Should I Start This?

Yoga.

So many people I know are into it. I am flexible (in a literal sense - I can pull my leg up by my head). It might be a little too 'Cumbayah' for my taste. I am freaked out by anything too modern-minded - Zen, Feng Shui, what have you.

However, I kind of think I might be able to branch out and do yoga. It might help me clear my mind out, therefore leaving it open for new possible blog topics to enter it.

Your thoughts? Any yoga enthusiasts out there?

Another Guilty Pleasure....

TheKnot.com

The Wedding Website.

I know what you're gonna say - typical girl obsessed with weddings, etc. I like weddings a normal amount; it's more the wedding website that excites me. I love looking up people from high school and college when I hear they got engaged; I love seeing if they're still friends with people from way back when and if they made the wedding party. I love the cheesy, sometimes gag inducing proposal stories. I HATE it when I know an engaged couple who has purposely not created a knot page - what's the purpose of even being engaged then!?!

Anyhow. I'll stop. Anyone else love this site?

My Goal....

More public followers.

Please help me make this happen. If you like what you read, sign up! Or, even, if you just plain read.

Please.

Should I Read This?

The Lost Symbol.

It's Dan Brown's latest book. The man behind 'The DaVinci Code', 'Angels and Demons', etc. Some feel he's an absolute genius; some feel he's painfully overrated at best.

Your thoughts? I liked the DaVinci Code. Whether or not it is 'high art' is perhaps a subject open for debate - but it was entertaining, easy to read and kept me interested and in suspense. I think it's not always easy to write in a way that makes people want to keep reading (believe me, I know). That, and I liked the symbolic puzzles he found within everything.

Angels and Demons was, in my opinion, a little more laboring (although most people I've spoken to seem to think it was the better of the two books). That, and after having read the DaVinci Code, I found it to be a bit more predictable. I'm sure I wouldn't have had it been the first book I read by Mr. Brown (he wrote it prior to the code), but regardless - I didn't enjoy it as much.

Now that it's been a couple years and many other books have slipped in - do I want to read The Lost Symbol? Has anyone read it yet? Is it good? I'm afraid to look at reviews online because of spoilers. Did you like the D-Code? Angels and Demons? Which did you prefer?

Don't You?

So, I was reading an article in Glamour (which I referenced earlier) about should you/should you not do something. One of the items brought up - should one blog about the person he or she is dating (or going on a date with).

Now, for me personally, the answer is no for one obvious reason - the guy I'm dating NOT reading my blog is a complete and total deal-breaker. So, if it's safe to assume he's reading, I won't be writing about him. Anyhthing I need to say to him I should, in a perfect world, be able to say directly to him (if it pertains to our companionship), however, anything I can't say, for whatever reason, I would talk to my girlfriends about privately, not air out in public.

I've always hate hate HATED it when couples have had statements blatantly expressing their frustration (or what have you) with their significant other via their facebook status, AIM away message or (going back to high school here now) AOL profile. It's some childish combination of a) passion without reason and b) a public advertisement of the bad communication between the two. As I said earlier - such things should be said TO each other, not about each other to the whole online world.

That, and it just looks pathetic. For example, I have three female facebook friends (people I am not regularly in touch with who are no more than acquaintances) who I know are not-so-subtly hinting that they're getting a little frustrated that their boyfriend hasn't proposed yet. Why do I (amongst all their other fbook friends) know this? I've never met said boyfriend. But I know he's got commitment issues (or so it seems). What's the goal here? That some mutual friend of a friend of a friend says something to someone and it gets back to him, and he thinks 'oh gee, I should propose', then does so? Will it REALLY work out that way?

However. The argument in favor of blogging about one's relationship was this: The Carly Simon rule applies - the post isn't about him unless he's vain enough to think it is. I like this. I'm tempted to post about every guy I've ever come across since 6th grade right now and save face by declaring 'The Carly Simon Rule'. Sidenote: I'm pretty sure I know who that song is about. Anyone out there think I'm referring to him? See above....

Sushi

Is it just me, or do they put crack in sushi? There is some addictive component to it. I crave it. Constantly. If I don't have it for a period of time, I get cranky.

