health: I haven't really done anything for my health...other than taking meds to get rid of my ear infection!

Career: Right now I am developing a 5 year plan that ends with me living in the UK...preferably Scotland. I don't care if I'm working the counter at a grocery store...I long to live in the UK. I miss it so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I am really excited to see the movie: One Day. It had Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway! It is going to be a great chick flick movie. If there is any Hollywood plug I'd like to make today, it is that everyone should go see this movie!

Straight Creepin'

Today I was creeped out. There are way too many creepers in the world. The place I work, is off the main drag. You have to purposely drive there. Well someone pulled into the parking lot, facing the building, towards the back of the building...perfectly parked so they could view me through the door as I filed. They sat there for about 30 minutes and I know they saw me notice them! I walked to the door and looked to see if anyone was there...and then I saw some movement. There was enough of a glare on the window that all I really saw of them was the red McDonalds french fry box and their movements. I was extremely creeped out. Who in the world DOES THAT? I was talking to my boss - getting his address so I could pick up his mail - and when I looked back up, the car was gone. I was so happy that I had decided to lock the place up at 5 but still stay and file in the back...completely locked in! I swear, creepers can find me through BUILDINGS now. They can find me in the whole of the Versailles gardens and in the whole of Wisconsin...they find me. I swear, I must have an innocence beacon or something that makes creepers pick up on me. I don't know if this person was a man or a woman, but the sat and watched me while they ate. Stupid Silver Toyota >.< and it's passenger.

Seal it and Stamp it

My ear has been acting up again! I woke up at 3 this morning with an immense earache. I then spent the day biking around, hanging flyers, and filing.


So last night I tested out my embosser that my parents got me for Christmas a while ago. My embosser proudly stamps "From the library of Stephenie." I placed all my bookselves along my livingroom wall and then began to unpack all my books and media. I have shelves for my books, cds, dvds, and records. I began stamping all of my books with my seal. It's kind of cool. My sister gave me the stamps that my Great Grandfather had for marking the books in his library collection. Too bad I still have another 100 or so books to go and some more organizing by subject and/or alphabetically.

The Wind in the Willows

I have loved this movie since I was a child. I still love the The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I still watch it on VHS. I bought an illustrated set of book while I was in Scotland. It is an amazing set and I completely love it. My Scottish host dad took me to the quaint little bookshop and waited with me while I bought it. I didn't not care that it took up a tone of weight and space in my suitcase...it is one of the best things I purchased while in Scotland. I finally unearthed it yesterday while unpacking and I just had to start reading them. I have only read about 5 of the 20 separate books (I think each chapter was sorted out into a little illustrated book).


I have just finished reading up to the point where Toad had become obsessed with cars. Mole has broken free from Spring cleaning, found the River and Ratty, tipped over the boat after the picnic, met Toad, gone on a gypsy tramp with Ratty and Toad in a horse drawn cart that gets run off the road. Can't wait to finish the story even though I know everything that happens.