1000 Awesome Things

So I found a website that I just HAVE to tell you about. I'm so upset that I haven't heard about this earlier. And I want to say that they stole my idea but I digress. The website is called 1000 Awesome Things and it just talks about the little pleasures in life. I started a list when I was young girl about little things that made me happy and a lot of them are on this list. I haven't worked my way through it yet but I love what I see so far. So below is the link to the website, and below that is the latest awesome thing to give you an idea of what it's about. Enjoy :)

http://1000awesomethings.com/


December 30, 2008
#863 The Perfect Egg Crack

the-perfect-egg-crackPut your hand up if you’ve ever tried to fish out some slippery, slathery egg shell pieces from a bowl full of raw egg.

Brother, I been there, too and we both know ain’t pretty. Yes, Shell Diving is high on the Kitchen Humiliation List, together with dropping a piece of toast jam-side-down on the floor, opening the oven door and having massive clouds of smoke blow out, or cracking an ice cube tray too strongly and sending rogue cubes scattering all over the floor.

Yes, the Awful Egg Crack is guaranteed to redden some cheeks and knock amateur chefs down a few pegs. Nobody wants to be That Guy, who cracks that egg, that badly, and that’s why it’s so sweet when you finally do master The Perfect Egg Crack. You can do it at home, by yourself, with a bit of practice. Just follow these three easy steps:

Step 1

Step 1. The Tap N’ Crack . There is some debate on where exactly the egg should be tapped. Most folks like to tap the egg against an edge, like the side of a mixing bowl, but some argue that you should only tap the egg against a flat surface, like a kitchen counter or cutting board. Whatever you choose, just be sure to only dent the shell lightly instead of giving it a career-ending stab wound. Pushing too hard will result in a Slime Explosion, and unless you want to be called Salmonella Hands for the rest of your life, you don’t want that.

Step 2 Big Thumbs

Step 2. Big Thumbs. This is the moment of truth. Stick your two thumbs in the dent you made and in one swift move just dig them in there deep and pull them apart. If you did it right, the shell should snap easily into two beautiful pieces, dropping its slippery plunder into the bowl below. Now, some people opt for the One-Handed move instead of ol’ faithful Big Thumbs, but I say that’s too risky. Besides, what are you really going to do with your free hand anyway?

Step 3 Inspection

Step 3. The Inspection. Go ahead, give it a once over. Grab a magnifying glass or hold it up to the light if you need to. But I’m going to guess it’s looking pretty pretty, my friend. Because you just performed a Perfect Egg Crack.

So beat that egg, fry that egg, whip that egg into some cake batter. It’s time to say goodbye to Kitchen Humiliation and hello to some well-deserved Kitchen Pride.

AWESOME!

Smash Into You

I really get this song. I really do. I want to smash into you J.

Spell Checker

As reiterated from my facebook status message"

"Shouldn't spellchecker get around to recognizing Obama by now?"

What do you all think?

Crocker Christmas 2008

So Christmas this year was officially a complete and utter success. NOTHING went wrong and everything was perfect. As unlikely as that seems, it's true.

Christmas morning was awesome. J and I slept in and he woke me up by cooking sausage for breakfast burritos. Best fiance' ever? I think so.

Then we went over to my parents house for the opening of Christmas gifts and this year we did something different. We all drew a name for Secret Santa and we could buy whatever we wanted for our person but it couldn't be over $50. Plus everybody bought everybody else one stocking stuffer. It worked out fine except some people told each other their secret santa's but enough stayed secret that it was still fun. The best present was given by J to Danielle. Danielle just asked for money for Christmas so J could have taken the easy way out and got her an envelope with money in it. But Danielle had to work for her money. He made her do a "quest" by putting an envelope under the tree with some money in it and a riddle that led to another envelope hidden in the house with money in it. There were six envelopes in all and it was so great seeing her scurrying around the house figuring out the riddles. I'm glad she liked it.

The questions that he wrote, per request of my fiance:

‪1) Man shall not live by bread alone...the next peice you seek shall be found where man breaks bread...sometime this is done
in "the down under"

2) The treasure you seek shall be found in the place where you left your "Permanent" mark on the floor in the basement.

3) This treasure shall be found under the gift from JC Penny's that is dated but still functioning...but beware..."DO NOT TILT"

4) The next treasure shall be found behind your view...into the "World Wide Web" or into the "Book of Faces"

5) This is where one can come to see each member of the family frozen in time as well as our New President-Elect!!! YES WE CAN!!!‬

6) Congratulations! You are now a level 2 Questmaster! You have gained two talent points! Merry Christmas!

I also liked when I gave everybody chocolate for stocking stuffers and they immediately opened them. I love the Crockers.

Christmas dinner was soooooo good. As usual, all the Crocker women pitched in and made a fabulous meal of macaroni and cheese (deidre), dressing (kim -- she put her foot in it), iced tea and yams (danielle), and rice (me, but hey, I already made cookies!), and collards, ham, turkey, homemade rolls, green beans, and sweet potato pie (all mom). So dinner was delicious (getting more tonight.)

We all cleaned up the kitchen faster than my dad thought we would so we all ended up playing with Beckham (my sister's new puppy), and my cousins (Alana, Devonna, and Kannon). Then we went to see Seven Pounds. It's a good movie and I don't want to ruin it for anybody. Just hang in there if the beginning seems confusing.

Overall, this is the best Christmas ever. This was J's first Crocker Christmas and he gets to see how we do it. I can't wait to post the picture of our ornament that my mom got us. It's super cute. Happy Holidays to all of you all. May your days be as blessed as mine have been.

Wedding Dress Success

No this is no my wedding dress that I chose but I can't put it up here because J will see it. So if you want pictures of the dress, let me know and I'll send them to you.

Last night was a success with the wedding dress shopping! I found two potential dresses that I love and Danielle, Kimberly and Deidre all found dresses they liked. I'm excited that they are happy. I am letting everybody wear the style of dress they like as long as it's truffle brown. That way they can do their own sense of style and individuality. Just something I like to show.

But last night was soooooo much fun and I'm glad that I get the opportunity to share it with my family.

