Brad Armstrong + Julia Wood

Brad Armstrong and Julia Wood are romantically linked in a new report.

"They've been known to be awfully cozy," claims a close acquaintance. According to the source, Armstrong and Wood are "a thing" and have been for weeks, but are determined to keep their relationship a secret.

Another so-called "source" claims that the relationship has been "hot and heavy for a while."


A source close to Armstrong tells us that the story is “not true,” and that he’s “totally single,” and an insider for Wood may say the same. Armstrong himself has been quoted in saying, "We like each other but we aren't anything special." After all, they are well-known best friends.

Rumors report that the two are planning a weekend trip together to his family reunion at the beginning of next month. Those interested will be watching closely to see if the "hot and heavy" rumors are true, and if Armstrong is just a player just trying to keep it all on the down-low.

After all, Armstrong has been known to be sort of havey-cavey, anyway.

Let us know what you think of the news.

Blog Stalking

Blog stalking is something that most people who write blogs are perfectly fine with. As a blogger, I love the anonymous, and not so anonymous comments. I check and see if someone exotic has looked at my blog recently. And I revel in the moments when an acquaintance mentions something about something I've written.

And, as a blogger, I censor the things that I want to share with the world versus the things that I would rather keep private. Sometimes I share too much... but for the most part, I've created an online persona that I can deal with, and released information enough that I am not embarrassed or ashamed or anything about revealing. Every once in a while I think, "Why did I share that?" But then, it doesn't always seem to matter because the number of strangers that read my blog is rather small.

As I blogger, I understand that other bloggers have done much the same as I have. They've created their online characters and given glimpses into their personal lives, revealing with what they can live with and leaving us in the dark on many other important topics.

And that's where the true stalking comes in to play. After all, it isn't really stalking if you're just reading something that someone's posted on their public blog. It is stalking if you've noticed something about that person, but have no evidence to back it up and so you go searching for other clues.

e.g.

You read an old acquaintance's blog because it is funny and entertaining and it is fun to see where he (or she) is headed to next. You happen to know -- because you saw photo evidence on their blog or Facebook or wherever -- that they got married some years ago. And yet, you've noticed that their blog, and not even their Facebook, has shown any evidence that the marriage took place since the wedding pictures have been posted. There are always the blogs that go on and on about how great the DH is (I have always assumed that stands for "dear husband", can someone verify that for me?) or status updates about what you and the husband have been doing? Or that the wife is angry or.... whatever.

There's usually not nothing.

So does that mean there was a divorce?

Since it is really none of my business, it seems completely out of place to even ask. It seems sneaky and underhanded and gossipy -- in a very bad way -- to ask a mutual friend. And you know that if they had wanted to make it public, they probably would have written about it.

But that's just an example. There are other bloggers that may promise a follow-up on a rather personal story, but then never follow through. It's easy to forget about the things you are going to write about, so it's a possibility of having just slipped the writer's mind. On the other hand, they might have thought better of their intention to disclose their personal life, and decided not to post. In those cases, it seem like the reader can acceptably ask about the author's intentions, but then again, it also sounds a little stalkerish.

I guess what I'm getting at, is there is a line between blog author and reader. And most people, while dying to get to the nitty-gritty information, are not going to cross the line into prying. At least, I'm not. But it's still killing me that I don't know the answers!

Gossip Train

Oh, one last thing for today...

It shouldn't be any big surprise to anyone that I don't mind being talked about. There's a reason I have a Facebook, Twitter and a blog. Ok, numerous blogs.

So I loved it when it got back to me that someone told someone who told someone who told someone that I was probably interested in a guy because I had... *GASP* texted him this weekend.
That's right, folks, you are now not allowed to text anyone without having your motives questioned. Or maybe it was always like that for most people. I guess I've just never had my motives questioned before.

Hi.larious.

The truth is, there are a few guys in my ward that I think are pretty funny... so when I texted him and said that I was trying to become his best friend, I wasn't being entirely ironic.

But do I like him?! As in, like like him? I mean, that's what everyone wants to know, right?

For the record, I texted TWO of the boys in that apartment. One just happened to be out of town and couldn't dish to the rest of the roomies that I had "made contact."

The truth is, I wouldn't know if I liked either of them, because I barely know them. In fact, I don't know that I've had more than two full conversations with either of them. So, do I think they are funny? Yes. Do I think they seem like cool guys? Yes. Do I like them? Sure. I just want to get to know them and become better friends with them seeing as how the majority of my friends have moved out of state/country, moved on or married.

Basically what I'm saying is, I'm on the prowl, guys -- So watch out!! And don't quit talking about me, because I love it.

My Love Nest

Sometimes, it's nice when married people are concerned about my love... my lack of a... love life. I mean, it can be overbearing, and you definitely get people that harp on you about things that are beyond your control. But when someone shows a general desire to see you getting some action, it's just thoughtful. I guess.

