Dancing With Myself

Today I have been unusually productive... I deep-cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed down the bathroom, finished piles of laundry in my room, wrote five cards, and put a dent in the stack of papers on my desk. You might wonder, "Why has Sarah been so productive today?" I was thinking the same thing when it hit me...

The music! I had put on iPod on my soundock and started a playlist full of songs that I love to sing along to when I'm working. I first made the playlist when I went over to Monica's new house to help her paint. (The title of the playlist is "Monica." So creative.) I wanted to include songs that most people would know and love (not that I mind singing by myself, I do that all the time). I've never been the greatest singer... I'm frequently off-pitch, can't control my volume, and occassionally mumble through some of the words. I always wanted to be better at singing growing up, but it just wasn't something built into my genes. But I think I do one thing that is more important than anything else... I always sing with my heart. (A little sappy, I know, but it's true.)

Here are some of the songs I was belting out in my apartment:

• Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
• Billy Joel- Uptown Girl
• Billy Idol- Dancing with Myself
• Bob Seger- Old Time Rock N' Roll
• Tom Petty- Runnin' Down a Dream
• The Police- Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
• The Beatles- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
• Simon and Garfunkel- Cecilia
• Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run
• Mr. Big- To Be With You
• Cyndi Lauper- Time After Time
• Maroon Five- This Love
• Aha- Take on Me
• Rick James- Super Freak
• Michael Bolton- How Can We Be Lovers
• Michael Jackson- Thriller
• Toto- Hold the Line
• Paolo Nutini- New Shoes

Does anyone remember the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?" There's a scene in the movie where the older sister in the family is cleaning the kitchen and singing into the broom, only to find out that her cute neighbor is watching her. If you know me, I'm sure you can see me singing into a broom, too.

Hello, Sunshine!

Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been a couple of days since my last post- time has been flying by! I have so many wonderful things to share with you! Today was either the first or second day without rain since I moved to Rhode Island two weeks ago! I was absolutely delighted that the sunshine lasted long enough for me to take a run outside when I got home from work. I took some pictures of Slatersville (a small part of North Smithfield, where I live) while I was out.

What a beautiful, classic Colonial home. It reminds me of the days growing up when I'd watch This Old House with my Dad on Saturdays. That, and Frugal Gourmet... This was before I even knew what frugal meant.

This picture is of an old 'meeting house' that looks like it might be used for a town hall or church now.

This one is definitely my favorite... it's an old school. You can't tell too much from the picture, but it is not in use anymore and has become rundown. Some of the windows on the side are broken, and weeds are growing in the parking lot. There's a sign in the side yard that states there is going to be some restoration done, so I hope they follow through.

Today I had the opportunity to participate in a meeting with a group of pharmacist that work in a department that oversees quality and patient safety. We went to downtown Providence to meet with a law firm our company works with for a variety of things. I didn't speak at the presentation (about 30-35 people), but I did get to take a small group (about 10 people) on a tour. When someone asked how long it was going to be, I wanted so badly to say, "A three-hour tour!" I wish I could tell you more, but l have to leave it at that... (sigh). After our meeting, I went for an early dinner with Deb and Troy at The Capitol Grille. We talked about residencies, networking, and went over some of the things that I need to do while I'm here for the year. Making a list of things to do/places to go while I'm here is still on my to-do list...

Also, I'm having some trouble with electronics! I tried to put in an exercise DVD last night (love Kathy Smith! Of all the videos I've done, she is the most realistic and motivating instructor. However, I do love my Paula Abdula dance video, too. Tough call.), but I couldn't even make the input button work! Boo! Hopefully I will figure that out tonight, along with fixing my Bose soundock and Sweetheart alarm clock, both of which I miss terribly! Deb said that maybe it was something to do with my electric, so I'm going to try to give National Grid a call tomorrow.

The Sweetheart alarm clock, you ask? This was a very special present from my dad for graduation. As many of you already know, I am an extremely deep sleeper. I've slept through an earthquake, 3/4 of a final (Spanish I), a car ride to Florida (14 out of 16 hours!), and a fire alarm (turns out it wasn't a drill, and I was in charge of the building... thank goodness it was only a flood and not a fire). I usually wake up when I know it's critical that I'm not late, but, as you see, not all of the time (e.g. the Spanish final). The Sonic Boom Sweetheart Alarm Clock not only has a volume level of 113 decibels, but it comes with a 12V vibrator that shakes the bed. The instructions tell you to put in under your matress, but I've been putting it next to my pillow. There is no sleeping when that beast is going off, let me tell you!

Here is the mission statement of Silent Cell Communications, the company that sells the alarm clock:'

"At Silent Cell Communications our mission is to provide the utmost in reliability and usability available in personal communications and life-enhancing systems for the deaf, the hard of hearing, and those who are out of hearing range."

Thank goodness there are companies that manufacture products for people like me! :)

Stay tuned for more this weekend... coupons, woman vs. IKEA furniture, exploring RI, and more! Cheers!

I Should Have My Own Show

Do you ever feel like your life could be used as the storyline for a sitcom? Me too. Read on...

After a long day of shopping, sorting, and more cleaning, I was winding down for the evening and thought I'd take some pictures of my somewhat finished aparment to share with you. I started in the living room/kitchen/great room but decided to start with my front door. Behold, Apartment 121W.

Swoooosh. And just like that, I was locked out of my apartment. At 9:00 PM on a Sunday night. I knocked on my neighbor's doors and two other doors of people I've met, only to get no answer. Desperate, I stopped the valet trash man to use his phone. (About Valet Waste- Let me just say that I think it is absurd to pay to have someone walk around the apartment building and pick up trash. I don't even want to know how much I'm paying for the yellow-vested guy with the hiking boots to take out my garbage. And no, it's not optional here.) Just that minute, my next door neighbors showed up (whom I had not met). Angelica was nice enough to lend me her phone to call a locksmith. It took everything in me not to break down, but I somewhat held it today until the locksmith came to save the day.

He ended up not being able to pick the lock, which actually makes me feel somewhat secure to know that not even a professional could break in without an electric drill. I would normally feel guilty about a half an hour of drilling, but 1. My neighbors didn't answer their doors and 2. the people above me wake me up with crying children and keep me up with fights that border on verbal domestic abuse. After it was all over, I had to laugh at myself... all I wanted was to have good pictures for my blog!

Locksmith drilling my door open: $140

After-hours lockmsmith service call: $40

Learning never to lock myself out of my apartment: priceless