That leaves me to ask this question: what's the BEST place in Chicago for sushi? Anyone have any thoughts? As of right now, I'm gonna have to go with Coast in Wicker Park. Honorable mentions go to Sushi Samba, Sushi Mura, Oh Oh Fusion (formerly Katachi - although they are docked points based on the loss of the Samurai roll) and Jai Yen.

Anyone have any sushi recommendations for me? Your thoughts? Who has the best sushi in Chicago? Why am I giving Coast free advertising?

The Million Dollar Question

So I was reading my Glamour magazine today, and there was an article that asked a lot of hard-hitting, up for debate questions. One of them being 'should you tell a friend when you don't like her boyfriend?'

This is really quite the question. Those who took the 'no' stance in said article articulated all my past experiences with the subject - the odds of it making said significant other go away are slim to none, it will only cause said friend to distance herself (or himself) from you, said friend will not be completely honest with you about future issues in the relationship because he/she will be afraid you are judging or will pressure him/her to leave, etc. Basically, it will only hurt the friendship.

Now - quick disclaimer. I have experience in both a) telling a friend she should get out of a relationship, then having said friend having lukewarm feelings toward me and b) not saying anything because I knew it would totally ruin the friendship, but watching a friend of mine be mistreated and silently wishing the bastard away.

I think the obvious answer is 'no, one cannot tell someone she doesn't like her boyfriend'. Said friend needs to reach the decision to leave on her own; she's a capable adult and hopefully will do so.

However.

A small part of me feels awkward sitting there in silence. Isn't it a friend's job to tell her friend she deserves better? Granted - no one is perfect, we all have different standards for what we want in a significant other, different non-negotiables, etc. However, recently a good friend posed the question to me, when speaking of her boyfriend, 'you like him, right?' Well, in this particular instance, I do. But, would I say something if I didn't?

If I was in a relationship where I was being mistreated, I would want my friends to say so. Although, also, a small part of me wonders that, if I was in a relationship where I wasn't being treated right, what kind of frame of mind am I in? Am I seeing clearly? I'm guessing no. Therefore, would I take my friend's advice the right way? Hard to say. What's more important, doing what one feels is right or putting the friendship first? However, if one were to, per se, do what she feels is right and then her friend stays in the relationship AND writes her off as a friend, there's no hope of helping the friend out of the relationship, ever. So it could be a lose lose.

What should one do when she doesn't like a friend's significant other? Is there anything that can be done? Can one ever tell a friend she doesn't like her boyfriend? Is there a way to do so without losing the friendship? What would you want if your friends didn't like your significant other? Would you want to know?

Playing Hard to Get....

So, there have been many schools of thought out there in the dating world (I believe 'THE RULES' being one of them) advocating that women 'play hard to get'. It makes us seem more reliable/desirable/worth fighting for (or something like that) if we are not readily available.

Does this actually work? I don't mean, necessarily, does it work to attract someone, per se. But does it work with respect to finding a real relationship worth having? Sure, it's fun to flirt and play games a bit, but if it starts out as a game, isn't it always one then?

That, and I remember, distinctly, a former boss once reprimanding a coworker for not calling back a client quickly enough - the exact line he used was 'playing hard to get is not a successful sales technique'. This makes perfect, obvious sense, however, if this doesn't work in other contexts, does it actually work in dating?

I do know this much - I think, for me at least, it has always been easier to play hard to get than to admit to someone that I'm interested (when he possibly might not like me back exists), but in reality, it has probably just detered anyone worth having. I know when a guy plays hard to get with me, I usually think something to the extent of 'screw you, there's others out there who'd be happy to have me' and move on. Any extra appeal of the aloofness usually wears off quickly. Also, usually, the kind of guy I would like (not overly-confident or pushy), might be more apt to give up if they thought I wasn't interested - usually it's a turn off to me if a guy keeps pursuing me after I've given him the brush off.