Today is Christmas Eve and I wish all of you and yours a wonderful holiday. I'm so glad that J is here on our first Christmas together. I remember thinking last year that I wish he could be here to experience how the Crocker's do it, and he's here this year. It's more than I ever could ask for. Sometimes I feel I'm living in a dream. Heck, all the time I feel like I'm living in a dream. I can't wait to become Renee N. Valentine. (Just saying that sends shivers). 2009 is going to be amazing! Merry Christmas!

The Secret to Good Cookies

From Recipe Pics

So I made Christmas cookies again this year (as I do every year). So far, I've made sugar free snickerdoodles, regular snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies. I still have to make peanut butter and jelly cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies. And I have discovered what the secret ingredient is to making cookies taste the best. Me! Yes that's right...me. You say I'm bragging. Probably, but everybody at my house has a dish that they can cook really well.

My mom? homemade rolls and iced tea.
My dad? Hot wings.
Kimberly? Dressing.
Danielle? Mac and Cheese
Deidre? Well....Dee has yet to find her dish but I'm sure it's out there.
Me? It's Christmas cookies. Yes, I can make tons of different kinds of food and I'm good at it. But where I excel is an item that can make me gain a ton of weight when just smelling it. I should make cookies all year 'round, but then my mom would be really mad at me because I would leave them over her house to eat. Happy baking and cooking to everyone. It's almost Christmas!

A Crocker Christmas

Well the Crocker Christmas traditions have begun. Last night, our undecorated tree sat waiting for us. One by one, we took out ornaments from boxes and put them on the tree. The difference from most families is that we get ornaments EVERY year from our mom. There's six of us. You can imagine what the tree looks like. Add in ornaments that we received from school, work, friends. The tree is pretty crowded and we have been talking about getting another tree for years. And then we all sit around and talk for awhile. It was great. The night was made even better having Alana, Ursula, Devonna, Kanon, and Deidre's new puppy there. Alana borrowed my camera and took several pictures. I'll post them this week. That girl is crazy. Hope your holidays are going as well as mine. I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday.

Graduation Pictures

Had a great time at graduation. Me in all my glory.

http://picasaweb.google.com/reneecrocker

Graduation Tomorrow

So I'm graduating with high honors tomorrow from the University of Louisville. J says I can brag this once so I'm going to. I know I couldn't have done it without the love and support of my better half and my loved ones and friends. They always encouraged me and told me I was smart when I doubted it sometimes.

It was a really hard degree to obtain and I didn't know how I got the grades I got sometimes but J always told me that he knew. It was because I was smart. I still have a hard time applying that label to myself but I will continue to try harder J.

So the graduation is in the Kentucky Convention Center if anybody wants to brave the hours of boring and drudgery to watch me walk across the stage, you can do so. I love that my dad is so excited. He's missing a UofL game to watch me walk across the stage so you know it's special. Woot! Go Me!

Official Jonathan Coulton Fan Girl

I am a fan girl of many things....The Instance, World of Warcraft, Blizzard, Marvel. And I have yet one more thing to add to the list. Jonathan Coulton. He's a musician. Wiki him. Below is one of my latest favorites by him. Baby got back. Don't mind the World of Warcraft video, this is the clearest version of the song I could find.

Getting In Touch With My Inner Code Monkey

I was doing some major coding at work and prompted me to put the title of this blog on my facebook status. A friend replied with:

If Renee=(working); Let Job=Complete

To which I laughed cuz I love code. I then posted my own reply:

haha I love it! Ummm except my code isn't like that, Kind of like...SEL='SELECT RENEE WITH WORK TO DO' ; EXECUTE SEL CAPTURING OUTPUT; IF @SELECTED THEN CRT 'RENEE GET OFF FACEBOOK'

I am such a nerd.

Don't Kiss My Ear

This is exactly why I don't like being kissed in my ears.

The kiss of deaf - Chinese man ruptures girlfriend's eardrum

BEIJING (Reuters) – A young woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss, local media reported Monday.

The 20-something girl from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear, the China Daily said, citing a report in a local newspaper.

"The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear," the paper quoted a doctor surnamed Li from the hospital as saying.

The woman's hearing would likely return to normal after about two months, Li said.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution," the paper said.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Common and Musiq

Just got Common and Musiq Soulchild's new albums. I like them so far. They both bring their sound back to what it should be. I'll let you know more when I hear more.

My Indi's Fix

Indi's wedges, chicken, mac and cheese, collards, and McDonald's Sweet Tea and Apple Pie for lunch.......Priceless. There's my fix for the year.

Flip Flop Weekend

This weekend was a weekend of sad and happy. I was sad that the weather was bad and kept me from going to see my friend Kendra that I haven't seen in FOREVER!! But then I was happy because I was able to attend my good friend Adrienne and Cole's engagement party. And the best thing was I found out why they are the good people that they are. Their families are as loving and generous as they are. Plus there is no other couple that I'd rather share my pulled bbq pork with!

Then my sister got a dog and I'm totally in love with it already even though I haven't met him yet. Blog community and followers....meet Beckham: a pooch after my own heart. The question is...what is Deidre going to do when she comes home for the holidays. There is no way that my dad is going to let a puppy who's not housebroken into the house. That's something to ponder.

Bring on the Anime!

So this morning I got treated to something wonderful. I laid in bed watching Ghost In The Shell with J. Watching that anime made me remember my days of watching shows like Akira and Vampire Hunter D. Anime deserves more credit than it gets in the States if you ask me. But I enjoyed watching it.

It even made me want to play my console games again. I really need to get back into it. My console system is just sitting there lonely.

But I digress. I'm ready for more anime. Bring it baby!

Best Friday Treat

So for dinner tonight we had

1) Egg Nog
2) Christmas Tree Cakes
3) Buffalo Chicken Bites
4) Extra Crispy Crinkle Fries
5) Chicken Fries
6) Boneless Chicken Wings
7) Chicken Fried Rice
8) Egg Roll

O...M...G....so good. And I'm feeling so good. About my full belly. And the future.

Christmas with the Crockers

From Crocker Christmas 2007

This Christmas will be my last Christmas as a Crocker. By name, anyway. I love Christmas at my family's house. I feel like everything is alright and there is nothing bad.

