Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Lola's LiveJournal:

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Monday, August 10th, 2009
10:07 am	What is this LJ of which you speak? I haven't posted here in a while! I meant to post something about this last year, but I don't think I did, so I'll do it  now.  A little over two years ago I quit smoking. I never celebrated that anniversary, but I guess I should have.  On June 28, 2007, I decided to try acupuncture to see if it would help me quit.  You see, I'd quit many times before, with differing results.  One time I went two months w/o smoking, another time less than a week.  I didn't think acupuncture could work on a person with no willpower, but decided to give it a try.  The doctor told me that I should try to refrain from smoking while being treated, but didn't say I needed to completely stop; that would come with time.  Anyway, I went twice a week for acupuncture sessions, at the end of which the doctor would place two small balls in my ears (alternating ears each session).  He told me that if I felt the urge to smoke, I should press the balls with my fingers.  The first few days I lived with my fingers in my ears, but I didn't smoke.  In fact, I never smoked again (well, hopefully never).  Here's the funny thing: now, the thought of smoking makes me want to vomit. It really does repulse me...when I'm awake.  I still have very vivid dreams that I'm smoking, though. In my dreams, I'll sometimes catch myself with a cigarette in hand, and know that at some point I must have relapsed.  In my dreams, I'll take a drag and taste the burning paper mixed with tobacco and a little something extra.  I'll feel the burn as the smoke passes into my lungs and slowly exhale through my nose.  In my dreams, I'll finish one cigarette and start smoking another and say to everyone around me something like, "I'm a smoker, it's what I do," and know that I'll never stop.  Then I'll awake and have to ponder the last few days in order to remember whether or not I actually did smoke because the dreams are some of the most realistic and vivid I have ever had. It's almost as if the acupuncture created a horcrux and took that piece of my soul that loved to smoke and stored it away in dream world, never to be destroyed, to be contemplated from a distance, separate, but still somewhere within me.  In other news, and just an observation, not about anyone in particular: some people don't like to hear the truth. They don't want friends who will make them reflect on their decisions around. They prefer the company of "yes, people."  I hope that my friends will always feel free to express an opinion contrary to mine, or to help me really reflect on my actions.  I realize there's a fine line b/w being overly-critical, but I would hope that we could find that balance.  Yes, I might get angry with you, but after the anger comes the reflection, and sometimes a re-thinking of my actions, or not, but in the end, I'll be grateful for your input. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 8th, 2009
10:03 am	PSA Hello, everyone: From now on, please e-mail me at my .mac account since it's become impossible to access my GWU account from work.   If you don't have the .mac account address, shoot me a message via FB and I'll send it to you.  (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, March 5th, 2009
11:19 am	In other news... I'm trying to plan my stay in Italy. Many of the hotels send me responses such as this one, despite the fact that I make my requests in English: "Gentile Eleonora, desidero innanzitutto ringraziarLa per l'interesse mostrato nei confronti della nostra struttura. Attualmente c'è ancora disponibilità per il periodo richiesto, il prezzo per una camera tripla (bagno con doccia) è di 130,00 € a notte (per camera), comprensivo di prima colazione a buffet ed utilizzo del parcheggio privato dell’Hotel. L’Hotel San Marco è situato nei pressi dell’uscita Ovest di Siena (200 m) e a breve distanza dal centro storico, facilmente accessibile tramite bus urbani (5-10 minuti per arrivare al Duomo), in taxi (una corsa per Piazza del Campo costa 8-10 euro) o con la macchina (5 minuti ai parcheggi del centro). Per farsi un'idea più completa della struttura, La invito a inserire i criteri di ricerca ''Hotel San Marco'' e ''Siena'' sul sito www.paginegialle.it , dove troverà anche un breve filmato introduttivo. Un giro virtuale della struttura può invece essere fatto su www.alberghieturismo.it , riempiendo gli spazi richiesti con "Siena" e "Alberghi***"; questo la porterà alla nostra pagina personale, e al "virtual tour" dell'Hotel. Può inoltre vedere su www.tripadvisor.it  cosa dicono di noi le persone che sono già state nostre Ospiti. Rimango a Sua completa disposizione per ogni eventuale ulteriore informazione che possa necessitarLe e colgo l'occasione per porgerLe i miei Migliori saluti..." I have a headache from reading the responses and trying to compose a short response in Italian. Trust me, due to my limited speaking abilities, the responses are VERY short. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