Does any relationship that's actually going anywhere originate with someone playing hard to get? Or are games just a natural part of relationships? Taylor Swift says 'I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand'. Is this true? If someone is playing hard to get with you, is it possible to do anything but the same in return? Is anyone who plays hard to get worth the time? Is this an outdated ritual, or is it alive and well today?! Does acting disinterest really create more interest on another's part?

The Future?

A quote from 'Overheard in the Newsroom' (on facebook):

#1924: Reporter: “I’m going to go as a journalist for Halloween. All I need for my costume is an empty bottle of vodka and my shattered dreams.”

In all seriousness - where is the future of journalism? It is an entire field of work that seems to be disappearing (I realize this has happened to many other careers, but still). Journalism is an entire college major! It's an entire school at some colleges.

What is going to happen? As people find their news in different ways, will the whole job of a 'journalist' become obsolete? Are there credited, accurate, well-researched sources of news out there on the internet? If newspapers, magazines, etc., become obsolete, will there be anyone out there fighting to keep citizens informed? Were newspapers/magazines/what-have-you doing this in the first place? What will become of all the journalists/journalism majors?

I am So Proud....

One of my very good friends, Stacey, was named one of the top singles of St. Louis. She's not just your 'run of the mill' single. She's one of the TOP singles. See below:

Top Singles

I wonder how one gets nominated for such a thing. I would like to compete with my fellow Chicago singles.

Fate vs. Action

So, as discussed earlier, some people believe 'everything happens for a reason'. Some people believe that, no matter how hard a person tries, one cannot screw up his/her fate - our mistakes 'make our fate', if you will (per Sex and the City).

However, there's another saying that goes 'fate only takes you so far - once you're there it's up to you to make it happen'. I mean, if one thinks about it, this makes complete sense on some level. Let's say if one wants to go into some career path or achieve some goal - some form of action is necessary. One can't become a professional athlete by just sitting on the couch eating cheetos watching tv and wishing for it.

So, I ask this - for those out there who believe in fate - what percentage is fate and what percentage is action? If something isn't meant to be, is there any way possible to force it? When should someone give up on something? Should someone just sit back and wait for something to happen? I think the semi-unanimous response to this would be 'no', but if we can't miss our fate, then won't things work out a certain way any way?

Your thoughts? I certainly don't know the answer to this one. However - I do remember that back in college, I had a crush on a fellow student (see blog post entitled 'Unrequited Love'). A large part of me, at the time, believed in fate and that if he was meant for me, we'd somehow end up together. However, I wrote him an email letting him know how I felt to take action (despite my beliefs that things would work out if necessary) so I would have peace of mind knowing that, if we never got together, I did all that I could and I could never sit around wondering 'what if'. Anyhow.

The Kid from the Colorado Hot Air Balloon

That's what you get for building a homemade flying saucer in your backyard.

Do People Change?

This is quite the hot question. I'm sure anon has been eagerly awaiting this post like I've been eagerly awaiting writing it.

Do people change?

Can people change their actions? Yes - in the instance that an alcoholic can quit drinking, etc. Can people change their beliefs? Yes. I know some people who've drastically changed their religious beliefs. I know some Democrats who've becoming Republicans and vice versa.

However.

I personally think the person we are, at our core, does not change. I know some will argue this. I know some people think people they know have changed. I think the response to this is either a) they didn't know that person as well as they thought they did or b) sometimes we all lose a little bit of ourselves at times. However, in response to part b - I think the person we are, at our center, is always still there - so sometimes it might take ourselves a bit to find ourselves again, but we can usually do it.

Anyhow. Those are my thoughts. I think sometimes when couples break up/friendships end/etc., it's usually that the basis of the relationship was more of a similar interest (like some kind of shared activity) and not the kind of people they were in terms of values, in my opinion. Not that two people have to be similar - opposites can attract - but I think sometimes the necessity is that one cares for someone for the kind of person he/she is, not just what initially brought them together.

Anyhow. That being said - I have a very hard time believing people change on the whole. Usually, when something goes awry with someone I know, it seems to me that that person just wasn't who I thought he/she was upon first impression, or usually, I knew the problem existed with the person, but I thought the friendship/what have you could survive despite it, but then it becomes apparent that it can't.

