LaLa Lori

Whenever I hear “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift one of two things happen.

1. I immediately get taken back to my trip to Seattle in August. Alvin and I went on a lot of adventures during that time. She was my sidekick and we would go everywhere together! One thing that always amazes me is how quickly she learns lyrics to songs. She’s kind of like me in that aspect. :) We would cruise around in Pam’s PT Cruiser and sing along to the radio. Her favorite song to sing along to was “You Belong With Me”! I had never heard it before she sang it to me.

It was ultra popular and was practically on two or three times every time we were in the car. I quickly learned the lyrics and we’d sing along together! I am smiling just thinking about it. Alvin is the best! I basically live for my Seattle vacations when I get to see her, Lily, and Cory. <3.

2. If I don’t think of Alvin when I hear it, I think of Maniac. Maniac is Shawn from the Matches’ new band. He and his crazy Australian friend Jake did a cover of “You Belong With Me” and I absolutely love it! You can listen to it here:

http://maniac.bandcamp.com/track/you-belong-with-me-taylor-swift

Three weeks ago I was very sick and had a ridiculous cough. I would cough for literally hours at a time. I would lay in bed and try to hold my coughs in, but I couldn’t. If I was with Jerome I’d wake him up all the time. I would cough so hard that I would convulse and almost throw up. Nothing really stopped my coughing fits. I would drink water, have some cough drops, and take over the counter medicine. I took a lot of cough syrup and was always tired at work and school. I’d get these embarrassing coughing fits in class, too. I’d have to walk out and cough in the hallway.

My cough is still there, but slightly. Last weekend I was coughing so much that I pulled some rib muscles. I also slipped and fell in a bathroom last weekend which I believe has bruised my ribs as well. I’m not coughing as much which helps to ease the pain in my side. I’ve been using a heating pad all week and even bringing it to work. I’ve been trying to take it easy and lay down a lot, but I can only lay down on one side and I turn in my sleep. I like when Jerome holds me really tight and keeps one of his hands under my ribs.

I decided that I would give in and go to the doctor today. I have health insurance, why not use it? Well, that didn’t exactly work out. All the doctors that my co-workers recommended to me are not accepting new patients. I tried looking some new ones up on the Aetna database and everyone I call isn’t accepting new patients until next year. It’s getting really annoying waiting on hold and then getting nowhere.

I’ve decided to just tough it out. I’ve looked up some tips online and decided to treat myself. There’s not much doctors can do anyway and now that my cough is subsiding I think I’ll be much better. Plus I won’t have to miss work and I won’t have to pay a co-pay!

I’m still going to a show with Brett tonight and then having the CAWC tomorrow!

Treatment tips!!

Instructions for Treating Bruised Ribs

Step 1

Buy some Tylenol, aspirin or any other the counter pain reliever of your choice.

Step 2

Take the over the counter pain reliever as prescribed on the bottle for pain relief. Be careful not to over medicate yourself and watch your alcohol consumption when taking any medicines.

Step 3

Apply an ice pack to the affected area to take away any swelling that might occur. Be sure to wrap the ice pack up in a towel, do not directly apply the ice to the abdominal area.

Step 4

Protect yourself from further injury by putting your arm in front of them. Do this to keep over zealous friends from hugging you too hard.

Step 5

Give your body time to heal. Try not to engage in sports or physical activities that can cause you to further injure the rib cage.

Step 6

Limit your amount of stretching for at least the first 24 to 72 hours.

Instructions for Treating Pulled Rib Muscles

Step 1

Apply ice to your pulled rib muscles to reduce the level of inflammation you’re experiencing from a fresh injury. Ice the area for 20 minutes at a time up to three times a day. The ice may also temporarily numb the pain.

Step 2

Get some pain relief from over-the-counter medications. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen ease the pain and may also reduce inflammation. These medications may upset your stomach—if they do, ask your doctor for an appropriate substitute.

Step 3

Rest as much as you can to help your rib muscles heal. Limit heavy lifting and other vigorous physical activities that may aggravate your injuries.

Step 4

Treat pulled rib muscles with heat after the first couple of days. A heating pad or warm, moist compress can take the edge off the soreness and stiffness you feel. Make sure to use the low setting on a heating pad to avoid burning yourself.

Ever since I was young I’ve always said goodbye to my dogs and told them I loved them every morning before I left for school. Now I get to do that again before I leave for work!

Sometimes it’s awkward when I pet Wishbone on the head and say, “Bye, Swenson! I love you and I’ll see you later!” and my mom is around. Then I feel like I have to say something to her too. I usually say, “Bye, mom. I’ll be over later/I won’t be here tonight.”