10:56 am	OMG! Brad Pitt came into my work yesterday and apparently Angelina will be filming near my office all week. I'm going to have to step outside and see if there's anything interesting going on.  (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, February 13th, 2009
4:15 pm	Things... I'm being a tad introspective here, but I often think that I come off as very materialistic.  In truth, I think I am a bit materialstic because most of the time things are all I have.  I spend most of my weeknights alone. I'm stuck in a town without many opportunities for new opportunities, in a job that doesn't offer me much growth, and with lots of free time to think about nothing.  In a way, things stop me from sinking completely into the folds of the sofa and praying to a God I no longer believe in for good thngs to come my way b/c they never will, will they?  For example, last night my first impulse was to get home from work and just sit on the sofa staring at the wall. I didn't even feel the need to turn on the light.  Then I thought maybe I should go to the store.  I enjoy riding in my car (nice thing) and so going to the store seemed like a pleasant enough excursion.  Never mind that I listened to Eleanor Rigby, which feels like me and makes me cry, it was all better than sitting home alone staring at nothing, right? So, see, if it hadn't been for nice things (my car and going somewhere to obtain more things), I would have done absolutely nothing.  As it was, I actually did something (even if it was a simple drive) and then came home w/enough energy to work on a puzzle I had bought.  Instead of having a weekend of yet more nothing, I purchased a ticket to NYC where I will get to visit w/family.  And then, to save myself the burden of a lonely April, I purchased my tickets to....ITALY!!! So, yes, I am a bit materialistic, but I find that $$ is the only way I have available to me to get out of a funk since there's not much else for me in this city.  Don't feel sorry for me; I am perfectly used to this existence. Reading this it seems depressing, but I'm not.  I think it's b/c I'm really excited about going to Italy.
Friday, February 6th, 2009
10:59 am	Somebody please,... tell me why we're celebrating the fact that some crazy be-otch popped out a litter of babies??? She's a single mother with 6 other kids who got herself artificially inseminated by unethical doctors and had 8 more babies! Now she's getting paid to do interviews and there might be a book? What could possibly be interesting about this nutjob? She needs help, not book deals.  I'm so sick of reading this woman's name everywhere I look.  Get a grip, people! Maybe China's mandated abortion policy isn't so bad after all.  (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
3:13 pm	For Sara... Thanks for getting this stuck in my head (it's going viral!!!): It is the night. My body's weak. I'm on the run. No time to sleep. I've got to ride. Ride like the wind to be free again. And I got such a long way to go. To make it to the border of Mexico. So I'll ride like the wind. I was born the son of a lawless man. Always spoke my mind with a gun in my hand. Lived nine lives gunned down ten. Gonna ride like the wind. And I got such a long way to go. To make it to the border of Mexico. So I'll ride like the wind. Ride like the wind. Ride like the wind. Accused and tried and told to hang I was no where in sight when the church bells rang. Never was the kind to do as I was told. Gonna ride like the wind before I get old. It is the night. My body's weak. I'm on the run. No time to sleep. I've got to ride. Ride like the wind to be free again. And I got such a long way to go. To make it to the border of Mexico. So I'll ride like the wind. Ride like the wind. And I got such a long way to go. To make it to the border of Mexico. So I'll ride like the wind. Gonna run like the wind. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, January 2nd, 2009
5:19 pm	It is so hard to be at work today. I've done almost nothing productive and am itching to get home. *yawn* (Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
