For Liz...

I have a secret love of funny youtube videos...

My favorite things from this are the guy beeping his horn at the frozen people and the gentleman who exposits, "It's probably some kind of protest... or an acting class or something." Hee.

It's Not Pretty

In my last post, I alluded to the fact that I was on a slippery slope that would lead nowhere but to me being actually classified a hermit.

I am here today to confess that this has happened.

In my defense, a perfect storm of circumstances has caused this fate to befall me.

I shall list them:

1) I'm sick.

That's right, the freaky Missouri weather has taken me down.  And it's my least favorite kind of sick: the common cold.  The common cold is my least favorite for one reason alone: you can't legitimately complain about having a cold. 

You all know how much I like to whine and this disease just does not lend itself to pity.  If I bellyache about having a cold, people are only going to look at me like I'm pathetic (and not in a good way).  But yet, having a cold sucks.  It zaps your energy.  It makes it hard to sleep and it's annoying when you have to blow your nose every 5 seconds.

The reason that having a cold adds to my hermitness is also pretty simple.  In the real world, I would suck it up and go to work and deal with my cold, hence getting over it pretty quickly.  In unemployed Kate world, I give in to my desire to stay in bed all day.  This merely prolongs the cold which makes me stay in bed even longer.  It's a vicious cycle.

Also, I can't go get my ultimate this-will-make-me-feel-better treat, which is the Jamba Juice Pomegranate Heart Defender with Immunity Boost.  How am I supposed to be well when there's no Jamba around here?  (I settled for a Naked Well-Being Smoothie, but it is not the same.)

2) Friday Night Lights

Oh yeah.  I began watching this show this season since Kelley got very pumped about new episodes and proceeded to explain to me that the show was like Jeff City on TV.  I began watching, I discovered she was completely right.  It's awesome.

This past week, I decided to use some of my discretionary budget to repurchase Netflix.  The first thing I put in my queue?  Friday Night Lights.  

And not only is it coming on discs but I can also watch it instantly online.  Consequently, I've watched like 20 episodes this week while not leaving my house.

Side note:  This show is extremely good.  I suggest watching it.  I may have to do another entire post on my love for Matt Saracen.

3)  My roommate is out of town.

This just serves to erase all social stigma associated with not showering and not seeing the light of day for more than one day in a row.

That's it.  Those are the reasons I have slipped into complete hermitage.  But I'm proud to say, I rallied myself today.  I haven't watched a single episode of FNL, I left the house to go to the store and got fresh fruit, orange juice and more cold medicine, and I'm freshly showered.  I feel good about where this is headed.  

Song of the Day (classic style): What I Got by Sublime

Confessions of a Hermit

I talk to myself.

I admit this.  I don't think it's that weird.

I don't talk to myself like I'm a separate person.  Most of the time, I end up talking to myself because I'm acting out some kind of interaction in my head and I get so into it that I end up doing it all out loud.  Or if I'm not actually talking out loud, I'm at least making facial expressions that go with what's going on in my head and not what's going on around me.

This is embarrassing, but it's never made me worry that I need to see someone.

Now that I'm unemployed and officially useless, I have picked up some habits that are beginning to concern me.

No, I'm still not talking to myself like I'm a separate person, but I have begun talking pretty regularly to inanimate objects and I feel as though it's a slippery slope.

First I started talking to the dog.  She kind of responds, so that's not that concerning.

I've been conversing with my GPS for some time, so of course I would continue that.

Next came the Wii Fit trainer.  He's always encouraging and instructing me, so it seemed natural I would answer him.

Today is when things turned for the worse.  I realized that I was talking to just about every inanimate object around.  The book I'm reading?  Not weird at all.  The TV?  Of course.  My heater?  Getting a little weird.  The washing machine?  Weirder.  My shoes?  I'm officially concerned.

I spend a lot of time alone people.  I naturally enjoy this but I'm always aware of the fact that it is only matter of time before I begin collecting cats and forgetting all social norms.  

I need a job.  