When I was brushing my teeth yesterday she said something about me probably leaving in a few months. (Aw, she is afraid I’m going to move out again.)  I assured her that I won’t move out of the ranch for a while and that I like living there. I told her that I am going to live in the airplane room forever. Hahaha.

She also bought tons of pizza rolls yesterday. Niiiiiiice! I had to bring all the groceries in because of her hernia issues. Jeez, that woman sure buys a lot of meat. I don’t even know where to stuff it into the fridge. It’s kind of hard to fit things in there when there’s THREE GALLONS OF MILK and my giant jug of Sangria!

Can’t wait for the CAWC on Saturday! I’m going to sterilize the Hawk’s nest AKA the basement. Naturestone flooring is classy.

I have lived at the Ranch for over a week now. Let me tell you, it has been wonderful! I wish I would have moved in there as soon as Carole did last year. I’m living easy and free-sy. I offered to pitch in with bills or something, but they won’t have any part of it. I’m still going to try to pay for the internet. I’ve never had any trouble paying for anything because I spend and save my money very wisely. Now I’m going to be saving a ton of money!! I can spend it on vacations and paying back my college loans. Yesssssss!

My parents never actually wanted me to move out of the colonial in the first place. They love me and are always wanting me to hang out with them, whether its giving the Hawk a hug or watching The Food Network with my mom. It’s nice knowing that my parents love me and always want me around. I also have two wonderful sisters there, Wishbone and Miley. They are the best! I love how they greet me with kisses every night after I get home from class.

The airplane room is very nice and it fits all of my stuff comfortably. I also have a really nice closet and the hardwood floors are great for Risky Business sock sliding!! The dogs are kind of mad that I took over their room, but I still let them sleep in bed with me every night. I always have WB or Miley in there; they alternate. <333 I sleep through the entire night very comfortably. There isn’t a lot of light outside my bedroom, it’s very very quiet, and far away from trains. I wake up totally peaceful and well rested.

My mom is always trying to cook me dinner and give me money when I go out. It’s so cute. The Hawk has already sold me a brand new DVD player for 2 cents! That is the best bargain ever! I am very excited to host a wine club meeting for a few fantastic groups of my friends this Saturday. The basement is perfect for wine club meetings/parties! I can’t wait! I probably won’t be there much on weekends, but that’s okay. I spend a lot of time with my sweet/ridiculously good looking boyfriend, J3rome, on the east side where he lives.

The worst thing about living at the Ranch is that I have to get The Hawk milk all the time. It’s totally worth it though! It’s further away from work too, but I talk on the phone the whole time anyway. Calls with Pam/Alvin/Lily are way fun.

I will make Ranch updates as time goes on.

@th3hawk – The Hawk is my dad. He drinks more milk than any other person on earth. He is sixty years-old and is one of the weirdest people you will ever meet. He is always entertaining. If you are my friend and you haven’t met him yet, please feel free to stop by the ranch and have a glass of 2% with him.

@Millertyme224 – My Road Dog, Favorite, Cousin, Best Friend, etc. She lives in Columbus and designs Chipotles. She loves The Columbus Crew (a soccer team), pumpkin flavored things, and generally all things awesome. Everything’s better when I’m with her! She is a member of the #ssbfc.

@ersatz02 Carlos and I met at computer camp a long time ago. He lives in California and is going to get straight As this year! He and @millertyme224 flirt back and forth all the time on twitter. Don’t follow both of them if you have a problem with consensual love, romance, and PASHON. He is also a member of the #ssbfc.

@rbsheridan – Rachel lives in North Carolina and works in South Carolina. She likes to make commercials, crush coupons, and has great taste in music. Her husband, Rusty, is also cool. She is very friendly and I would love for you to follow her!

@lanacapone – Lana is Rachel’s twin sister. She lives in the area and I met her a few weeks ago. She is really nice and funny. She also loves music and is a new member of Team 3.14.

@minimaura – Maura and I used to work together. She moved to Charlotte last year and now she loves Twitter! She is a nanny and loves BBMing, drinking beer, watching TV, her dog Belle, and pizza. I love her and I’m so glad we keep in touch all the time.

@skondap – Srini was my date to Prom. We have been ghetto bunnies since grade school. IWA REPRESENT! He is a smart, sassy, and hilarious. He’s also going to be America’s next top model. Srini is in medical school at OSU and spends a lot of time studying.

@weareallrobots – I met Nick through Srini when they both went to St. Ignatius. Nick took me to his Prom and I love him! I miss the days we used to spend IMing each other late into the night. He makes me laugh and I used to think we were soul mates. Maybe we still are?! “We belong together”.  He is getting his masters in Nashville right now.