This year we have decided to do a different approach. Instead of everybody buying gifts for everybody in my family we all pulled one name to buy gifts for. This will cut down on the costs for Christmas and allow us to spend more on those less fortunate. Our family buying gifts for two Angels and I love that as we get older, Christmas is becoming more on the focus of giving than receiving.

My family puts a heavy emphasis on being together for the holidays so I'm sure I will be over there. Plus I have cookies to bake! I make the best cookies! I wish you could have tasted my peanut butter and jelly cookies and my snickerdoodles were better than ever last year.

So I'm ready for another fairy tale holiday. I love my family.

Beautiful Skin

This used to be one of my favorite songs. Was on many of my playlists. I came across it on my iPod yesterday and wanted to see if you remembered it. Brilliant selection from Goodie Mob. Now vibe...I command you.

Ringing In The New Year With Lynn's

I am so excited!!! J and I will be ringing in 2009 at Lynn's Paradise Cafe. They are having a Pajama Party and we are so excited to be going. Plus I look so good in PJs, how can anybody resist? I should bring more people...I'll have to ponder on this.

I'm also excited because I've chosen Lynn's for my rehearsal dinner. It just fits our personality so well. Quirky and goofy...I'm quirky...and J's the more goofy one I think. You all remember our trip from Lynn's before right? If not, see the link below for all the goofiness.

From J and Renee's Fabulous 4th of July Weekend

Laughing at Twilight

Last night, J and I went to see Twilight with our good friends Adrienne and Cole. I loved the book and I had heard some damaging reviews of the movie. The critics likened the movie to two hours of watching the CW.

It wasn't THAT bad but there were some parts where we cracked up laughing where we weren't supposed to. But we did laugh so we got some entertainment out of it. The movie was cheesy in some places but I like a little cheese. It's my guilty pleasure. And seeing the preview for Harry Potter was worth it in itself. I want to have a movie festival and watch all of the movies so I can get caught up. That makes me want to read the books all over again too. So I like Harry Potter...sue me lol.

And the night was made better gushing with Adrienne about our upcoming weddings. I am going to cry at her wedding, I just know I will. They are so perfect together. Yay for good times.

Set the Mood To Music

Riding home, I decided my next ongoing wedding business will be choosing songs for the wedding. I'm excited about the music and dancing at the reception because I loooove to get down on the dance floor.

But I also have to consider songs for the ceremony, our first dance, father/daughter dance, etc. I am going back and forth on our first dance. There are so many songs that define us. Ben Fold's The Luckiest...Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars or Signal Fire...Jason Mraz's I'm Yours or Lucky. I really like Ben Folds but I'll have to discuss it with J. I want him to definitely have as much of a part in this as I do.

I already know I want to dance with my dad to Ben E. King's Stand By Me. I loved when he used to sing that song to me. Other songs for the reception will come. All I have to do is look down my playlist. I have to have the Cupid Shuffle in there. And the obligatory Electric Slide? That one I might have to ponder.

The Fabulous Thanksgiving 2008

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I didn't take as many pictures this year. I was having too much fun to take pictures!

The drive up to South Carolina was fun. I'm amazed I actually stayed awake the whole time but it was like an extended time just being close to J so it was worth it.

Thanksgiving Day was the best day. I loved that J met all of my family and he instantly gelled with all of them. He immediately felt like one of the family which is what I knew would happen. He got to experience fried turkey for the first time and I got to discuss my upcoming wedding with my family. I love that everyone is excited about it and I can't stop talking about it either!

Every time I get around my family, I'm reminded how extremely lucky I am. Some people don't have extended families like mine who love each other like we do. So whenever my uncles say something that make me crack up laughing or I'm teasing one of my cousins, I remember all that I am grateful for.

We watched Soul Men the day after Thanksgiving (I don't have the funds to do the Black Friday Thing...maybe next year). I thought Soul Men was hilarious but be warned!!! This is NOT a regular Rated R movie. Extreme amounts of cussing don't bother me but they might bother others...plus partially nude shots don't help (Hey I love the female body as much as anybody but some shots should never see the light of day). Just a quick warning. But it was fun anyway.

The most fun was the traditional Saturday cookout that my Uncle Bobby gives. Here is where I learned that I'm not so bad at Phase 10 but if you want to play, make sure you have tons of time.

And the ride back was great, if only because I got to sleep a lot. I'm glad this trip gave J and my family a greater chance to bond. Family is so important to me and I'm glad that he's just as eager to be a part of my family.

For Old Times Sake

Enjoy the song and laugh. J bought the song for us.. I usually hate Unk but Andre makes the song. It's Thanksgiving!

Chilling Out and Ready for Thanksgiving

Thinking about a lot of things. Right now, thinking that I love Kanye's new album. I heard a couple of bad reviews that this style doesn't work for him. But I beg to differ. It def works and those beats are enthralling. The critics mentioned that the album sounded like a bad high school break up. Break ups are emotional whether they be in high school or as adults. The feelings are the same. It's how those feelings are dealt with that are different. So I like the album. Good job Kanye.

I'm wondering what to do with my hair for the wedding. I'm working on getting a style that will keep my natural curls but will be elegant. Whether I have an updo or leave my hair down will depend on my dress. I can't wait to go dress shopping! I'll be planning for that in January probably.

I am so excited for Thanksgiving. J will be joining the Crocker Family on the trek across the east to South Carolina for the annual Crocker/Huntley Thanksgiving. I'm so excited that he gets to meet the rest of my family. We have so much fun when we get together and I can't wait to share that with him.

I am so thankful for so much in my life. I'm grateful for my life partner J, my simply amazing family (I have never met another family like ours), my health and rightness of mind. I'm most thankful for those experiences that have made me who I am. The mature person that can make my future husband proud. I'm looking forward to the holidays and moving into 2009. There will be so many good things in 2009 to look forward to. I'm glad I will have the people I love to share them with.

Stand By My Woman

Just really feeling this song today.

Nothing Soup and Love Can't Cure

I've been feeling bad for a day or so and J has been incredible. It's just a little bit of sickness, no fever or anything, just basic normal winter sickness. But J has been taking care of me around every turn and I must say I'm impressed and surprised. No, I'm not surprised because he is doing something like it, I think I'm just not used to it.