Look the Part

I'm wearing business clothes and carrying my work bag.  It makes me feel cool.  But it also makes me feel like a little bit of a fraud.  

Apparently, merely sitting in a coffee shop looking employable does not equal a job.  I have so much to learn.

Today actually felt fairly productive.  I got up at 6:00 in the morning in order to get Paige to the airport on time.  I sent her off with a hug and a wave and then promptly returned home and back to my bed.  (Did you expect anything different?)

On another note, I had a very specific dream where a guy I only kind of know liked me and sent me some stuffed penguins in order to show his affection.  I really liked the penguins in the dream and they totally won me over.  I think they were some kind of inside joke.  Anyway, it's kind of made me think about this guy all day which makes me feel like a creeper.  Because, again, I only kind of know him.  Dreams are weird.

Anyhoo, after my mid-morning nap, I got up, made some breakfast and placed a follow-up call to an organization that I sent a resume to last week.  The lady wasn't in, so I left her a very professional message (or maybe I sounded nervous, said um a lot and repeated my name 3 times... there's really no way of knowing).  I really want to work for this organization and they still haven't called me back, so that kind of sucks.  But here's hoping.

I then got ready for a meeting with a friend of my step-dad's who is well-connected in the non-profit sector here in KC.  So a good contact for me.  The meeting was on the one hand very encouraging.  He had some great advice and very kindly made it clear that he would help me however he could by putting in calls, etc.  But he also stated pretty firmly that I should take whatever I can get right now because things are only going to get worse in the non-profit world.  I told him I am absolutely fine with that.  A foot in the door anywhere is what I'm looking for.

My optimism continues to win out.  I'm fine waiting around for the right job and I feel like I have a couple of options in the meantime.  So I continue to remain encouraged.

Also, I'm in contestant #3 of the Great North Kansas City Coffee Shop Search of 09 (aka the GNKCCSS09).  Espresso dell'Anatra is definitely winning the game right now.  It doesn't have the atmosphere, but it does have the menu.  And it has a couple of comfy chairs and free WiFi.  Also, no hipsters.  Lots of middle-agers and people meeting for coffee which are my kind of people.  It's only problem is that it's almost 10 minutes from my house and if I'm going to drive that far, I might as well go all the way to the good coffee shops and Liz.  We'll see.

Song of the Day: Leave Your Boyfriends Behind by Leaona Naess

I am Officially Boring

I had another very productive day of playing Wii and reading.  In fact, I played so much Wii that I'm a little sore.  That's a little sad.

On a happier note, Paige is here!  We went for pizza with Ashley, Elizabeth and Ryan and are now watching reruns of the Office and 30 Rock.  Life is good.

There is literally nothing else of note to share.  I'm turning boring...  Oh, well.

Song of the Day: Dead and Gone by TI feat. JT

Victory Will Be Mine

My quest for the perfect North Kansas City coffee shop continues.... I'm sitting in one of the contenders right now.  Obviously, the fact that I'm typing this here is a big step in the right direction for Latte Land.  (The super lame name, however, is strike one.)

It has a fire place, comfy chairs, plenty of outlets, some comfy nooks, a great patio for when it gets warmer, and a drive-through.  All of these things are pluses.  

Also, one of the most attractive men I've ever seen in real life is wandering around pretending like he works here.  (My guess is they don't actually make him do anything, they just keep him around for eye candy.  Kind of like how Abercrombie sometimes has shirtless men wandering through their stores.)  He looks almost exactly like the other man in Unfaithful, so clearly yum.

Despite all these things, I'm not quite satisfied.  They managed to get the atmosphere right, but their menu sucks.  I have a feeling I'm going to run into this issue a lot.  They didn't have Americanos on the menu, but when I asked they said that they do make them.  However, then I asked how many shots are in their 16 oz. and they replied that every drink has 2 shots in it... What?  How does that make any sense?  Why would a 12 oz. and a 20 oz. have the same amount of shots.  I've gotten used to the fact that no shop in Missouri seems to know that Americanos always have one more shot than lattes and mochas, meaning I have to pay extra to get the normal amount of shots that Americanos are supposed to have, but this 2 shots in everything thing is blasphemous.  Oh yeah, and my drink was a dollar more with less shots.  I will not be had.

