Self reflection is hard.

The New York Times did a profile of Jon Favreau, President Obama's head speechwriter, this week. (Side note: How awesome is it to say "President Obama"?! Still gives me chills.) Basically, he's 26 and, for my money, has one of the best jobs EVER. Oh, and he's HOT. And single. But I digress...

Not to bore you with the details, but the whole reason I chose my major (public relations) in college was because when I asked my mom, "What's PR?" she answered, "You know, they write speeches for people. Like politicians and stuff." I've, of course, since learned that PR is a lot more than that, but looking back, the goal when I started my PR degree was to eventually start working for a senator or governor or something, writing speeches, interfacing with the media, etc. In the end, I took a different path. But politics was always something I wanted to get back to.

There's nothing like reading about someone who's your age and way more successful than you that makes you really think, "What am I doing with my life?" Favreau was working on John Kerry's campaign when he was 23. Twenty-three!!! When I was 23, I think I spent most of my time nursing hangovers and eating top ramen.

Anyway, reading the article made me think of my long-term goals and what I need to do to acheive them. The only thing is, I know it won't be easy. And, quite frankly, I've become quite accustomed to easy lately. Either way, it's given me a lot to think about.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens*

*Keep reading, Lauren. That's the last of the Sound of Music lyrics. Promise (Pom Pom).

Holy crap. How bad am I at updating this thing? Oh yeah, really bad. Like Bush Administration bad.

...But that's neither here nor there.

Anyway. What better way to ease back into blogging than to use the much-adored, easiest-blog-post-format-in-the-world, the bulleted list?

(Pause for applause)

My Christmas was great and my New Years fun (and a little foggy), so I thought it would be a great time to share with you my five favorite things RIGHT NOW (as opposed to my favorite things all the time...like John Mayer, bologne sandwiches and kids in hats). Cool? Cool. Here goes...in no particular order:

1. Scarves.
Oh how I love, love, LOVE scarves. They cute up any outfit, and they're cozy for these cold winter months. My personal favorite are the lighter-weight summer scarves, if you will, but actual functional and warm scarves are great too.

2. Flat boots.
No matter how hard I try, I just can't motivate myself to wear heels. Like ever. I mean, why would you torture your feet like that if you have a perfectly cute pair of flats within reach? I'm really into flat boots lately, and I've been steadily building my collection. Comfy and practical for walking, bus riding and general city dwelling. UGGs can also fall into this category!

3. The Twilight Series.
Love it, but not in the way that those crazy 13-year-olds do. I mean, I wouldn't wait for four hours in the middle of the night for a chance to meet Edward at Hot Topic or anything. But they're an easy and engaging read and that's OK by me. (PS, is it just me, or is the guy who plays Edward not nearly as beautiful as he's described in the book? I was disappointed. But as a member of Team Jacob, I may be biased...)

4. Duffy.
On New Year's Day, I dragged myself off the couch and into the shower just in time to hear The Mountain play her Rockferry album from beginning to end (it was 6:30 p.m., in case you were wondering). She rocks.

5. Snow Cap.
Besides scarves, Pyramid Snow Cap might just be the best thing about winter. Most definitely my drink of choice as of late. Also, the fact that it's 7 percent alcohol (as opposed to the 5 percent of other, inferior beers) makes it a can't miss...

That's all I've got for now. Stay tuned for my next post about my sudden realization that I might never own matching dinnerware...