He cares about me and my well being and wants nothing more than to fix what's wrong with me. I get a surprise while I'm at work. He calls me and tells me to come downstairs and I see him with a sandwich and chicken noodle soup from Panera. That absolutely floored me. I was almost speechless and it meant so much to me that he would do that for me. I have to say, that sandwich and soup was the best I have ever had. I think the fact that it was delivered by J has something to do with it.

So at his request, I will get some orange juice and pills and get better. No need to worry J. I'm fine as long as you are here to take care of me.

Favorite Website of 2008

Thanks for the hookup J. You are a genius.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

You should like it. I know I do. Made me realize I'm not as black as once thought :(

365 Days

365 days from now, I will become Mrs. Renee N. Valentine. Just saying that gives me goose bumps. This ride is going to be amazing and I'm glad you are going to be there with me. Every night, before we fall asleep, I find myself thinking, I can't wait to be married to J. It's something that we both have been wanting so bad and it's finally coming to a head. 365 days to go.

After looking at the place where we will become husband and wife yesterday, it made it even more real in my mind than before. It's going to be beautiful. Now that the wedding/reception location is out of the way, we now have to find the caterer. That's the next big obstacle but it shouldn't be that bad. I'm not going to go high budget for the food because I'm not going to remember the food 50 years from now. Oh but the food will be good, I'm just not serving up steak and lobster.

So the search for caterers begins. What helps is that I'm limited to a certain number of caterers so it doesn't seem overwhelming. The best part will be tasting. Bring it on!

Found a Wedding/Reception Site!

I found a wedding/reception site! I can't believe I found one so early and I'm glad it's within my budget. I haven't put the deposit down but I do have the place on hold. It's the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts and it's perfect for me. We plan to have the wedding on the balcony lobby overlooking the Ohio River and move into Todd Hall for the reception.

J and I are going to take a look at it today. We are both giddy with excitement. I guess looking at stuff for the wedding makes the whole process seem that much more real. I'm glad I'm taking this journey with him. I'll let you know how much I love it when I get back. I'm super excited!

Husband and Wife Gamers

This story was taken from the website GameSetWatch. It doesn't really remind me of J and I but I think it's funny all the same.

The Game Anthropologist: The Gaming Family Habit

['The Game Anthropologist' is Michael Walbridge's regular GameSetWatch column looking at gaming communities and subcultures. This week he explores the impact gaming decisions have on marriage.]

My wife, Amanda, will spend two weekdays and a weekend playing a new release that's coming out; she even wanted to preorder it and get it at midnight. I am not as excited about this as she is. In fact, for a while I was dreading it. This is because she wants the new World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, and I had become converted to Warhammer Online.

My friend Bill (real name), a friend of mine since I was 10, had leveled up in World of Warcraft while I was in college. I got a review copy of Warhammer Online. "Tell me how it is," he says. "It looks pretty cool." My first verdict was "I don't know", and my second was "I'm not sure but I'm guessing Amanda won't be into it since it's more PVP-oriented".

He comes over to my house to play it for a while. He is not so sure either. I spend a lot more time with it, analyzing it with intent to not only write about it but to give an accurate report to my childhood friend and my wife. Are we going to go over to it?

Amanda has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, so I have an insurmountable wave of comfort to topple. Not only does she only want to play one game and wants to stick with what is familiar, she likes repetition. She likes to purchase cloth and then have her character make bandages for ten minutes, knit (IRL), then sell all the bandages to an NPC for a profit.

She likes to repeatedly warm her hands over animals and hit rocks with a pick. She likes to kill the same things and do the exact same scripted moves, even if not the most healthy, over and over again. And she really, really likes leveling characters. She has leveled four paladins extensively, though only one to the highest level.

Meanwhile, Bill just purchased a computer to start playing World of Warcraft again, and he's just got married in the summer. He exudes that "I'm on a budget aura" that one must learn to use when a newlywed; it's clear to me that it had better be worth fifty bucks. But Amanda's not going to move, and he isn't either.

I had quit Warcraft anyway; Warhammer or no, I wasn't interested in going back. The embarrassing truth is that I ragequit from a guild I never wanted to be in over a dispute with a leader. I did it in public; it was the guild Amanda was in. She later found out my accusations against said leader are true. "But raiding is so much fun," she tells me. She stays. It's somewhat awkward. I enjoy my freedom; she goes raiding, I can play whatever I want!

A few weeks later she tells me she didn't think I really meant I was quitting. In a wistful, "I wish you'd buy me flowers" or "you never ______ anymore" kind of tone. Oh God. "It's so awkward playing with Bill without you," she says. Bill had tried to convert his wife; I had told him "I think she's just trying it to make you happy;" if we're all going to start over as alliance instead, she'd better really mean it. I don't want to do all this for her when she doesn't mean it."

"Oh yeah, she means it," he says with newlywed zest. I can tell he is deceived. I sigh. To insist, to really press the truth on him would be cruel.

Recap: I leveled a character to level 70 for the sake of Bill's wife who never wanted to play in the first place, and joined a guild I didn't want to join. Then he slows down his playing time, my guild leader is a jerk and my wife keeps playing with them, and I find out I like Warhammer better, quit Warcraft, and neither of them want to join me. They also want me to come back.

I am bitter.

I persist in playing Warhammer; I like the guild. They are intelligent, affable, down-to-earth. It's very easy to introduce yourself to others in the ventrilo server there; most guilds I've been in have Ventrilo servers that are as awkward as a blind date set up by an oblivious friend's girlfriend.

I have other games I'm interested in playing, other sights to see. I certainly couldn't have gone back to Amanda and Bill's guild, and if I had gone to a new one that would have meant I'd be on a different raiding schedule.

But for the launch of the new Warcraft expansion, my wife and friend want me to come back. I ignore this for a while.

"I really didn't think you meant it," she says a few more times. At least one of these times, she is making the effort to not cry.

Later, not during one of these episodes, I tell her I'll play WoW at launch with her; I also tell her she can get it at midnight and she gets excited. "Okay, make sure to reserve it for us!" she squeals.

She gets so excited her hands start to spasm and her laugh cascades out of her with such strength her eyes narrow and she keeps alternating her weight from leg to leg. She calls the game by her own name for it. "I'm so excited for Hate Town! Hate Town Hate Town Hate Town Hate Town!"

