Bah Humbug?

So, all throughout the year, I kept my eyes open for good gifts and shopped ahead. I was all eager to wrap said gifts, but I told myself I'd wait until the holiday season started before I'd wrap them - it just didn't seem right otherwise.  Well, somehow, I found myself scrambling the final days before Christmas to wrap the gifts and finalize my decorations.  I guess, in the beginning of December I had a case of the Bah Humbugs...but it definitely ended.  I can't believe I didn't post pictures of my decorations on this blog yet!

if you look closely, those reindeer are big drinkers

SOME people were very good

big picture

please note the troll dolls

my angel

When I was little, the days off leading towards Christmas were the best - the days after were a letdown.  Now, it is the total opposite.  The days before are stressful and I secretly look forward to them being over; the days after are a sweet, wonderful relaxing relief where I can enjoy the lovely gifts I've received.     Also, I remembe,r when I was little, I hated receiving money as a gift.  Needless to say - this has drastically changed as well.  

Anyhow.  Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year, All! Love you readers!

In Case Anyone Is Looking For A Good Holiday CD....

This one is phenomenal.  And no, I'm not being facetious.  It really is.  

Getting off to the Right Start

I just downloaded the blogger for iPhone app. I am not sure how good the app is, but at least I am attempting to be a woman of my word.   This will, hopefully, help in my quest to be a better blogger.  

Boy Talk

Miranda said it well.  Whenever I talk to my girlfriends, the conversation usually goes in the direction of, for lack of a better way to put it, 'boy talk'.  Is this kind of conversation pretty much just what is interesting?  Why is that?  What other kind of talk is interesting?  Housework, laundry, mortgages?  I think not.  Gossip?  That is also interesting, but probably isn't any more respectable or intellectually stimulating.

Your thoughts?  

New Year's Resolutions

I have four that are getting carried over into the new year.  I'd feel bad about this, but I was really ambitious with the resolution making this past year, and I succeeded at several big ones.  So I feel ok about not receiving a 100% A+.  One of said failed resolutions was to be a better, more consistent blogger.  As we know, there is always next year.  I hope to, more specifically, do around 20 posts a month.  This year was a hiccup.  My other resolutions are too personal to mention here, but those who know me in real life know them.

What are your new year's resolutions?  Do you bother making resolutions?  Any success stories?  I won't bother asking if there are any failures....

Words of Wisdom of the Day

Kangoo, Part Twooo!

So, earlier I reported on the subject of 'Kangoo Jumps' and how much fun they look.   If definitely looks like a fun workout and it also looks like it really gets the cardiovascular system going, however, not that this matters, but, there is something about them that is, for me, hard to take seriously.

Well, I was looking at their website.  They, apparently, SHOULD be taken VERY seriously.  There are a LOT of health benefits.  This is nothing to laugh about.  They are seriously going to change your life for the better.  And to think I was going to invest in botox - these bad boys come with a built in face lift!

Have any of my readers tried these out?  Your thoughts?  Are they as fun as they look? 

Yes, Deer

Lightening the mood, or trying to....

An Open Letter....

So, in a previous post, I mentioned there was something on my mind that I wasn't saying that was clouding my ability to blog. Well, in the best interest of this blog and its readers - upon 50% careful consideration and 50% blogging whilst emotional, I have decided to, in the words of John Mayer, 'say what I need to say' for cathartic reasons.  In the spirit of 'stuff white chicks do on facebook', yes, you can assume that post is directed at one specific individual.  You are also welcome to judge me for handling this in the form of a blog post (as opposed to a phone call, personal email, etc.).  Anyhow.

Without any further ado....

I honestly still cannot believe you did this to me.   I am still angry.  I am still in shock.  And I am still hurt. Don't get me wrong - I am doing fine.  I am doing well.  But you wronged me and you hurt me and you know it.  If you think I've forgotten you or if you think I've forgotten what you did to me, you are surely wrong.   If you think I am somehow confused and that I think there is possibly some misunderstanding that leads to some acceptable explanation of your behavior, you are also wrong.

I was good to you.  I deserved better.  I would not have done this to anyone - I surely would have not done this to you.  If the end goal was to make me hate you or make me think you are a bad person - you have not succeeded at this, however, again, you have succeeded at hurting me.  And if you possibly think, for one second, that you are, in some way, off the hook for what you did - you are wrong.  I cannot believe you were so selfish that you didn't think twice about causing me pain because you felt, for whatever reason, that you needed to do so at this time in your life.  So, if you have a conscience, or if you have any consideration for anyone for anyone but yourself, let it be known that you should feel guilty for what you did to me every single day of your life.

