...Free Singles from iTunes. (#25)

NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE: The free singles of the week on iTunes. I’ve gotten some real gems from that.

Disclaimer: Yes, I'm fully 100% aware that my last post was over a month ago. I'm just going to blame it on the fact that I had Mono, which isn't really a valid reason at all if you think about it. So just don't think about it.

Benton Paul. Lifehouse. Something about a stoplight.

I've gotten some really awesome tunes from, well, iTunes. And guess what, FOR FREEEE? (That was me channeling Adam Sandler in Bedtime Stories, if you haven't seen it then you won't know what I'm talking about...) So anyway, there's really nothing better than free music, especially since iTunes semi-recently just changed all of their prices from .99 cents to $1.29!?!!! Why. It just makes me not want to buy music anymore. So I don't.

But, on the rare occasion that I come across a free download and it's awesome, I revel in my find. I feel successful and on top of the world for the entire duration of the song, the first time I listen to it after it downloads (for free!).

Unfortunately, it is truly a rare occasion. Sometimes the stuff iTunes gives away for free is really stuff that should be given away for free, if you follow.

...Otterpops. (#24)

NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR: Otterpops anywhere in the time frame of May 1 – August 31.

I've never met anyone who didn't like an Otterpop. I mean, just look at em. All those bright colors and little otter characters on the bottom. How can you say no?

When I was little, I liked to let mine melt a lot and then drink the juice at the end. That was my fave. Oh, what's my favorite color? I think the blue one. Definitely.

Even famous kids like them.

...Reading An Awesome Book. (#23)

NUMBER TWENTY-THREE: Reading a book that you get really into. To the point where you’re reading it and you’re totally in your own world and you don’t hear anyone trying to talk to you until you’re physically shaken.

I'm talking like Harry Potter sheit here. I'm talking you're shaking with excitement as you approach the cashier at Barnes and Noble because what you're holding in your hand is epic and beautiful and you can't wait to just snuggle up on your couch or on your bed as SOON as your home and crack open the first chapter. And you're sitting in the car (or bus, or maybe even bicycle) after your purchase and you long to open it and read the first few words. But no, you can't. Or can you? Do you have the self control? Must wait!

So you go home (or somewhere) and you get all situated and you take a deep breath and you are READY. It's go time. You open it, and you're gone.

I'm talking about getting so into a book that you're eyes are flying across the words and you actually think you ARE Harry Potter (please excuse my Harry Potter references, you really have no hard proof that I actually have spent some time thinking that I really could be Harry Potter). So you're reading, and then all of a sudden your phone rings and you just get irrationally angry that someone is trying to contact you.

That's really your first sign that you're probably too into the book: anger at contact from the outside world.

But you can't help it. Maybe if the author wasn't so awesome you wouldn't have to deal with this problem. This problem being the fact that as much as you know you're really hungry or that you're missing the playoffs on ESPN...you can't set this forsaken book down. Your only logical option is to just finish it.

That's what I'm talking about.

...Alliteration. (#22)

NUMBER TWENTY-TWO: Alliteration.

Whether you like it or not, you talk. You talk, and you listen. Every single day! It is actually pleasing to the ear to speak and to hear alliteration. It's undeniable.

Alliteration refresher course: When two (or more) consecutive words begin with the same sound.

Example: My merry magpie proposed profusely to terry tiger.

Seriously that sentence was FUN to read! I'm going to read it again. You try to make an alliterative (word?) sentence. I don't know, I'm a little weird, but alliteration is pretty awesome.

...Throwing a Perfect Spiral. (#21)

NUMBER TWENTY-ONE: Throwing a perfect spiral. When you release it and you just KNOW it’s going to be a good throw. And you stare in wonder as it sails through the air into your partner’s hands.

Okay, I don't know how awesome or spectacular YOU are at throwing a football, but I'm not all that great at it. I mean sure you can give me an A for effort, that's fair. I would say that if you and I were giving the good ol' pigskin a toss, I'd spiral about 3 of 30 throws. I would say 1 out of 10, because I actually can do basic math, but I say 3 of 30 because I feel like those 3 would definitely all be in a row. Kind of like, all or nothing.