As the weight of this commitment settles on me, I am given one of those brief moments where I learn why I never consider it a big deal that I have baby pink sheets, baby pink blankets, and pillow cases on my bed. Or a New Kids on the Block concert to go to. It is ironic that in what is usually a solitary and meaningless activity, I was given a choice where I could make it anything but.

I Have Three STDs

Well I do in a way.  In order from right to left is Chlamydia, Herpes, and Syphilis.  Aren't they just the cutest things!  My sister works for the CDC in Atlanta and bought them for me there.  Hmmm maybe I shouldn't show my future daughter these when I teach her about safe sex.  She might think that STDs are good to get lol.

Official Fan Girl

I just got done telling my fiance that I have become the unthinkable. I am now a Fan Girl. And a Blizzard Fan Girl no less.

Fanboy (n.)

1. A person who is completely loyal to a game or company regardless of if they suck or not. 2. A pathetic insult often used by fanboys themselves to try and put down people who don't like whatever it is they like. 3. See fool or SEGA. "If you don't worship SEGA and send them all your money and pay $500 for the copy of Panzer Dragon I'm selling on ebay then your obviously a Sony fanboy even though I've never heard you mention a single thing about Sony the entire five minutes I've known you." Said the SEGA Fanboy. "Yeah but the SNES didn't have Blast Processing" Said the Sega fanboy. "FF7 sucks" Said the SEGA Saturn fanboy.

Hmmmm I would classify myself as definition number one. Luckily for me Blizzard doesn't suck. But I will defend them to my grave because they have brought so much to me. Not only fun, but a fiance. But I digress.

I spent much of my vacation spending time with J and playing the video game. Every time I turned around in WoW, there was something that made me giggle like I was four years old and bounce up and down in my chair like I was five years old. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. More than I really thought I would. All that I wanted, was for J and I to have fun together, doing something we both enjoyed. That's what I wanted and that's what I got.

So if you talk smack about blizzard, I will come and get you. Don't test me!

I am no looking forward to Thanksgiving. I am so excited because J gets to meet the rest of my family. They will love him and everything will be great. I am so excited because life is falling right into place.

Awesome Vacation!

My vacation is going as well as I could have ever hoped.  Mama Mia was AMAZING!   I never thought I would like ABBA songs....well I found out that I like the broadway versions anyway.  If you ever have an opportunity to go see it, I suggest you go.  I only knew the songs somewhat but I found myself wanting to sing along.  So I had a blast!  If it ever comes again, I'm going.

Standing in line waiting for Lich King made me realize how unaddicted to this game I am.  People all around me were talking about the game and the way they talked about it made me realize that their whole lives were WoW.  I just like to get on and play with my friends.  But everybody else was talking about PvP, loot, statistics.  It was way too much for me and I had to go out in the car and take a break.  I am SO glad that my guild isn't like that. :)

So after playing my game a bit I made chili and grilled cheese for J.  If you have never had chili and grilled cheese together, OMG.  It's awesome :)  Try it, you'll love it!

Also some disappointing news but I'm trying not to let it affect me.  Anthony Hamilton and Angie Stone are coming in concert.  Normally I would be thrilled since these are two of my favorite artists, but they are coming Thanksgiving night, and I'll be in South Carolina.  I'm sooooooo disappointed but I would rather be with my family.  Plus they will get to meet J!  So what you will have to do for me is find a way to make it to the show and enjoy it for me.  I don't care if you don't like them...do it anyway so I can feel that somebody I know is enjoying them lol.  So I'll have to catch Anthony and Angie on the flip side.  Signing off for now, I'm all clean and scrubbed and ready for a trip to Northrend :)

Lindsay Lohan Has Lost Her Mind

Lindsay Lohan referred to Barack Obama as "colored". What is her problem? You would think she lived in some po dunk back country town. I hope SOMEBODY schools her on this. Article is below.

NEW YORK – Lindsay Lohan referred to President-elect Barack Obama as the country's "first colored president" in an interview on "Access Hollywood." Describing her experience on Election Day, Lohan said: "It was really exciting. It's an amazing feeling. It's our first colored president." A spokeswoman for Lohan didn't immediately return messages left Wednesday.

Interviewer Maria Menounos didn't question the 22-year-old actress on her use of the term. "Access Hollywood" also didn't cite her remark in its online story, but did post an "extended interview" video on its Web site that included the remark.

Lohan blogged about her support of Obama during the presidential campaign.

The Perfect Night

Well I'm assuming it will be a perfect night. I can think of a gazillion things that could go wrong.

We are going to see Mama Mia tonight and I am super excited. I love going to Broadway shows and it's even more exciting because I've never seen this one before. I want my work day to be over so I can hurry up and see it! I'm very very very excited.

And then, Wrath of the Lich King comes out tonight at midnight! I'm very excited about that and my four days that I'm going to play. I can't wait! Maybe I'll post a pic of my rogue so you can see how BA she is now.

I hope all is well with you. Wish me luck and I'll post some time this weekend to let you know how it goes :)

Wedding Planning 101

So I don't want this to become a blog all about my engagement but it will be heavily about that as that is on my mind.

J has nipped the situation in the bud so to speak to keep me from going overboard with things as he know that I can. He said it might be a good idea to think about it, but not every day as it's so early in the project. I'm glad that he did that because I was really starting to stress.

If I had more money this wouldn't be an issue and then I could have whatever kind of wedding I want. I have to find a balance between what I want and going into debt for just one day. I know what will cost the most, the reception site and the pictures. I can see that being easily close to $4,000 in itself. But J has suggested some ideas that might cut costs that wouldn't sacrifice quality. I just want the day to be special. I know things will go wrong on that day because it's bound to happen. But I'll document my journey here, for all of you all to see.

I'm just happy to be marrying J. He loves me for me. And no matter how annoying I am, he still loves me. Thanks J. This is going to be a wild and fun ride and I can't wait to share it with you.

For Some Reason I'm Really Missing You

My Engagement Ring

I know I'm late getting it up here. But it's here!

From Engagement

New Pics! Go Look!