12:51 pm	I shall end this year with a rare post.  I just got back from celebrating Christmas in Argentina, where it was 100 degrees and fake snow, Santas and anything but the casual, understated tree were nowhere to be found.  Honestly, it was so different that when people wished me a good Christmas, I had to think about it a bit to remember it was the holiday season.  I got back early Monday and am just now shaking off an annoying cough.  The one good thing is that despite plying myself with food and drink, I seem to have only gained one pound. Yay!   I have also recently decided to let my inner crazy out a bit.  This means that I slightly freak people out when I'm at the H. Teeter looking at frozen vegetables that are on sale and say aloud, "Yeah, that rocks."  I don't know, I like annoying people just as much as they like to annoy me.  However, my inner crazy lost out to the guy who crossed my path in an aisle laughing to himself.  I only do that when a hot boy walks by me and I try to pretend I didn't notice him. No resolutions this year, but I do plan to dance more tango, meet more people and get out more and, of course, finally travel to Italy.  Here's hoping this coming year rocks! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 1st, 2008
1:38 pm	These last two weeks... have been filled with eating events, so I'll tell you about them here.  It all started two days before Nov. 20th birthday when a friend took me to Locanda for Italian food.  Quite yummy.  Then, on the actual 20th, spunkmunky took me out to dinner for Korean BBQ (one of my favorite foods) and followed that with a cake the munky one baked for me -- pistachio cake, to be exact.  Pistachio cake tastes a lot like an amaretto cake would, only w/a really yummy light green icing. I was gifted, among other things, a chihuahua wallet, which has been the focus of many compliments.  On Friday, my parents came to visit.  Needless to say, I spent that weekend going out to eat, drinking lots of wine and playing cards, which is what usually happens when the 'rents are in town. Monday, I chilled.  Tuesday I hosted GN with a skillet lasagna and lots of wine, as always.  Wednesday I ate Goobers, lots of them.  Thursday was Thanksgiving, followed by more Goobers.  Friday, I chilled.  Saturday, I met with chinesephoenix for Mexican at the Rio Grande.  It was great seeing her, if only for half an hour.  Later, vicar took me out for my b-day dinner at Willow.  It was delicious, and it included rum-bathed tres leches cake.  Yum! Of course, after all this eating, I stepped on the scale today and noticed that I gained like 4 pounds!  Still, due to the company and the enjoyment I got from the food, they were well worth it.  Thank you to all my friends for giving me the gift of your company. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
11:29 am	No Lines! I got up super early (well, for me, at least) and went to my polling location in Arlington this morning.  The line was much shorter than it was the last prez election! I was in and out in 30 minutes! Now, when I leave work this afternoon, I won't have the extra burden of getting out to vote (I have usually voted in the evenings). Also, this morning I ate a handful of smoked almonds, a Kashi bar, a Reese's cup and a lollipop.  Needless to say, my stomach is killing me know.  Gross.  (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
3:44 pm	Hey, hey! It's a post! So, I don't have a ton to say because there's not much going on, and I'm pretty sure you really would NOT want to deal with the random thoughts that pass through my head.  Last week, D's brother got bit by a rattler or a copperhead snake and wound up in the hospital for a full week. He finally got out on Friday and was at D's house Sunday. His foot (the point of origen) was still huge and he's got tons of morphine-type painkillers, but overall, he's good. I got SuperMarioKart for the Wii, as well as TopSpin, so I Wii'ed the whole weekend.  Maybe spunkmunky will get to race me next GN.  It's no secret though that I suck at video games. I'm totally loving Supernatural this season.  Jensen Ackles really is one of the hottest men on the planet.  I wish I knew boys like that IRL.  Ah, well... (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 18th, 2008
10:03 am	Two Words: JENSEN ACKLES. Enough said. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
4:30 pm	90210  So, when I heard they were doing a 90210 series for the millenials, I thought it was such a dumb idea.  But then the producers got smart and decided to incorporate some of the old characters that I and my fellow college-age kids would cut classes on a Wednesday night for.  And guess what? I like the show! It's rather embarrassing, but not really, no? (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