It's flattering when those people, who want to see you out having an enjoyable time, imagine that you are doing just that. They pretend not to know that you were up at 3 a.m. reading -- not bump and grinding with twelve different guys. In their mind, your social life is a lot more active than what it really is, because they can't imagine that you stay up that late doing anything but partying.

So Kevin comes in at the beginning of the week, wondering how the concert was that I attended on Friday. I had been working on a proposal, but the concert started at 8 p.m., so I decided to take off. He asked, "Did you meet any guys, take them home and rip their clothes off?" I laughed. "'Cause that's what women do at concerts."

I neglected to tell him that it was a Beatles' cover night. There was no molestation of any kind. Although, I did bump into an old friend, who is looking very fine indeed. I'm not saying that I want to "rip his clothes off" or anything, but....

And then Kevin comes in from lunch today and is like, "Why do you have a blanket in the back seat of your car? I remember why I used to keep blankets in the back seat of my car."

"You never know when they come in handy," I reply.

Of course, they come in handy when I decide to take my book and go to a park, roll up my pants and sit in the sun to read and eat my lunch. They also come in handy if your car breaks down in the middle of the winter and you have to wait for hours for someone to come rescue you. (That has never happened to me. Yet.) It's always good to be prepared.

And then as I'm standing at the top of the stairs, talking to Wes and Rob, I hear, "Shelli!" And it kind of startled me, and reminded me of what my dad sounds like when he's yelling at me. (He doesn't really ever yell at me. Especially now that I'm so mature.) "Your windows are down and it's starting to sprinkle. Your love nest is going to get all wet."

I went down immediately to roll up my windows. If anybody wants to join me in my love nest (after the thunderstorms are finished rolling through) let me know. I've kept it safe from the rain.

Let's Make Each Other Fat - Beacuse it's Romantic!!

There are some people that are extremely too self-conscious about what other people think about them. Some, like my brother, think that people are constantly watching. But others, live in their own little world and don't stop to think that if they are going to sit down in the front lawn of somebody's house (or business), there's a good chance that they are being watched.

Such was the case this morning when a young couple, she with a bow in her hair, he barely filling out his supposed-to-be skin-tight shirt, sat down in the front lawn to feed each other doughnuts. They looked to be about 12 years old, but I'm sure they were just BYU students enjoying the summer morning.

"Let's sit in somebody's front lawn, and make each other fat! Here, let me shove this doughnut in your face, because it's romantic!" Rob taunted.

Such things are not tolerated in our office. They are heckled and laughed at. We watched as she used a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth, and then tucked a different napkin into the collar of his shirt to make a bib. Then one of the guys opened the window and.... I don't even know how to describe the noise that was emitted from the upstairs window.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh."

The girl looked up in unadulterated shock and then started laughing. She looked towards the windows, but I'm sure she didn't see anything. A few minutes passed, and the sound again. The couple tried to ignore it, but it was difficult to do. She laughed through the whole thing. As did I -- at her.

When they stood to leave, Rob and Steve stood on the stairs and watched him stretch.

"Steven, he's skinnier you!" Rob said. "That's supposed to one of those skin tight shirts, and it's like a cape on him."
"Maybe he's Superman," Steven retorted.
"Maybe he's Superman," Rob agreed.

Honestly, it was much too cutesy for me. All it did was reaffirm that I have got to get out of Provo. But I am grateful for the early morning entertainment.

Just in case...

Sometimes listening to Pandora.com at work can be risky business. You never know what embarrassing song will play next, just because you liked one Jonas Brothers song, doesn't meant that you like them all the time...


It isn't always the music that it chooses to play that is the problem. Sometimes they have interesting advertisements that play in between you almost-always awesome playlist. Like the commercial about Playtex or something like such as.

Or, as your boss is approaching your desk, an ad that calls out, "Hey all you pregnant ladies!..."

Which prompted the conversation where Kevin tells me that it would be just fine if I were pregnant, but I would still have to work. I asked him if that meant he wanted a baby running around the office, and he told me that was fine. Probably for about six months, and then he would need more room to run around, and so it would probably be a good time to get a babysitter about that time.

This made me quickly scope out the office. The baby could sleep in the carrier in a little hollow right under my desk. We don't use the conference room that often, so I'm sure the pack-n-play could be set up in there if he needed to stretch out. And I wonder if Kevin couldn't mind having a little baby swing going right next to me...

Man, I'm just really lucky to have such a relaxed office. So much so that Kevin was telling me about a co-worker he had when he first started working as an architect, who brought her baby in to the office. He said that every once and a while, she would say, "Here, I have to do this," and she would pass off her kid and make one of the guys hold him. Considering that all the guys in my office are fathers, I'm not so certain that they would be completely opposed to me handing off my kid -- at least I know that they're all experienced.

And suddenly, this who thought train has gotten really strange, seeing as how I'm not likely to have children anytime soon.