Yea I haven't put the captions on them yet, but go look anyway. You can make up your own captions, it's fun that way!

http://picasaweb.google.com/reneecrocker

There Is Hope

It's been an exciting and tumultuous week for me. I became engaged, J got to meet two of my close friends, and Barack Obama became president of the United States. One of the best weeks I have ever had.

Although this victory means so much to a lot of African-Americans, it is not only our victory. It's an American victory. That's something I really do believe in my heart. Everyone who voted this election voted from their heart, and with passion. I know there are hard times in the country, I can see that every day, but I have hope that it will get better. Bad times don't last forever. As I watched the television I could hardly breathe. I almost thought it was a dream and I would wake up any moment.

A part of me worries that America will claim that there is no racism anymore because we have a black president. Any sane person knows that's not true and we still need to fight for what's right.

Right now, I am full of joy and I can't wait to see the joy on my parents' faces. I hope our country can now get behind our President and not be like those Republicans that booed Obama at McCain's concession speech (shameful!). So I will leave you with one of J and I's favorite songs off of the Girl Talk album. It's called Like This.

Get out there and Vote!

The polls are only open a couple more hours in my time zone. If you haven't, please get out there and vote. It makes a difference and some people don't even have the opportunity to vote.

J and I were watching the show 30 days the other day. It was the one where he and his girlfriend has to live on minimum wage for 30 days. They knew it was going to be hard but they thought that they would be ok. They found jobs and realized that it wasn't as easy as they originally thought. The hard work caused them to be hurt and they had to go to the emergency room. They had no insurance and thus had huge bills. They didn't have any kids and acknowledged they didn't understand how people made it who had kids. This episode made me so mad because this is what I see. I see people who can't afford basic things like food and healthcare for their families and politicians think that if they give tax breaks to the wealthy that it will trickle down. i want to ask them if it's working. It hasn't worked yet. People talk about the socialization of the health care system. I don't think of it as socialization and these people would rather have people with no health care hurt and sick because they can't afford the doctor's office. I was so mad I wanted to scream. I want every elitist to watch that show and tell me what they think.

And with that. I'm going to leave you all on a high note. This is the last song on Girl Talk's album, Feed The Animals. Listen to it all the way through, you'll like it. Listen to his other stuff. His mash up albums are amazing. Just go to You Tube and search for Girl Talk.

The Story of My Engagement

From Engagement

A lot of people have been asking how I became engaged. So I decided to post it on here. I'll post a picture of the ring when I get home. So I guess I have to do this for people who have no idea so I'll have to give some background.

J and I met on a video game. And not just any video game. We met on World of Warcraft (or World of Warcrack, as other people call it). We started off as friends and then eventually grew to more and we started talking off of the game and eventually he moved to where I lived.

So fast forward to Halloween Night, 2008. (This is going to be fun explaining for people who don't play WoW.)

On World of Warcraft, you play with other people around the world, so you meet people and you become friends with them. You can talk to these people while you play the game on a voice server called vent. It's just like everybody is in a big room talking. I was out doing quests (jobs for non playable characters) and that night we were supposed to go to a raid (where you and your friends go out killing monsters to get items). I was trying to finish up my quest before the raid and all of a sudden, I get a summon (where somebody can send a message to you and if you accept, you get teleported to wherever they are). I was too busy trying to finish up my quest and I was going to accept the summon when I got done but J kept telling me to accept. Finally i was like, Ok Ok, I'll finish this quest later.

I accepted the summon and I was suddenly teleported not where the raid was supposed to be taking place, but to an air island in Nagrand. Nagrand is an area in the game where J and I spent a lot of time. The sky's are blue, the grass is green, and there are islands in the sky where you can get to if you have a flying mount (an animal you can buy that will let you go faster and it flies). When I was summoned out there, I was suprised because I didn't expect it. As soon as I got out there, J traded with me on game (When a character trades with yours, you can exchange items). He traded with me and it was a ring called Big Rock which is worth 25 gold (not anything to laugh at in WoW). So I was like, wtf? Why is he giving me this, then all of a sudden, I turn around, J is on one knee with the ring, asking me to marry him. Of course I said yes, then I told him I hated him and cussed him out for surprising me. I didn't think he was going to be able to surprise me. All of our friends were cheering and crying. It was perfect

And the funny thing is, J was playing a song in the background called Spooky which has the line in it that says "I'm going to propose.....on Halloween". But of course I don't pay attention so I didn't even realize it.

That proposal was perfect. World of Warcraft is where we met, fell in love, good times, and bad times. We both share friends on there and I'm a huge geek and nerd, so it played perfectly into it. He put so much thought into the proposal i couldn't have asked for anything better. I probably missed something that will confuse some people and if I did, just mention it and I'll clarify. I just love that he knows me, and he knows what I love. It was the most unique perfect proposal ever. Yea, that's my fiance. He's awesome.

Adrienne and Cole are The Best!

So I had an awesome follow up to my engagement on Halloween. We went out to dinner and a movie with my good friends Cole and Adrienne. They are the sweetest and most considerate people that I know. They took to J right away and it felt like we had all known each other for years. Adrienne and I gushed over being engaged and our wedding plans while Cole and J just smiled at us and put in their two cents every once in a while.

Famous Dave's was excellent as always and the movie left something to be desired. It was Quarantine by the way. Don't go see it. The cheesiest of horror films. I think it was even worse than Saw. But at least we all got to see it together. And the fun part was the boys shooting their way through Time Crisis 4 while I fed the machine. We were a great team!

I love them so much and I'm glad to have them as friends. I'll definitely be bouncing ideas off of her for my upcoming wedding. And I can't wait for hers! I think I'll bawl like a baby when I see her coming down the aisle. I'm a total girl right now.

Engaged On Halloween!!!

This is the best Halloween!  J proposed to me!  I can't wait to be Mrs. Renee Valentine!!!  Thanks to everybody that helped it happened.  When I turned around, and he was on one knee, that just blew my mind.  I will remember this day forever.  I'll leave you all with a great Halloween video.

Why Didn't They Just Ask Me?

Why didn't they just ask me? I could have told them why overweight women have more sex. Because when guys are in the bed, they want something to hold onto. Plain and simple. All the scientists get it all wrong. Ask a woman next time and they will tell you. I have NEVER met a man who wanted some skinny woman in the bed. Of course they are out there for sure but I've never met one.

