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See? That’s from yesterday. I’m sticking to my word and doing it.\

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(Other than we have absolutely NO clue what it is we want) It’s true. I can’t even figure out what’s going on in my own head. Let’s bottle up the crazy ladies.\
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This just speaks for itself.\
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Yeah. Thanks.\
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I feel awkward in social situations where I can’t rely on typing to get my thoughts across.\
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True story.\
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Eff’in lactose!\
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Ha!!\
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Was I not supposed to pick that many? My bad.

- I’ve noticed that sometimes I begin typing without really knowing what I’m going to say. This makes for a lot of stupid quotes from me.\
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- Three calendars and a Blackberry later I still lack an efficient system for keeping organized and on schedule. If I didn’t already have a secret superhero identity, I’d call myself Anti-Time Girl. I’d roam the neighborhood removing clocks, phones and calendars. I’m kind of like the tooth fairy except you don’t get anything under your pillow. Maybe crumbs in your kitchen because I will most definitely be eating your food.\
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- Dark chocolate. Whose idea was it?\
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- I’ve been dying for an excuse to say “what a crazy random happenstance.” Something happen. Now. So I can.\
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- You know what does NOT feel good when you have burnt cleavage? Just about everything. Bras, sleeping on my side, water bottles…\
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- I think I’m going to delete my Myspace account. I don’t really use it anymore unless someone asks. Then I quickly pop in to make sure everything is in order before handing out the link. I like it to have that lived-in look.\
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- Del.icio.us. I just don’t understand it. I like the name, though I type it wrong almost all of the time unless I’m looking at it. Whenever I bookmark something in FF it asks if I want it in del.i.ci.ous. too. Well if I wanted it there, I’d put it there. Stop hounding me de.l.ic.i.o.us.\
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- Giveaway. Laptop skins. Tell your friends.\
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- So I ordered some prints from Snapfish last week and I’m still waiting for them. How long does it take? I’m impatient. My mom says I have an impatient face. I don’t think I do, but I never feel like sitting in front of the mirror to watch for it.\

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Hehehehehe\

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- I totally intend to do this someecard meme that’s popping up everywhere.\
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- I honestly don’t know what I’d do without Twitter. That’s kind of sad isn’t it?

At BlogHer I stopped by Hewlett Packard’s booth to check out all of the different laptop skins. The HP man told me about HP Skinit, which allows you to choose from a large assortment of pre-made skins, or create your own. I was browsing through the skins last night and I found many that I wouldn’t mind having on my Pancake.\
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I made sure to grab some of the skins that were available at the booth so I could give them away to interested readers. Guess what this post is about?! I have the following skins available:\

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1\
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2\
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3\
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4\
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Each skin costs $29.99 on the site and you’re getting them for free. I have one of each so I’ll be picking four winners. They are made for a 15″, but with a steady hand, could be trimmed down for a 13″. They peel right off, leaving no sticky residue as well.\

What you need to do:\
- Submit a caption for the photo below.\
- Let me know which skin (1, 2, 3, or 4) you’d prefer in the comments.\
- Do this before August 1.\
- Also be sure to visit Andy’s blog since he so graciously donated his picture for our entertainment.\
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“Caption Me”

Things I have learned this weekend:
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- SPF 8 apparently protects better than SPF 30.
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- Christian Bale’s Batman voice can give someone* nightmares.
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- Burnt cleavage is quite possibly the most uncomfortable feeling ever.
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- Moo-moos are making a come back (especially when one can’t wear pants/bras due to a really bad sunburn)
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- Sleeping is not easy when only one part of you isn’t burnt.
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- Playing Boom Blox for more than an hour can cause injury.
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- Aloe only soothes directly after application. Give it five minutes and you’re back to pain.
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- Twizzlers don’t make efficient straws when drinking a slushie.
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- Apparently yogurt takes the sting out of a sunburn. Who knew?!
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- People who hack into Facebook accounts are lame.
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- X-Sport Fitness will lie to you and cost you an extra $157.
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- July went by WAY too fast.
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* Me.

I missed last week since I was in SF so today’s post is a mixture. I only had a few favorites this week. They all seemed to be pretty intense, dark or sad. I’m not in any of those moods. Be sure to check out the other secrets at PostSecret.
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My absolute favorite.

