Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... Just don't crrash your car when I'm working!

My dear Star-Wars deficient friend,

The only difference, as far as I can tell, between Ghandi and Yoda is that Ghandi has never needed to resort to lightsaber violence to get shit taken care of. Doesn't mean that he can't. Just that he chooses not to.

I don't approve of our current work schedules and how limiting they are on best friend snuggle time. I miss you terribly. How did your interview go??? I need to get on that job application horse... AMR has laid off half a dozen upper managers this week and another 3 or so have resigned. So we are a body without a head, and this company was barely functional to begin with. Rumor had it that our general manager resigned because he knocked up his assistant, (who is absolutely smoking hot, by the way) but that was unfounded and we aren't supposed to spread it anymore. Which is a shame. It's the best rumor I've heard in a while! But all this translates to "Amanda ought to get a job on a different ambulance company just in case this one stops working out."

So, in other news:

• I ran 2.6 miles today. In the snow. Which wasn't bad at all but I definitely thought that it would be a longer distance when I looked it up later. Ah well.
•  Quadratic equations and I are friends once more.
• Prior to running in the snow, I ate shit walking out my front door on the "massive puddle" that is always in my driveway, and is now being re-named the "massive ice death trap." My elbow is bruised. As is my ego, because of course my neighbors were outside.
• I have a TV again, and christened it by watching Despicable Me. Thanks mom and dad. And I made myself a new avatar on the x-box because it's fun. Thanks uncle Matt.
• Still haven't gone Christmas shopping... That's the plan for Tuesday. I'm a huge slacker. 
• What do you want for Christmas anyway? 
• I'm going wall climbing tomorrow! Hooray! I'm going to suck. There is a climbing gym in Dover, as I recall... I oughta get back into this.
• My old ambulance partner Spencer is back in NH!
• I made a new OkCupid friend. More on that as I have it. :)

Soooooo tell me about this rave!?! You looked phenomenal, of course. Loved the leg-warmers/booties. I demand more pictures! I know you have them dammit!

I'll leave you with an unrelated picture of Spencer and I pretending to be hobos, and Jennie and I pretending to be Pocahontas and Nakoma. Nakoma was a babe. Too bad Kokomo got killed. (Yes I watched that movie last weekend...) There are lessons to be learned though! You must find yourself a handsome sturdy husband, who builds handsome sturdy walls. So wise, those indians.

Lerv.

You have boyfriend??

Hello my RUNNER FRIEND!!!

You might look ridiculous in your non running clothing, but I have adequate running clothes and still look like this...

See? Case in point, it does not matter the clothing in which you run, but only THAT you run! I think someone said that once... maybe Ghandi? Or Yoda. I always get them confused.



I am anxiously awaiting your review of my cover letter so I can finish applying to NCSS. Damn those Manchvegas citizens for needing medical assistance while I'm attempting to better my future! I'm hoping I don't sound like too large of a pompous ass, which I feel like everyone who writes one of those damn things sounds conceited to some degree. I also feel like I wrote too much, but that's normal.

I wish I would have looked at your post before today (or answered your texts this weekend) because I was in Mountainland too!! Only for a night, though... my great uncle passed away. Before you say sorry, he had stage 4 bone and prostate cancer and lived a full and wonderful life, so there are no sorry's for Uncle Ed! I will be home for that whole weekend (as far as I know) so we must absolutely have a North Country reunion. Momma Crane (Huntington... damn it!) would love to see you, and I am definitely in need of a Marie and John fix. Also, THE fix... can we make Christmas fix please please please pleaseeeee?! There's also a new cafe in Littleton called Smooch I think we should check out, and then venture to Aylakai and maybe get something pierced? Perfect, I'd say.

Aaaand there is ADD at it's finest, ladies and gentlemen.

So, as for the rest of my week, I will be purchasing a ridiculous neon outfit tomorrow and wearing it Friday to Becca's company Christmas party... which is a RAVE!!! How AWESOME is that?! I will be unt-sis unt-sis ing all over the place come Friday in my neon tutu, corset, furries and, potentially, wig. (probably not wig but whatever... I get to wear a corset in public and it's acceptable!) It's going to be outrageous. I can, Not. Wait.

Today, I went all super girlie and got myself a pedicure and gel-nail manicure. Have you ever seen the Anjelah Johnson stand up comedy skit about the nail salon? If you haven't, watch it right effing now and you will know what I experienced today. For two hours I sat in that salon and had to do everything in my power to keep from laughing because that skit kept playing in my head...

 but Mai Ling/Tammy did a fabulous job on my nails, and she even used the Kritol Geaaaal.


