Pop the Bubbly!

You guys, today is a national holiday (at least in my planet)--the wedding of Jim and Pam. They are getting married today and I can absolutely lose it right now. It's not even one in the afternoon and I'm jumping out of my skin. This isn't normal. My buddy Scott is probably rolling his eyes, but I don't care. We've got an hour filled with JAM goodness tonight!

Jim and Pam are the reason why I love The Office as much as I do and, if I'm honest, they are the reason why I got into the show in the first place.

I wish that I could say I was a fan from the very first season. In truth, I didn't know about the show until the season finale of Season 2 when Jim finally confessed his feelings for Pam. I was working at a job I hated, tooling around the internet when I stumbled upon a video of the whole scene. That night I came home and watched everything up to that point. I've been completely hooked ever sense. I've mentioned before why I love this show so much. This wedding is only going to increase my obsession.

I think what I love so much is how honest Jenna Fisher and John Krasinski are in their portrayal of the two best friends/lovers. The looks! The inside jokes! THE KISS! I live for stuff like this.

There will be tears and laughter tonight, for sure, as well as me jumping on the couch like a lunatic. The one- hour episode airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC.

Tanster over at Officetally posted this video of the whole Jim/Pam courtship through the end of Season 5. I thought I'd include it here incase you need to catch up or want to look at something awesome:



What about you, dear readers? Are you as excited as I am? Am I just a crazy fangirl? Thoughts. Comments. Now.

Are We Human Or Are We Dancers?

The night of The Killers concert, Yani and I were definately dancers. Our husband's went but this was the Yani and Elaine show--fo' sho'. I was excited for this concert. More excited, I have to admit, than I was for the Metallica concert. I can't quite compare my excitement to that of my sister's, however, given that she had a running countdown and will be naming her future first born Brandon (I think even if the baby is a girl), in honor of her "Boo" Brandon Flowers--the front man with the excellent vocals and adorable face.

Here were are pre-show. I look like I have horse teeth in this picture, but that is neither here nor there.

Though I was psyched to see this band and knew how great they were, I was not prepared to be as floored by their performance as I was. To say that they sound better live is an understatement. Also, I'm a sucker for crowds; they can either make or break a show. The sold out crowd at the Triple A did not disappoint.

I can't talk about the crowd, though, without mentioning the ridiculous difference between the Metallica concert goers and those there to see The Killers. Apparently, our little group of four didn't get the memo that we had to dress like skanks. I've never see so many non-practical stilettos in  my life. Seriously? How are you supposed to jump around and dance in those? Case in point:

I don't know how someone didn't twist an ankle or completely fall on their face.

The opening act was a random band call Chairlift. I'm not going to bash their music, because I listen to some pretty random stuff and so shouldn't talk. I'm only going to note the positives like how the lead singer was really into playing her keyboard. You could just tell that she rocked the Casio as a kid. She did this sick windmill move before hitting the keys that had mimicking it the whole night. She also wore mom jeans and played a wicked cowbell. We had Cowbell Interpretive Dancing!

I will say this about Chairlift, Brandon called them up on stage to perform "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. It was a great cover that prompted me to download the original the next day. I only hope that I can somehow find the version they did somewhere and get that sucker onto my ipod. In the meantime, here is the live version for your listening pleasure (note the mom jeans):



Besides this song, they played a wonderful combination of new and old tracks that had everyone jumping out of their seat. My sister's face was priceless the whole night:

When they played "Bling (Confessions of a King)", the song the makes me feel like FloJo, I about lost it. I almost fell over in my seat. It's that every songs elicited the same response because they were all equally stupendous. They played three songs for the encore...three! When they played "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things that I've Done," the crowd went completely insane. It was great to be in the middle of all that. Check it out:



I'm still on a such a high from this concert and have been listening to their new album Day and Age on loop since Sunday. Great stuff. I even made a t-shirt to commemorate this event that I'm going to surprise my sister with. Surprise, sister! They are already ordered!

I feel so fortunate to have been able to experience two excellent concerts with two amazing fans. Music is such a part of my life. I'm so happy to have been so surrounded by it this weekend.

Here's a parting shot, because life ain't worth living without an awesome husband, great music and some cotton candy. Forgive the face, it's the only one I've got.

Up next: Pictures from my photo sessions this weekend and my thoughts on National Public Radio.

Today Was a Good Day

At the risk of sounding like Ice Cube--today was a good day. Here are some of the reasons why:

· My hair smelled like coconut.

· I wore a tropical shirt.

· I played some Bob Marley while my students worked on a project.

· I re-read this email: "You are a gem, Elaine. I have never worked with a young teacher as switched on, talented and considerate as you are. Thank you so much for all your help." (That just plain made my week).

· I got a cute note in my lunch box.

· I got to put other people in charge of things.

· My students are actually trying.

· I got to come home to this:

Most of all, it was a good day because I made it one. I was tired and still had to go to work but I recognize that it's a rare thing to actually like your job and even rarer to be good at it. I was encouraged by the promise that I saw in my students today and even in myself. I can dictate how my days are going to go. I can make things happen. This is obvious, I know. Sometimes, however, you lose the forest for the trees.

Here's to making everyday a good one even if it takes a little effort to get there.

Today's picture of the day was taken way back in 2004 with my first digital camera, a Kodak Picture Share (I'd had it for a couple years by then). That bad-boy made me fall in love with photography again and I'm all the better for it. This was taken from the ship of our very first vacation together. Mike and I were a year into a long distance relationship that ended up amounting to almost two years. We went on a cruise around the Carribean to reconnect and it was a grand ol' time.