There are only 2 other coffee shops that show up on google maps when I search in my area.  One is impossible to find because the address it has online takes you to a house.  I don't know if this is right, but I'm not ringing the doorbell to find out.  

I'll be trying the other one out later this week, but I'm a little wary.  It's called Espresso dell'Anatra and that seems a little too snooty for the likes of me.  I'm willing to give it a try though.  My spirit will not be broken!

On another note, I went to the Post Office today and it didn't take my well-trained retail eye to notice the serious lack in customer service.  Bill and Ron were working the windows and both physically could not have moved slower while holding up a pretty long line of people.  It was almost comical.  Luckily, I have nowhere to be and nothing to do, so I got to just sit back and enjoy the impatience of everyone around me.

The reactions were varied.  There were those who were merely resigned to the wait.  There was the middle-aged lady who made her displeasure evident through much eye-rolling, sighing and pointed looks at the others in line.  And, my personal favorite, the lady who tried to butt the line because she "just had a quick question."  There were several people in the line who were gearing up to combat that injustice, but luckily Bill took care of it.  He was not going to tolerate cutsies in his post office.

This is what my life consists of these days in case you were wondering.  The search for the world's best cup of coffee and post office drama.  Oh, I also played 3 hours of Wii and gave blood.  Thank God I have a blog.

Does anyone know somewhere cool I can volunteer short-term (hopefully!) in KC?

Song of the Day: Folkin' Around by Panic at the Disco

Suze Orman Has Nothing on Me!

Before I start my post, I need to share with you all the one major dilemma that I have encountered since moving to Kansas City: there is a serious lack of free coffee shop WiFi.  The only coffee shop I could find near my house today was a Starbucks which I do have great love for except for the fact that you have to pay for WiFi at Starbucks.  I know, outrageous.  

You might say, "Kate, go to Panera.  You love Panera.  They have free WiFi and they are all over the place now that you live in Missouri again."  And I would tell you that that is wonderful advice.  However, Panera has a seriously lacking coffee bar.  The only espresso drinks they do are regular lattes and mochas which are too expensive for me.  And if I'm going to drink regular coffee, I'm going to make it at home for free.

Two of my favorite establishments are horribly failing me.

One of three things needs to happen: 1) Starbucks needs free WiFi, 2) Panera needs a better espresso menu or 3) I need to find an awesome coffee shop that combines the two places and is not 20 minutes away.  I don't think that's too much to ask.  My happiness in this move seriously relies on this quest.  

On to my actual post:

I have turned into a financial wizard!  I'm not one to toot my own horn (what?) but I'm feeling pretty smug lately.  I have been reading Confessions of a Shopaholic and I spend a good portion of my time chuckling knowingly yet condescendingly at the antics of the main character.

Here's why:

As you most likely know, I am broke.  And I'm unemployed for an indefinite amount of time.  So you might be thinking that I would be a little stressed about how I'm going to live/wondering if I've been contemplating selling some organs.  But what you don't know is that I've got a plan.

No my plan does not involve anything illegal or even slightly questionable.  In fact, my plan does not involve me figuring out a way to bring in money at all.  My plan is quite simple.  I'm am going to spend essentially nothing until I have a job.

If you know me, you know that this is no easy feat.  I have not always been known for my financial sagacity, but I think, with a few simple guidelines, I will be able to weather this storm of unemployment pretty successfully.

Step #1:  Make lists.

Moves tend to cost money.  Even though this was a fairly low-maintenance move, there are always a few random things that you end up needing, i.e. a lamp or a shoe organizer.  For both a Wal-Mart trip last night and a Target trip today, I created a detailed list of everything I was going to get before leaving.  I then refused to stray from this list.  This can be particularly hard in Target because I want everything in the entire store.  But I did not succumb.  I passed on the new bath towels, the ShamWows and the lint roller even though I arguably need all of those things (especially the lint roller).  Strength is key.