I know how to throw a spiral, but sometimes (and by sometimes, I mean most of the time) I just can't do it. However, I can really appreciate it when my friend does it. I don't have the same appreciation for the guys on TV because they get paid to do it. When one of my friends throws a spiral, I'm like, YES!

But of course, it's even awesome-er (yes, word) when I can do it.

And yes, that's David Beckham's kid in the picture. Which kid is it? I don't know. Brooklyn? Romeo? Cruz? One of em.

...Rolling Doubles in Monopoly. (#20)

NUMBER TWENTY: Rolling doubles when you play Monopoly. Unless of course, it’s the third time in a row.


Monopoly takes a long time to play. A LONG time. Most people never even finish a game of Monopoly. But most people aren't people from Kappa, rooms 406 and 408. We love some Monopoly and we love monopolizing. And I can tell you, that when you're getting your butt kicked and Sarah is taking all.your.properties, and you roll DOUBLES!

YES! Yessssssss! And if you roll doubles and then you roll doubles again! Oh man. And if you roll doubles and you land on Free Parking!? What a night. Just...don't roll doubles three times in a row, then it's not awesome at all. Jail is not awesome.

...Beating Your Score in NFS. (#19)

NUMBER NINETEEN: Beating your lap record time in Need for Speed. Self explanatory.

Car: Maclaren F1. Color: Black.

Controls: Automatic. Handling: Classic.

Try me.

When I'm racing, preferably by myself, and I BEAT MY LAP RECORD. Oh man. Just, just watch out. I'm on fire. Can't stop me now. I'm sure most of you won't even understand what I'm talking about. So just think about beating any kind of record.

I mean obviously it's not the same feeling as beating some kind of world record, but beating your lap record IS pretty awesome. Especially when it's by like 1 second. Because as you're winding into the final turns, you're trying to watch the clock and the roads at the same time and your heart starts beating harder because you know you're getting close and you're just not sure if it's going to be good enough.

BUT THEN IT IS! Winner.

...The Perfect Cast. (#18)

NUMBER EIGHTEEN: Movies with a perfect cast. You know, no one who is actually annoying and no one who overacts or underacts their part. A movie with a totally solid, foolproof cast.

I'm a movie person. If you know me, you know I'm a movie person. I'm not about just watching movies. I'm about watching movies and figuring out how they got that shot, how they cut that scene, how they made that effect, how they thought of that line. I dissect movies at 100mph and it's something I can't stop doing. Especially figuring out how or why they edited it the way they did. That's my favorite.

But you know what else is my favorite? Perfect casts. I have scene some pretty awesome casts in my time. Some great casts off the top of my mind? Troy - Eric Bana, Brad Pitt, & Orlando Bloom. The Holiday - Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, & Jack Black. The Notebook - Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams.

I really, really, really dislike it when there's a movie with someone I LOVE paired with someone who I'm not the biggest fan of. Example: The Proposal - Ryan Reynolds (like) & Sandra Bullock (ehhh...). Okay, so I can't think of anymore right now, but that's because I'm really distracted. So my b.

What would be my perfect cast, you ask? Oh, well good thing I've already thought about this.

Well, main male role would definitely go to James Franco. If there was any doubt in your mind about that then you obviously don't know me! It's okay, if you don't. James Franco IS my favorite though.

Supporting female role, definitely Drew Barrymore. She's so funny! James & Drew would be so goofy! And then, just to throw in some more comedy, I'd get that Ryan Reynolds and Jim Carrey in on the action too. Those would be my four. I mean, I could always throw in some more if you asked me to. But those four would be MY perfect cast.

...Snuggling. (#17)

NUMBER SEVENTEEN: Snuggling. With the right person of course, and in the right situation.

Well I'm gonna straight up throw it out there: I'm not a huge snuggler*.