That's enough rambling for me, love. I think I'm going to hope for the best and just send that letter, because like you said, if they don't love me they they're not worth my time. Lets pray to every god imaginable that I get this job, because if I have to work under my supervisor, who isn't leaving for Florida anymore in January, any longer, I might just kill someone.

For real.

xo

Pascale

Please tell your best friend to go buy some actual running clothes...

<--- This person looks ridiculous.








And yes, I did cut the thumb off that glove so that I can still work my I-pod. Genius? Possibly. But it's cold out. Desperate measures, my friend, desperate measures...

I'm not crazy... My mother had me tested!

Darling Brooke,

Sadly, that is not just a quote from the beloved sitcom Big Bang Theory, but a testament of my own childhood. Not a clue what the child therapist determined about me... Maybe it's best not to know.

But a bit of insanity is beginning to rear it's crazy head... In the form of my taking Calculus 5 DAYS A WEEK next semester. Yep. Get me on Lithium stat. I can't even remember how exponents work with any accuracy. Prepare yourself for several mid-semester, hysterical phone calls about how I hate my life and can't do this.

That's just one week... 11 classes...

In other news, ran 2 miles today! Hooray! You're absolutely right, though, I go super slow and I think I'm starting to find my stride. Which leaves us with only 1 problem... What song to sing at karaoke?

Oh! I also just recently learned that I make a BOMB shepherd's pie. FYI. It's delish.

So lover, I'm getting ready for work, which is basically all I do anymore, so I must cut this short. I'm going up to mountain land tomorrow for the St. Martin family christmas tree expedition, but we need to have a phone date sometime soon! I miss your beautiful voice!

Are you going home for christmas this year? I should be there the day of... Maybe I'll see you?

Love you for always!

Chocolate Fixes Everything

This, we know.

How long have you and I been using chocolate as a fix all? Or, for that matter, sweets of all kinds. When it comes to emotional eating, there is no discrimination.

So after I had to help two toddler girls transition into custody early last week, a task that left me in an emotional state I don't think I've ever even touched before, I needed some therapy. Sure, there was wine involved as well, but the real therapy came from these:

Crock Pot Crack Brownies

What you Need:
4tbs MELTED butter
1 Box of Brownie Mix (your choice)
1/4 cup of water
2 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 incredibly horrible, very bad, terrible day that makes you want to eat your weight in sugar.

What you Do:
-Pour the melted butter into the bottom of your very well greased crock pot, (My friend Lyndsie showed me these amazing Reynolds Wrap crock pot liner things that completely eliminate the clean up of the crock pot once you eat everything in it... amazing.)
-Mix the brownie mix, water and eggs in a bowl. Pour into crock pot. (It will be REALLY thick and concentrated, which makes it more like fudge when it's done. Also amazing.)
-Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over top of brownie mix.
-Evenly spread (in this order) oats, coconut flakes, walnuts, chocolate chips in layers over condensed milk.
-Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 hours.
-Serve with ice cream. Or just stick your face in the pot when it's finished.

These, my friend, are INCREDIBLE. Think Conga Bars, but better. Gooey, fudge-like, full of sugar and that delicious condensed milk like what they put in Thai iced coffee, which in itself is crack.

I ate the entire pot by myself. Basically in one sitting.

Needless to say this weekend I ran and lifted weights to help conteract the effects of this deliciousness. And the Friendsgiving food, which was plentiful and carbiful as well. Going to have to really start training hard for that Will Run for Beer series.

Speaking of which... how's your training going? The biggest piece of advice I can give you (and I've been meaning to do this all week and keep forgetting to text you... my bad) is to start slow. If you can only run a half mile at a time to start, that's all you can do. When I started training last April, I couldn't even do a full mile without walking, and it frustrated me so much I almost stopped running. Instead, I started chunking it up into smaller intervals so I felt like I'd succeeded running for 15 minutes instead of failing at a full non-stop mile. Then, once you've got a mile solid, you can start focusing on two, then three. And then lots of karaoke and beer. So much beer.

I am really proud of you for signing up to do this with me. You're wonderful, and as much as you hate running now, I bet the bug bites you too once you're in the race. And then we can be running buddies! Right after we move next door to each other. And have lots of puppies in our joined back yard.

Enjoy the crack brownies, love. I'm warning you... use them for emergencies. Or, you know, when you're feeling like you need a good fainting spell. I won't tell Mommy St. Martin that you had sugar. :)

Lovelovelove

Brookie