Do Overweight Women Skip Sex? Fat Chance!

Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com robert Roy Britt
livescience Managing Editor
livescience.com – Thu Oct 30, 4:41 pm ET

Overweight and obese women have more sex than skinny types, a new study suggests.

The research, announced today, is based on data on more than 7,000 women collected in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. The new analysis looked at the relationship between body mass index and sexual orientation, age of first intercourse, number of partners and frequency of intercourse.

The results seem to contradict stereotypes that overweight and obese women have less sex. If anything, the researchers said, the opposite seems to be true.

Researchers suspect the stereotype could mean overweight women get different messages than thinner women from physicians regarding pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease prevention, and that their sexual behavior might therefore vary.

"Some medical practitioners may not do appropriate follow-up with women who are overweight; they might assume they aren't having sex unless they are told otherwise," said Oregon State University Professor Marie Harvey, a specialist in women's sexual and reproductive health issues.

"Our analysis demonstrated that obese and overweight women do not differ significantly in some of the objective measures of sexual behavior compared to women of normal weight," said Harvey's colleague, Bliss Kaneshiro, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii. "This study indicates that all women deserve diligence in counseling on unintended pregnancy and STD prevention, regardless of body mass index."

The survey relied on self-reports, however, and other studies have found that people often lie in sex surveys. The results were detailed in the September issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. A different study in 2006 concluded that obesity, as well as smoking, does curb sex.

Kaneshiro said the data showed that overweight women were more likely to report having sexual intercourse with a man, even when researchers controlled for age, race and type of residence. Ninety-two percent of overweight women reported having a history of sexual intercourse with a man, as opposed to 87 percent of women with a normal body mass index.

"These results were unexpected and we don't really know why this is the case," Kaneshiro said

Happy Halloween!

I have sadly decided to dress up as a Helix Database Developer. But maybe next year (that's what I say every year). But to all of you dressing up and having fun today, grats!! And I will post a great picture from shirt woot from it's vs. series. If you want a t-shirt of it, you can get it at Shirt Woot!.com. (P.S. for those who didn't get it, it's Row vs. Wade)

A Rare Find

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

This Gives Me Another Reason To Hate UK

LEXINGTON — An effigy of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee and an African American, was found hanging from a tree on the University of Kentucky campus this morning, according to university officials.

UK President Lee Todd said he was alerted about the incident by a professor who was riding his bicycle to campus around 7:30 a.m.

The effigy was found on Rose Street, near the university’s Mining and Minerals building.

Officers with both the University Police Department and the Lexington Police Department are investigating the incident, and the Secret Service has been notified, Todd said.

Todd said it is not known whether a student or someone else was responsible.

“It’s a very embarrassing situation that has happened on our campus, regardless of who did it,” he said.

Todd referred to the incident as a “despicable act.”

“We certainly believe in political expression, just not in this form,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call the UK police department at (859) 257-1616.

I Have An Overload of Cuteness for You

J, I know you will probably already see this, but for everybody else, I have an overload of cuteness. Everybody knows that I want a dog but I have to make sure I can provide for a dog before I get one. The next best thing? Watching Shiba Inu puppies grow up. And literally, watching them grow up. Below is a live feed for these puppies. Adorable! I haven't watched them much, but just like babies, they sleep a lot. So enjoy the puppies!


Live streaming video by Ustream

Check Me To See If I'm Breathing

Last night, J was scared that I was dead because when I'm asleep I don't move and I don't breathe deeply at all. Keep checking, baby. You have to save me if I die.

Open Political Mind

This video can probably answer a lot of questions for people who are undecided and help them to realize that they do not have to stick with a party just because they have been doing it their whole lives. The video is below and the corresponding article can be found here.

I personally will be voting for Barack Obama in the upcoming presidential election and I'm proud of it. I'm glad that some people are seeing what I think is best for their country. Come on conservatives/republicans!

Why Must Louisville Shame Me

A lot of times when Louisville comes up, it is for things that I'm not happy for. Witness below. I'm not sure which restaurant it is (I don't think I even want to know.) For shame!

Happiness is From Within

Saw this on one of the blogs that I regularly read. There are so many values about this video that really hit home. I believe in the core message of this video. You can't buy happiness, and once you find happiness inside, don't forget the reason why it made you happy in the first place. You might get something else from it, but to each his own. (It was nominated for an Academy Award, btw).

My Sister's Boyfriend Is Famous!

Well not really famous at all. But he WAS in the Courier-Journal. He is speaking out against the required meal plan for on campus University of Louisville Students. Horrible Stuff. Demetrius Gray. Check it out.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081017/NEWS01/810170460/

Would You Really Want This?

This guy ate a 15 pound burger (plus 5 pounds of toppings) in under five hours. I was like, holy crap. I LOVE burgers. Very very much. But I think, I would want to barf. Anybody who knows me, knows I don't like too much meat. I had a Thickburger from Hardee's once and I couldn't even get through it. I like my meat proportionate to my bread and veggies on my burger. I don't think I'm a burger snob, I just like what I like. This being said, there is no way I would even attempt to eat this thing. Not even for the $400, three t-shirts, and gift certificate that this guy got. Keep your meaty hamburger. I'll stick with my rodeo burger from Burger King. Now THAT'S perfection.

I Am Proud To Be A Code Monkey

I know I'm a code monkey, but I love it. I embrace it as my true self. I'm glad that I discovered it. Long live the code monkeys!

Mythbusters Fun With Gas

When this episode came on, J and I laughed so hard. This is one for the history books.

I Love This!

On the Extra Life blog, they had this video. Amazing. I love Family Guy so this went right along with it.

Ninja Cat

I just got a chance to look at all my old blog feeds. This makes me want a cat. Seriously.

Shake It Up!

I don't want the game but this is one of the most clever advertisements I have seen in my life.

http://www.youtube.com/experiencewii

Resident Evil 5 is Coming!

I know that my PC games have been consuming my life. But I have been thinking about taking time from them and splitting my console and PC gaming time evenly. I think that even more when I saw the trailer for RE5. Check it out below (I know you've probably already seen it baby). Check it out.....and drool.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/12/tgs-08-watch-these-resident-evil-5-trailers/

The Mythbusters are Geniuses!