@silusmouse - Mr. Sassy and I have been friends for five years now! We are masters of sass and total sass scholars. Anthony lives in the LA area and is a wonderful poet! He loves literature, fashion, music, karaoke, and dancing. I used to keep track of his crushes for him. Stalker!! We both recognize the importance of Survey Day every September. Please follow him, especially if you’re a hot guy!

@willz0rz – Will lives in Charlotte and we have never met before. We are going to meet in June when we have a Dreamcast Soul Calibur tournament. The winner gets a pizza party at the skating rink of their choice. Will speaks LOL cat better than anyone else on earth. He is hilarious and hates My Math Lab.

@followrich2day – Rich is my new friend. We met a few weeks ago and he is very fun to hang out with, a great karaoke singer, a cool guy to talk with, and sometimes he can get really philosophical with his tweets. He loves living in Lakewood and is a party animal. He just got over the swine flu. Badass!

@craigc - Craig lives in the Cleveland area. His mom was my kindergarten teacher. He is really funny and Jerome and I have hung out with him a few times. We played Boom Blox and drank Caribs with him. He loves good food, good music, and good times. He also likes MC LARS now so that makes him even cooler. TPFR!

@blinkcowz182 – Andrew is a tech genius. I love talking to him about servers, ubuntu, music, Michael Cera, and generally making fun of people with him. He is awesome and trendy/cool. <3

@garyvee – Gary is one of my most favorite people in the whole world. He has more passion than anyone I have ever met. He loves his family, his fans, wine, business, the internet, and crushing it in general. I count down the days till I get to see him. He is really inspirational and constantly entertaining. I can’t wait to hang out on the deck with him at the Crush it Cruise!

@pwts – It’s my favorite band, people! Get with it!!!

Yesterday I was talking to my good friend, Cara, about life. She loves her life and so do I. I like to share in that kind of happiness with my friends. While we were talking she used the cliché, “Life is short.” Seriously though, what do you ever do that is longer than living? Nothing. Living is the longest thing you will ever do. I guess I can be literal sometimes. I think that’s why I don’t usually find comedians funny. “You’re so literal, Lori! That’s what I love about you!” - Cara

I got to thinking about the phrase, “life is short”. I guess it seems that way sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do. I end up staying up late to get everything in. All of my days, weeks, and months go by very quickly. The only times I watch the minutes on a clock is when I am in Statistics or Managerial Accounting. Other than that, my work days go by fast, my nights go by fast…everything just goes by so fast.

I am in the habit of talking to my grandma and Jerome’s grandma. Both of them have trouble filling up their days. They can’t seem to find enough to do. That’s why my grandma watches soap operas and Jerome’s grandma is on Facebook all the time. I don’t think I’ll ever be bored, especially when I’m old. I can’t wait!

I’m pretty excited about graduating in May. Class, homework, papers, and virtual meetings take up a lot of my time. I wonder what I will do when I don’t have to do all of that anymore!

• Workout More

• Go to More Shows

• Take More Naps

• Go on More Vacations

• Watch More Movies

• Write More Letters to Alvin

The possibilities are endless!

The other day I asked Victor if he had seen Paranormal Activity. I’ve heard good things and bad things about it. No scary movie ever scares me. I’ve been desensitized to basically everything horror movie related. I don’t even cringe anymore. Victor told me he had seen the movie, ran back to his office, and gave me the DvD rip of it. Last night I decided to watch it with my dear friend, Brett.

The movie was filmed using a home video camera. It’s based around a couple, Mika and Katie. Katie is haunted by some kind of ghost that has been terrorizing her since she was a little girl. Mika uses his home video camera to film them sleeping at night in attempts to catch evidence of the ghost on camera. He does this to try to help her. They try to bring in demonologists to help them, but nothing will work. Katie doesn’t even want to try an exorcism because they can usually make things worse.

I will admit that prior to watching it; I didn’t really know anything about it. It started off pretty slow. I was getting bored waiting for something to happen so I just texted and enjoyed some pizza rolls. The whole time I was watching it I thought it was actual video footage and that all of this was actually happening. I was mistaken. None of the stuff that happens in the movie is real. It was all set up, with a director, actors, and everything. The only reason I liked the movie at all was because I thought it was actual proof that ghosts exist. Now that I know everything was made up, I have a whole different view of the movie.

I think the mockumentary was an interesting idea. I liked the plot of the movie and the ending was pretty outrageous! My favorite part was where they showed this footage of a “real life exorcism” in which this lady chewed off her own arm. If I had to rate the movie, I would give it a 5/10. Wait till it’s out on DVD to see it! You’ll be bored half the time.