Step #2:  Buy the cheapest.

I've never been one to buy the most expensive of something just to have it, but I do tend to go for the middle of the road price usually.  I figure it's going to last longer and be altogether better than the clearly crappy cheapest one.  However, I have to think a little more short term right now.  I needed a lamp, a tea kettle, a shoe organizer and some hooks, all of which come in several price points.  I bought the cheapest one of all of them.  Sometimes this required looking around quite a bit.  I had to go to 3 different areas of the store to find hooks that were $1.50 instead of the $6.99 ones I found first.  This is worth it.

Step #3: Use cash.

I think it is unnatural to have no discretionary funds.  That is why I have a set amount of cash each week for me to spend on anything other than what is strictly needed.  I pull it out in cash because I will always go over any budget I set for myself when using a credit card.  The cash I have in my wallet is what I have to spend this week.  Period.  No exceptions.  So if I have a lapse in judgement and buy the expensive coffee, I don't get to get a new book.  That's just how it goes.  I'm very strict.

So that's it.  Three simple steps and they are saving me tons of money.  Also, it didn't hurt that I had a birthday.  

And coming up with financial strategies distracts me from the fact that my days have no purpose.  I really want a job.

That's What They Call a Downgrade (The Bachelor, Ep. 7)

OK, so due to a Tivo malfunction, I missed last week.   I spent some time being mad about it, but I think I've matured past that.

Hometown dates were last week, so it's on to the awesome vacation!  Naomi got the boot last week, so she's missing out on New Zealand which I would be super pissed about.  Who cares about the guy, I just want the trip.

After an hour and a half recap of the past few episodes, Jason went to pick Jillian up in a helicopter.  There was a general concensus between all the girls in my house that Jillian looked great.  She was rocking some flannel and boots and, oh yeah, got to take a helicopter ride through New Zealand.  They got to have a picnic on the edge of a cliff.  This is why I want to go on the Bachelor.

Jillian is by far my favorite of the final 3.  However, I continue to want to vomit every time one of them talks about how in love they are after knowing each other for 3 weeks.  

Jillian, shockingly, decides to spend the night with Jason in the suite rather than stay alone in her room.  They hopped in the hot tub and ABC decided that soft core porn was the best way to get ratings.  I feel dirty.

The next morning, Jason rolled out of bed with Jillian and ran to meet Molly.  He continued his questionable fashion choices with his too-tight brown knit shirt.  He took Molly bungee jumping and screamed like a girl.  Then they talked a lot about how much they like each other and how it's scary and how falling love is like bungee jumping and blah, blah, blah...

Molly loses all her dignity when she tells Jason she's falling love with him even though she clearly didn't want to.  I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.  Oh yeah, and she slept with him too.  Whatever it takes.

Last but not least is Melissa and a ride on Winston Churchill's boat... OK.  When I think the Bachelor, I always think Winston Churchill.  More hot tub, more talking about nothing.  Turns out Melissa's falling in love with him too.  Wow, it's getting boring.

The rose ceremony starts while there's still 20 minutes left... What could be happening?

I am genuinely shocked when he sends Jillian home.  That's his biggest mistake of the night, even more so than his Miami Vice gray suit.  Jillian holds it together well while still kind of sticking it to Jason.  Everyone agrees that Jason is a huge idiot.  

My friend Liz astutely noted that Jillian is exactly the kind of girl that Jason would say that he wanted (i.e. smart, funny, independent), but what he really wants is a 23-year-old who will laugh at everything he says and crank out some more babies.  He's a bit of a disgrace right now.

Next week is the Women Tell All Special followed the next week by "the most dramatic finale in bachelor history" according to Chris Harrison.  Sure.

Molly or Melissa?  Nobody cares.

Valentine's Day=Funniness

OK, I'm willing to admit when I have been completely wrong about something...