Your thoughts? Do you think people change? Can people change? Do they just become more of who they are? Is it more that they lose themselves? Does everyone eventually find himself/herself again? What makes a person who he/she is?

So You Think You Can Dance: The Start of Season 6

Ok, is it just me?

I f&*#ing hate this bitch.

It's Laurie Ann Gibson from SYTYCD (well, apparently - she just randomly showed up one week last season). She made last season's winner (who I was never impressed with, but winner nonetheless) cry. Anyhow.

So You Think You Can Dance already has a bitch - Mia Michaels. However, the fundamental difference between the two - Mia Michaels is fucking amazing. She's Mia Fucking Michaels - emmy award nominee/winner. She has at least 2 of the best 5 dances each season to her name. She choreographs like none other. She's like pizza - even when she's bad she's good.

Laurie Ann, however, is NOT. She's not bad. But she's yet to impress me. She's yet to do anything choreographically outstanding. She's no Mia Michaels. To my knowledge, I've seen two routines of hers - and they both seemed like standard jazz fare. Fine. Good. Nothing more.

Anyhow. I think her biggest problem is she thinks she's better than she actually is. She carries Mia Michaels' attitude. Perhaps even moreso than Mia. She's marching around there being like "I'm Laurie Ann Gibson, so move the f' over and bow down'. Yet she's the weakest of all the SYTYCD choreographers. Including Tyce DiOrio and Brian Friedman. And Wade Robson during his fox routine.

Am I the only one who feels this way about her? Please let me know.

Another Question to Ponder....

So some of my near and dear readers (and those who are near and dear to my readers) have described this blog as the kind of blog that asks questions/starts debates (i.e. 'can guys and girls be friends', should a guy ask a girl's dad for her hand in marriage, etc.).

Anyhow. I'd like to keep up with that theme.

Today, a good friend of mine brought up that she learned something major about one of her close, long-term friends. They say you don't really know a person until you live with them, which I can definitely see. When people go off to college, they are at times warned not to live with their best friend because it could ruin the friendship. Couples who are serious about each other and possibly thinking of marriage move in together and then sometimes break up.

However, after having lived with quite a few various roommates throughout college/adult life, I think one could live with another person and still not really know him/her (although I do realize one will point out that living with someone as just a roommate is much different than living with someone as a best friend/significant other, etc.). Also, the aforementioned people who move in together (close friends or significant others) are moving in with someone they presumably feel they, for the most part, KNOW.

My question is this - do we EVER really know a person? There have definitely been people I know (or thought I knew) who have come to surprise me (not necessarily roommates). That, and think about it - very long term relationships (not necessarily romantic) end after years - is it that someone changed, or that the two people didn't really fully know each other to begin with? I guess that opens the whole can of worms of 'do people change', which would be another blog in an of itself.

Anyhow. What I ask now - when, exactly, do we know a person? When do we know a person well enough to make some form of a semi-long-term commitment to him/her? A small part of me thinks the answer might 'never' - and we just have to take a major risk sometimes. Your thoughts?

Anyhow.

Trying to Find Comfort on the Internet?

It always amuses me the things people search for on the internet. Or rather, the possibly answers out there in cyberspace. I guess whether or not people are actually searching for these things is difficult to tell, although, I believe if there are answers out there, it's simply because someone was once asking the question.

Some examples of what I'm talking about:

--Unrequited Love: 1,060,000 google hits
--Dealing with a Broken Heart: 45,600,000 google hits
--Everything Happens for a Reason: 31,600,000 google hits

If one is struggling with a difficult time - is 'googling' the issue - these emotional, real life issues - now the way we cope? Is this a sign of the times? If one is suffering from, let's say, unrequited love, does one google the subject and read up on it? Is there comfort in that? Does google really hold all the answers? I'm kind of opting for 'no' - insert cliched expression of 'some answers can't be found on google'.

Anyhow.

Your thoughts? Has anyone out there ever googled how to handle a tough 'life' topic? Has anyone out there sought comfort on the internet?

No judgment.

The Sounds of the Late '90s....