You’re my only friend.
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It’s going to be one of those days isn’t it? I’m tapped out folks. I’ve got nothing of substance for you today. I checked in with my associate Seven, seen above, and she told me to go outside and play. So I’m going to. She also told me to bring her some tuna, and I’m so not because she puked on the carpet.
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Anyway, I didn’t want to leave you with nothing, so here’s a few links that I think you should check out:
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Clueless Cat wants to know what we’re grateful for today.
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Responses (I wish) I have given when a man told me he loves me.
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Blah Blah Bex gives us a lesson in what you should never say to a Bikram Yoga teacher.
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Have you checked out Daily Blog Tips yet? If not, you should. It’s like every session from BlogHer wrapped up in a nicely packaged website.
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How do you feel about a blog turning into a book?
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Want to know the secret to writing truly captivating content? I’ve found the answer here.
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If you haven’t already checked out Captain Blasto I highly suggest doing it. It would make me happy \

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Notable Blogs:
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I’d Blog That
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Drew’s Locus
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Blog Nosh
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Lorelle on WordPress
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Mom in Real Life
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Gwen Bell (How adorable is her header?!)

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Lauren from Half-Deserted Streets gave me the opportunity to share a story about a past relationship.
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It was difficult to write and I really appreciate her patience while I took my time and tweaked it, over and over again. I really can’t thank her enough for her support, advice and encouragement.
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Be sure to visit her blog, not just for my story, but for her work as well as other’s.
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Testaments - Number Ten

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Why am I so tired?

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I’d like to think it’s because I wake up in the middle of the night to do amazing things like scale buildings and save little old ladies crossing the street.
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Maybe I train my cats to jump through hoops.
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Whatever it is I’m doing, I can’t say I’m a big fan of it because upon waking up in the morning I am still exhausted.
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I have a hard time staying asleep. Every time I roll over I wake up. It doesn’t make sense though. Thunder doesn’t wake me. Glass breaking doesn’t either. Hell, we could probably have an earthquake and I’d sleep through it. So why does rolling over wake me up?!
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Discuss.

For the first time I am second guessing a post I’ve written. “Will it make me appear less professional? Am I just another ‘typical’ twenty-something looking for attention/recognition/guidance? What will they* think?”
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Some of the things I overheard at BlogHer have me spooked. For a while I have been toying with the idea of an additional blog, perhaps an anonymous one. The idea of maintaining my anonymity exhausts me though. After the conference I wanted to create a new one and apply everything I had learned. Sort of an experiment of sorts. Is such-and-such really the best way to draw traffic to your site? Does black text really make it easier for readers? I didn’t want to apply any drastic changes to Free and Flawed because that’s not what this blog is about. This is my personal blog. I’m not trying to drive traffic to my site. I’m trying to build a community and develop relationships with other bloggers, not make money.
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And here is where I realized that I should be afraid to put anything on my blog if the only thing holding me back is what others will think. There is a good chance that I will create an additional blog. I may have already. Whether it will be anonymous or not is yet to be determined. I will find something that works for me and makes me feel comfortable. In the mean time, I’m taking a break from the BlogHer recaps to share something I wrote last night:
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There are times when I just want to ramble on about things that are bothering me. I like to spend an hour carefully selecting the words that would perfectly describe how I am feeling. And sometimes I just can’t find the words. At that point I try to think of one word that would sum up everything. Tonight all I could think of was
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Lonely.

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Not lonely in the sense that there is no one around because there is. I just got back from a conference full of people. I’m never home alone. There is always someone nearby and still, I am lonely.
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I’m lonely because I miss a bond - a connection you have with someone. The one that makes you feel like you could be at your absolute worst and they wouldn’t judge you. They know what to say to cheer you up, and if they didn’t have the words, they know what to do whether it be an expression, dance or hug.
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The one that makes you feel comfortable enough to be uninhibited, raw and authentic. There is nothing to hide; forget about bottling up the crazy. It’s all out there.
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I remember a couple years ago my mom told me that the spark was missing from my eyes. I found it and held onto it for as long as I could, but now I don’t even see it.
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And after writing this I feel so resentful and so disappointed with myself because I haven’t let go yet.
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* They refers to new readers.