9:55 am	HAPPY BIRTHDAY telie13!!!! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
9:52 am	HAPPY  BIRTHDAY spunkmunky!!!!! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
1:39 pm	I can't believe I got an S! ( So many things... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, May 12th, 2008
1:12 pm	New Yawk... So, I'm updating to tell you about my quick weekend jaunt to the City. It started off benignly enough when I drove myself to D's house to drop off the birds and get a ride to the airport for my 2:30 flight NYC to visit with a roommate of mine from college. Well, since airlines are useless and cannot handle rain on domestic flights, my flight was cancelled. The good part of that is that I received work of the cancellation before I headed to the airport. I then decided that I would just take the train, so I hustled back home, to the metro, to Union Station and boarded the Acela to NYC. The RT cost me $355 as compared to the flight, which would have cost $80. That sucked. When I got to NYC, it was raining, raining, raining. That didn't stop us from leaving the swanky Tribeca loft my friend is subletting and heading out to a bar to drink wine. After that, we went to Gordon Ramsay's Maze. It was really good and the wine was excellent. Sadly, I didn't see GR. *Sigh* After that, we returned to Tribeca and I crashed in a sleeping loft that was much quieter than you'd expect. The next day, we went to meet up w/my SIL and adorable nephew. A lobster roll was consumed by me. The best thing about it is that it had bacon! Yum. Then I was forced to walk all over the city and didn't get back to the loft until 5:30 or so. At 7:30, we had to go meet Tania's friends. It was a very cool crowd of about 10 Italians and one girl who was heading out to L.A. to be an actress. One of T's friends is married to A. Bourdain, but is cool in her own right. We learned that her husband had just gotten back from Dubhai or one of those places and returned with an Islamic version of Barbie. Apparently, she comes in a burka (!), though underneath it she's wearing fashionable clothes and lots of gold jewelry. Why would a Barbie need a burka? So Ken doesn't get an erection? Anyway, after that we had dinner at a place in Tribeca, which included yet more wine. I think my veins are Bordeaux now. The last day, we hit the stores. I have to say, I loved the Anna Sui store; it's like Betsey Johnson on steroids and oh-so-cute. At B. Johnson, though, I scored a one-of-a-kind sample piece for...wait for it...$60!!! I also bought the cutest shoes that were on sale there. We then went for brunch in Tribeca (well, it turned out to be more of a lunch since it was 2:30, but whatever) and decided that once again, I really should be in that city. This guy was dining alone next to us and he started up a conversation. He was so intelligent and could talk about anything. Try randomly finding people like that in DC! Also, there are tons of people my age who are single or w/no children, so I don't feel like a weird two-headed monster. They go places and do things. It's just a better city. Oh, well. At 3 I left for the train station. There was an absolute lack of cabs so I caught a subway train at 3:30 and barely made it for my 4:00 RT trip. Fortunately, the train was a tad late. Now, I'm here in boring old DC (not that I don't appreciate and enjoy spending time with the few friends I have here). (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
12:26 pm	Breaking News... Madonna: Sweet and Sticky Tour. Not coming to DC, but I'll be going to Philly on Nov. 19 (pre-birthday celebration!). Who's in???? Pre-sale for fan club is May 27. (Comment on this)
Monday, April 28th, 2008
1:44 pm	Random Facts... I'm not sure I can think of 8 random facts or that I have enough friends to tag, but I'll try. I guess some facts will be repeats. 1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. 2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules. 3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people. 1. I would never go camping/hiking b/c I fear bears and Bigfoot. 2. I also fear spiders and alligators. 3. But I find reptiles surprisingly cute. 4. Blood -- it makes me nauseous. 5. And yet I have very violent, gross and disturbing dreams. 6. Which doesn't mean that I don't enjoy sleeping immensely. 7. I am extremely impatient. 8. Yet here I am, writing 8 stupid random things. Now, if you haven't already been tagged by someone else and have taken the time to read this, consider yourself tagged. (2 Comments |Comment on this)