It is wonderful being back in Missouri.  I don't think that I realized that I was slightly uncomfortable everywhere else until I got back here for an extended period of time.  People are nice (when they want to be) and funny and they don't tell me I have an accent even thought I totally do.  (Seriously, it took me like 3 days to sound completely country.)

I've been in Jeff all week working at my parents' florist shop and it was hilariously fun.  The people that you hire to work at your florist in the middle of Missouri are always a fun group, as are the clientele you have in.

My favorite part of working at a florist is reading the cards that people put with their arrangements.  My favorite from this year was this message on a dozen roses:

Happy Valentine's Day

From Your Husband

P.S.  I want to tie you up...

If I could include a visual of the guy who penned that message, it would be even funnier.  But I think that would a complete invasion of privacy.  (And I don't take pictures of strangers.)

Also, let me give you all some advice: when you order flowers from someone, you don't have to give them the entire back story that goes with your reason for sending the flowers, but it will probably make them happy if you do.  

I spent about 10 minutes on the phone with one guy while he told me about how he accidentally cheated on the girl he was sending flowers to.  I spent another 5 minutes trying to help a guy craft a card that would get the man he was sending flowers to know he liked him without outing the guy to his parents whom he still lives with.  We ended up going with simply his initials and a phone number.  

It's a fun business.  

I worked at the shop all through high school and college part time.  I actually first started there in 2002.  So, even though I hadn't worked there for more than a day at a time in over 2 years, I knew exactly what I was doing.  In fact, there was a new girl in and I ended up spending quite a bit of time training her.  That was kind of funny and made me realize that if you do anything enough, it will never leave you.

There are several people there who have worked there for 5+ years so they have literally seen me grow up.  Our general manager was teasing me about how I used to just come in and sit down in the back and whine about how tired I was, all the while doing basically nothing.  I really was a horrible employee.  I would like to think that my work ethic has improved significantly since then.  (It has.)  Now I'm like the super-star employee there which I guess provides me with some job security if nothing else.

I'm headed to KC tonight and I have a couple of people to meet with over the next week.  So the job hunt really begins!  Should we start a countdown to see how long it takes me to become so frustrated at not being able to find a job that I move off the grid and take up a life style of complete self-sustainability rendering an income useless?  Or should I just continue to believe that the perfect job will fall into my lap within a week or two?  I don't know which one would provide better blog fodder.

We'll see...

Home Sweet Home

I'm back in Missouri.

In the past 3 days I:

Watched the Grammys with Ashley and John while eating stroganoff and cheesy biscuits.

Moved my stuff into my new house meaning I get to use more of what I own than what can fit in one suitcase.

Spent 3 hours in a coffee shop with Elizabeth and Liz talking about life.

Went to church.

Ate at Panera.

Was present in Mizzou arena to watch my Tigers beat Kansas with a last minute shot by Zaire Taylor.

Yep.  Missouri's still got it.

Song of the Day: Dear Oprah by Susan Cagle

Songs of the Road 2

Songs from the second half of the road trip...

Why Georgia by John Mayer

This is the ultimate road trip song...

I Caught Myself by Paramore

I love this song... A lot.

Should've Said No by Taylor Swift

What can I say?  I enjoy angry girl songs.  Hmm...

What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake

No road trip is complete without a little JT!

Road Trip Diary 3

This is from a couple days ago, but just finally got it uploaded.  

Almost done with the road trip.  Back to MO tomorrow.  Excited!

Songs of the Road 1

Being on the road trip, I've definitely had more than one song of the day.  I decided I would do a couple posts of the all the songs that have been on repeat in the Blazer.

Goodbye by Caleb and Sol Rexius

Caleb was an intern the year before me and this is a song he wrote and performs with his twin brother about his time in the Canyon and saying goodbye to the other interns.  This is the song that I was weeping to after leaving the Canyon this time.  For some reason, it hit me this time that I was leaving and that I missed it.  This song obviously sums up everything I feel about it.