So, as most of you readers know, a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) frequent the BYOBs of the North Wrigleyville area. We have noticed a frequent pattern at said BYOBs - the hits of the '90s play in the background. Savage Garden, Vertical Horizon, Gin Blossoms, Matchbox Twenty, Sophie B. Hawkins, etc.

This clearly comes from a CD/something, because there are no commercials. I'm wondering if there is some business around (like 'Muzak') that sells background music to local restaurants (Matt, is this what has become of the Matt Mixes? Is this your side business?). Second question - why would restaurants opt for this kind of music, specifically? I mean, I do suppose it has a nice, easy-listening, non-objectionable quality to it. However, there are also other genres of music that fit this bill.

Anyhow. This kind of music holds a special place in my heart, because it is attached to plenty of childhood (well, high school) memories. Back when life seemed so one-dimensional. Sigh. Adolescent memories. Life. I digress.

I hope these local byobs keep this genre of music going strong. Any other late '90s music enthusiasts out there?

I'm Booked!

So, this Halloween, I will be going on a trolley party. I love trolley parties. This will be my fifth in the past year and a half. I think I'm going for the world record for number of trolley parties. I, singlehandedly, am working to keep the trolley industry in business.

Anyhow.

As I've said before, I need a Halloween costume. Not just costume. A WINNER. Pam and Palin were grand slams out of the park. No one has made any suggestions for me so far. I am thoroughly, thoroughly disappointed.

Now accepting Halloween costume ideas.

A New, Life-Changing Experience

I recently acquired a DVR. A couple good friends have advised me that it would be a life-changing experience. It has been.

I no longer have to record every single show before it happens. It's already there. I went to double-check that SYTYCD was going to be recorded. It was already there. Insane. I am thinking about taking up the show "Glee". I am yet to make this decision, however, it is sitting there in my 'recorded shows', waiting, and continually recording, as time goes on. If/when I'm ready, it'll be there for the taking!

Anyhow. However, the best thing about a DVR - starting every show approximately 10 minutes late to cut through all the red tape. I have no longer had to sit through the following commercials:



I cannot put into words how much happier this makes my life. Again, no words.

A New Blog!

So my very good friend Stacey started a blog. I'd like to think I inspired her. I'd like to think I inspire many. Anyhow. It appears as though it's a blog about dating. Specifically, her dating life. I'd try to write the same blog, however, I'd realistically only have one post every 6 months, at best.

Anyhow. With no further ado:

Stacey's Blog

Enjoy.

Neighborhood Buzz

So apparently, Universal Studios is filming a movie in my neighborhood. On my street, in fact. I can't remember the exact name - three letters. ZJF? Something like that. I'll do research.

I know this because, tonight, after a long day, I had to park my car three and a half blocks away because there is no parking on my street for the next week. INSANE. However, I don't mind. I think I might have to come back to my apartment on my lunch break every day this week to walk up and down the street casually while this all happens. This could work nicely for the production folks as well, seeing that my appearance fee is minimal.

I clearly picked the right apartment. That, or these movie folks know where the action is. Or maybe both.

An Exciting New Development in My Life....

I am no longer 'couchless in Chicago'. My apartment is getting a new family member. See above. (The throw pillows will be removed and replaced with my pink & purple prepurchased ones.)

Anyhow.

I have basically visited almost every 'affordable' furniture store within a 15 mile radius. I will give a brief review/critique. When I googled 'affordable furniture Chicago' - I primarily got the response of 'Affordable Portables' and 'Roy's'. They are most likely fine establishments. Neither suited my needs.

My personal opinion - if you are looking for affordable furniture in Chicago (just beating the google keyword spiders over the head here) - where I got my piece of furniture:

The Furniture Outlet


Clearly, all business, no glitz. Great selection, great prices, nice owner. Of course, I have not yet had said piece of furniture (a black microfiber Ashley brand loveseat) delivered. If something ends up being less than perfect, there will surely be a follow-up blog.

My second choice furniture store:

Lubinski Furniture

Yes, I voluntarily ventured into Wicker Park. Now, for a coffee table....

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