Found this video on one of my blogs that I read. I have ALWAYS loved the Mythbusters and I have many fond memories of looking at them. I love that they make learning fun. And plus it doesn't hurt that it makes me smarter than the average bear. I think I'm also amazed at their intelligence. I would have loved to go to a presentation by them. Mythbusters Live...on tour. Lol, that's a thought.

Happy Birthday Paddington!

I was informed by J today that it's Paddington Bear's 50th Birthday!!! I LOVE Paddington and there are so many memories wrapped up in him. He made me love London and marmalade. Seriously, after Paddington, I would want to eat Marmalade sandwiches so i could be just like him. But this is another memory that I want to hold on to. Happy Birthday Paddington!

I Love Bacon

So it seems that there has been this huge fascination with bacon on the internet lately. My one true love is ham but I do enjoy a good piece of bacon. I was listen to one of my podcasts Jawbone Radio and they had a whole show about bacon. I am really really craving bacon. Len even made a haiku about bacon that will become my excuse for eating bacon.

Sizzling in the pan.
Ready to give heart attack.
Damn, you smell good though.

Yea, I might have to say that haiku every time I sit down to a nice steaming pile of bacon. I used to like bacon behind sausage but after so many disappointing times with sausage, bacon has replaced my second place. So join in with me and say, Yay Bacon!

My Sister Went Hangliding!

She did!!! And it must have been awesome. I love how she is doing all of the things that she wants to when she's young. I would LOVE to do that but I have things I'm saving for and everything. If you want to see the pics go to

http://picasaweb.google.com/Deidre.Crocker/Hangliding#

So I am so proud of my sister! Next thing you know she'll be base jumping off of the Statue of Liberty. Grats Dee!

This Song is Freakin' Timeless

Baby you are so right, this song is timeless. I was playing this while I was at work and it brought back so many memories. This song will still be good 30 years down the line. And my Dad says rap has no lasting value pffft. So you all enjoy it. I might make it a series.



And here's a link to another oldie but goodie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu4RM1Iq-wg

"I'm holding the mic like a grudge!" Great stuff

Here's another one....video along with link to the lyrics here. I love how rappers back then could say so much with so little words and such small fanfare. Videos didn't need to cost millions of dollars to get a point across.




I remember this video!!! pure hawtness

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

I just wanted to give a B-day shout out to my wonderful, beautiful mother.  I won't tell her age but trust me, she doesn't look the age she is.  Lucky me for having such great genes.  I love her and even though she's not in town at the moment I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday.  You are the best mom in the entire world!!!  *hugs and kisses*

There's Nothing Wrong With Driving

The title of my blog is something that I'm trying to convince myself of. And it's not me I'm worried about while driving, it's other people. A friend of the family died in a car crash recently. I didn't know him well towards the end of his life but it still hit me kind of hard. He was younger than I was. Then, my mom was in a car wreck the other day. She's fine but it still kind of shook me up. Now, J is going to be driving to Florida tomorrow. I know my fear of him driving is irrational but I'm worried.

I'm not worried about his driving ability. It's the other nuts out there that I don't trust (man I sound like my dad.) I am trying not to worry, I just want him home safe. I know it's just recent events that have me like this but I'll be worried about him all the same, as I know he would be worried about me. A part of my soul lives with him. I want to be sure that stays intact. It's going to be bad enough not waking up beside him.

Who's the Best? J's the Best!

So J surprised me with tickets to Mama Mia on the 12th of November. How excited am I? Soooooo excited!!! I totally wasn't excpecting him to get them for me. And the best thing is...after we get done with that, we get to go get Wrath of the Lich King and have our four day weekend. I am so excited and I just really really really want it to get here. He is so loving and thoughtful. I love it! So now I just have to sit on my hands and wait until then. Can I make it? I'm not sure. I love you baby!

My Computer is Superfast!

So J got my new computer going yesterday. Holy Crap it's fast!!!!! I didn't know how crappy my machine was at the time but now I do. Well it probably wasn't bad when I first got it but it was really time for an upgrade. So it's all thanks to J. He really is a super genius.

But I'm sad too. Because J is leaving this weekend to go visit his kids. I know we will miss each other terribly and think of each other all the time but it's not the same. I'ts hard enough getting out of bed to go to work, but now we have to go the whole weekend. Waking up definitely won't be the same.

It's Enough To Make Me Not Want To Be A Hero

So I watched the season opener of Heroes. And true to Heroes form, it left me with more questions than answers (even though I did receive some answers). I was lucky enough not to have anybody spoil it for me. Seeing all the drama that people with super powers go through, it makes me think twice about having super powers. I think I'll just stay a normal person, thank you very much.

This show draws me in (which is what it's supposed to do) and it definitely has me wanting more. I love that it's not your average super hero show. You think you know who is a hero, and then they turn out to be a villain or vice versa. The show is amazing and for anybody who would love a good drama/thriller/comedy/whatever, get into Heroes, you won't regret it.

And The Lights Came On

So the power came back on Saturday afternoon. It was a long, long week. I found out that I can live without power but I really don't want to. I found out that nothing is boring about lying with J for hours. And I found out that it gets really dark, really quickly.

But some exciting news. New computers are coming today! More info later!

Day 6 and I Think We Are Starting To Go Crazy

It's Day Six with no power. They said it could be up to a week. I'm trying to resolve myself to the fact that I will be in the last thousand to get power. Last night, we went to Steak 'N' Shake to get us out of the house. I think it did a little good. Nothing a Frisco Melt can't cure.

Needless to say, I've been getting a lot of reading done. I'm thankful that I can take showers at the gym but everything else either costs gas or money which I have none of atm.

But I think I forgot to talk about the fun I had at the Louisville Zoo. My work had a company picnic there and the food was sooooo good. They had face painting for the kids and those inflatable bounce things too. Alana got Scotty the baby elephant on her face and Devonna got her whole face painted like a polar bear. I think seeing the animals was kind of sad. Louisville Zoo definitely needs to give those animals some enrichment. The enclosures are so small and bare. I'm sure that they don't have a lot of room to grow as the zoo is in an urban environment but /shrug.

So this weekend will be another weekend without power. I feel kind of indifferent towards it. I hope it's different. I will let you all know.