Hurricane by Jonah Werner

This isn't my favorite version, but was the only one I could find.  Download the live version off iTunes to hear it for real.  


Vegas by Sara Bareilles

Sums up my need to wander.

Say by John Mayer

Love him.  Love this song.

Chip on my Shoulder from Legally Blonde the Musical

Show tunes are the ultimate road trip essential.  What better way to stay awake than belt show tunes?  Geeky?  Maybe.  Awesome?  Always.

Why am I Hot in February?

Aaah, Tucson.  

I'm sitting next to an open door in short sleeves, drinking an iced latte and enjoying free internet.  This is the life.

I left the Canyon on Monday morning and stopped in Bend on the way out to see my favorite 6'4" man in the world, Dan Creasey.  We had breakfast at West Side Bakery, one of my favorite local Bend joints.  It was fun to be back in Bend, our beautiful "hometown" while out in the Canyon.  And it was even more fun to see Dan.  

I hopped on the road and spent the rest of the day driving through Southern Oregon and down through Central California.  I took I-5 the entire way down which is not the beach route, but is beautiful none the less.  I just love watching the scenery change from mountains and forests to farmland to the Hollywood hills.  It's so beautiful. 

I ended up stopping in Sacramento for the night just because I could and I was really enjoying the alone time.  I'm realizing that I was desperate for some time to just wander on my own.  The Canyon has my heart, New York was fabulous, and I'm excited for Kansas City.  But it had been a long time since I had an open road and time on my hands and it was exactly what I needed.  

By the time I got to Sacramento I was feeling more at peace than I have been in a long time.  I love people, but at heart I'm an introvert.  I find energy and renewal in being alone.  I love to wander and I do my best thinking when jamming in the car.  So really, a road trip should be mandatory for me every year or so.  

I woke up Tuesday morning and got the rest of the way into LA.  I spent the afternoon and evening with Hannah, who is another person that I dearly love.  Hannah was on Summer Staff my first session this past summer and quickly became one of my favorite people ever.  She has the rare ability to root herself deeply into the lives of people around her.  She's genuine and honest and sincerely seeks to know you.  I've found a kindred spirit in her even though we seem like very different people on the surface.

We took a walk on the beach in Santa Monica and saw the famous pier.  I loved being on the beach.  The beach is something that I never really long for, seeing as I grew up in the middle of the country.  But some kind of combo of the smell and the sound of the waves and the feel of the breeze of the water creates the most calming effect.  It's a great place to contemplate the world.

I woke up the next morning and headed due East for Tucson and Kristen.  I've never been to the Southwest, so I was excited to make my way here and see the desert in all its glory.  It was a breathtakingly beautiful drive out of LA (and the crazy traffic!) all the way here.  The weather is literally 80 degrees which I'm loving after months of freezing in New York.  It feels like summer which triggers some kind of chemical mood enhancement.

Time with Kristen has been wonderful and it has been so great over the past week catching up on intern gossip and seeing/hearing about how everyone is doing.  I was not great at keeping in touch while I was in New York (surprise, surprise) but I've truly missed everyone.

All in all, this road trip has been exactly what I needed.  I'm still a little freaked out at the prospect of a job hunt and being back in MO, but I feel genuine peace about where I'm at and what I'm doing.  I got to properly say goodbye to the Canyon and the world I created there, I was reminded of all the people that I love and that love me.  I feel complete freedom and independence.  I love this phase of life.  What comes next?  Who knows.

I'm headed out tomorrow and will be back in MO in a couple of days!  

Much Love.

Road Trip Diary 2

I Was Just in Seattle Too! (The Bachelor, Ep. 5)

That's right.  The bachelor blog is coming at you from Sacramento, CA.  I'm at a Super 8 and I am excited about watching Jason go back to Seattle with the 5 women left.  And there's more of his super cute son, Ty!!!  I'm pumped!

I missed last week's episode and it looks like it was rather dramatic.  He didn't give out one of the roses, leaving Melissa, Molly, Stephanie, Naomi and Jillian for this week.