Some people are just born to snuggle and some are just like, not. Hey! Hey, my name is Kendall and I fall into that second category. But you know, it is a little weird because there are like ...three people in my life who I'd be perfectly content to just hang off all day. Granted, that would probably be really annoying, so I don't.

Of course I will usually snuggle with anyone if I'm sick or need comforting. But the problem with that is a) I'm sick and b) I don't want people to just think I'm using them to snuggle with if I'm having a problem. Lucky for me, most people don't judge my weirdo snuggling habits.

That's a funny word, snuggle. Just say it. Just look at it. Snuggle. For some reason, I'm just getting this mental image of two pugs snuggling...maybe wearing pug Uggs? Do they make those? Definitely not. I guess pugs wearing Snuggies would be more appropriate. I'm going to stop right there because I'm actually weirding myself out.

Oh, and the lion picture below is thee perfect connotation of me and my extremely snuggly roommate's idea of snuggling. Can you guess which lion is me.

*With of course one very important exception. I'm a huge snuggler with someone I like, like my boyfriend. Then it's like one of my favorite things to do.

...Covered Bridges. (#16)

NUMBER SIXTEEN: Covered bridges. Nothing says hometown USA like a covered bridge.

Now, I don't have too much to elaborate on with this one. There's just something about covered bridges! Maybe it's just me and I feel like I'm 1600's Virginia or something, and that's cool to me. And yes, I am aware of how much of a dork I am. But really, who can actually resist driving across a covered bridge?

I mean, unless you have an irrational fear of driving over bridges. Which is probably more common than I realize. Our dachshund doesn't like girder bridges...but that's a little different.

...Driving Down a Gravel Road. (#15)

NUMBER FIFTEEN: Driving down a gravel road. The way the tires kick up the rocks and noises that are produced.

You know when you're out driving down some back country road and it switches from dirt to gravel? Just that noise! Gravel roads remind me of camping trips with my dad in his red 1955 Ford pickup truck that we named "Blue". The back of the truck was weighed down with camping gear, but because the cab only sat three people, sometimes dad would let me sit in the back when he drove down the backroads.

There's a picture of me somewhere, when I'm sitting in the back of the truck and my hands are in the air and I look like I'm having the time of my life. Probably because I was. Some of my favorite memories have to do with that old truck and some of those backcountry [gravel] roads.

...The Successful Transfer of Music. (#14)

NUMBER FOURTEEN: The successful transfer of music; when you give your friend a really good song, or album and they love it just as much as you do. Then it is truly a success.

Sometimes you find a really good song, or a really good album. Of course, it's much more rare to find a really truly excellent album, you know the kind where you actually like every single song on that album? So when you find one, you want to share it with the world. But you need to start small. So share it with a friend.

Now the odds that your friend is going to feel the exact same way you do about that song or album, are pretty slim, lets be honest. You can't get em every time. But sometimes...sometimes you get it so that your friend is like, "Oh my gosh. This is an awesome song/album. I actually love it!" And then you can both just listen to it and text each other the lyrics and even go as far as to learn how to sing/play them together.

I mean, it's rare. But when it happens, it's like an explosion of awesome. Share your music. This kid loves sharing.

...Clear Night Skies. (#13)

NUMBER THIRTEEN: Nights where the sky is clear and you’re not in the middle of a city and you feel like you can see every single star. When you can just have a moment with yourself and the entire universe staring back at you. When time actually becomes an illusion.

This doesn't happen often, especially to people who live in major cities (like I do). But when you're lucky enough to be out in the middle of nowhere (basically) where there are really no lights and you look up and you can just see all the stars in the universe it feels like. That's awesome.

So then you're just lookin' up at the stars and your mind can wander a little bit and you can just have a moment. You lose track of time, you see a shooting star or twelve, you find constellations. Sometimes, you can even remind yourself that you're looking at the same stars that the people in Mongolia or the people in South Africa look at.

A lot of people do a lot of sharing. But something that we ALL share with each other are our stars. There aren't just United States stars. There aren't just Germany stars. They're everyone's stars, and everyone is entitled to just look at them and get lost for a little bit.