They're all excited to go to Seattle because "one of them will be moving there."  The reunion between Ty and Jason is the sweetest thing ever and also sets a Guinness record for the most women across the US simultaneously saying "aaawww."

The women arrive and Melissa gets the first one on one date.  Jason recaps what they're going to do on the date, saying things like "then I've got a helicopter waiting to take us over Seattle."  I seriously doubt Jason planned and paid for a helicopter.  I think maybe he should say "then the producers have a helicopter waiting for us."

Ty is pouty as Jason is getting ready, so Jason decides to stay home and asks Melissa to come over instead.  She is oddly not too excited, although all the other girls are extremely jealous as Ty is clearly the key to winning this thing.  And really, who cares about a guy who takes you on a helicopter?  Any woman would rather have the guy who would cancel a helicopter because his kid misses him.

Melissa gets to Jason's house which is awesome.  It's a classic Seattle house, on a dock, super cute.  She doesn't get to meet Ty, but she does get to peak in at him.  That's a little weird and she's clearly not ready for kids, but likes to pretend like she is.  

Jillian, Molly and Stephanie get the group date which starts with a boat around Seattle.  Stephanie's wearing a sparkly shirt with a fuzzy vest over it.  I keep wanting to like her, but then she wears stuff like that.  She the only one who wasn't whining earlier when Melissa got to go to Jason's house and is clearly the most mature, but she's just a little bit of a weirdo.  They continue to bond over the kids during a little bit of alone time.  

And Jillian and Molly continue to whine about how much they hate it when he pays attention to other girls.  Um, maybe someone should re-explain the concept of the show to them.

After the whining, they head over to a radio station where Jason gets interviewed while the women watch through soundproof glass and Melissa and Naomi listen at home.  He then rudely answers a bunch of questions about the ladies such as which date has been the most fun and who's the best kisser.  Awkward.  Then they blindfold Jason and have the women kiss him to see if he can tell who is who.  More awkward.  Stephanie's the only one who doesn't get wildly inappropriate with the kissing.  More points for Stephanie, although she's definitely not going to win now.  That's just how it goes.

Side note:  I love the show What Would You Do where they do things like put a baby alone in a car and see if anyone will attempt to do anything about it.  I like watching it and shouting about how horrible people are while secretly knowing I would be one of the people who walked by without saying anything.  

Jason continues to make out with everyone (except Stephanie)  as he spends some alone time with Jillian and Molly on the group date.  I can't figure out why, but I don't like Molly.  I'll pin point it, don't worry.

Naomi got the last one on one date which included a sea plane tour of Seattle.  This was so she could decide if she wants to live there.  When deciding where I want to live, I insist on an aerial view.  How else can you decide? They finish off the date with rock climbing and cuddling.  Sure.

They could really make this show an hour.  I could do without all the behind the scenes talking that all the girls do.

Just so everyone knows, every time he kisses one of the girls I make fake puking noises akin to the ones Chunk makes in Goonies.  Even when I'm by myself.  I would never kiss someone on TV.  

Chris comes to Jason's house so that they can talk about how hard the decision is.  Unfortunately, Jason doesn't have a weird room where the girls are enshrined for him to stare at and deliberate over whom he loves...  I'm glad we ditched the mansion.  It's too creepy.

Jason continues his questionable wardrobe choices at the rose ceremony with a plaid tie over a striped shirt.  

He takes Naomi out of the room at the rose ceremony and the other girls freak out.  Naomi sells herself in an attempt to stay in game and loses a little of her dignity in the process.  

Jason hands out the first 3 roses to Jillian, Melissa and Molly.  He gives the last rose to Naomi and then cries as he gives a little speech about how awesome Stephanie is.  The other girls fake cry in an attempt to show their compassion.  

I guess it had to happen.  Stephanie leaves with the most grace I've seen yet and, with that, won me over.  Good work Stephanie!  You made the women of America proud!  (Now stop wearing scarves that look like boas and we can be besties!)

Next week, hometown dates.  It's getting serious people!