I might be out of sight.  I might be out of mind.  You are welcome to be a coward and hide - that doesn't undo the wrong you have done to me.  I don't wish ill on you but I do sincerely believe you should feel terrible about yourself as a person for what you did to me (and to some others as well).  I am a decent person and I am disgusted by what I got from you in the end.  Both you and I know I deserved better.  Again, I don't hate you, and I surely will go on just fine in life, but let it be known that what you did to me will never be forgotten.  I am very confident that you are so vain that you will definitely know this post is about you.

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Again, dear readers, go ahead and judge me for posting this (juvenile, emotional, passive aggressive, what have you) - it felt good for me to get this off my chest.   Now, on to some other posts.

New Year's Resolution Recap

Well, it's that time.  The year is almost over.  There were several new year's resolutions at the beginning.  I am proud to report success on several counts.  I knew it was time to make a step in a new direction for my career - I am proud to say I did.  I also had a goal to travel more - I took three trips to three new locations this year.  That might not be all that much to someone else, but it was a lot for me - or, at the very least, 'more'.  I can honestly say I succeeded at keeping two new year's resolutions.  Two, at the very least, mid-size, new year's resolutions.  I don't know how many can say that.  I am proud.

Now, sigh, onto the other side....  There were, most definitely, a couple New Year's resolutions I did not succeed at keeping.  Whop whop.  I won't get into them - some are rather personal - but I know they will not be happening in 2011.   One of said resolutions was to be a better blogger.  Dear readers - I do not need to tell you about how I failed at this.  I kept trying to pick back up every month, but needless to say, I never picked the pace back up.  It could be a lot of factors - busyness, the difficulty of finding new material after four years, etc.   This is all true, however - let me say there have been a lot of things on my mind that I've wanted to say, but this blog would not be the appropriate forum for it.  I think those words clouded my mind and prevented other topics from coming to mind.  It might sound stupid, but I am confident it's true.  I will try to do a better job of working past this in the future.  I am curious if other bloggers sometimes have similar problems.

Anyhow.  How did my readers do on their resolutions?  Any big successes?  Any big failures?  Anyone throw in the towel early?  Anyone throw in the towel just recently?

Men At Bars.

So this past Thanksgiving, I was out on the Wednesday night beforehand ("Black Wednesday").  I met my good friend Ellen, who was with a bunch of her friends from kickball.  There was one guy I noticed right away - he was cute and we seemed to catch each other's eye.  We started chit chatting - it seemed, to me, like we were hitting it off and that he had a lot going for him.

Anyhow, as the night proceeds (granted, we were in a small bar where our group of 12-ish people made up  maybe 35% of the population), I see him talking to another girl as well.  Ellen mentions that he also knows this girl from kickball.  Long story short, they are also talking closely and I even see him kiss her.  Ok, I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed, but really no big deal.  I continue to hang with Ellen and chat with people.

So, it reaches the point that I am tired and ready to go home (and try to sober up so I won't be hungover during the turkey carving).  I make my rounds and say goodbye to the people I've met.  This dude rushes over to me.  He starts making excuses and apologizing - 'she meant nothing to me, I don't know why I kissed her'.  Ok - first off, he and I had only been having casual chit chat - so what would he have to apologize for, in theory - I, am, in theory, nothing more than a random person to him at this point.  Second off - do these words run out his mouth very regularly?  I remember a time when an acquaintance sent me a text saying 'sorry for my behavior last weekend, I was really drunk', people who mutually know this personal all voted that this is a regular quick text for him.   Is it a bad sign that a guy is already apologizing to me before we've even gone out?   Is he worth going out with?  (Sarcastic question.)  Is this what one should expect from a dude at a bar?  Your thoughts?

Trying To Redeem Myself After the Selena Gomez Post

I LOVE this song.  I don't particularly like this band - they're ok - but this song is great.  I also like their 'Someday' song.  My angrier side relates to that song.

Dirty Secret

So, the other day, I had my Kelly Clarkson pandora going (chuckle if you'd like, it only gets worse from here) and I randomly heard a song that I wasn't familiar with and thought 'Ooh, I like this song.  I wonder what it is.  I'm going to give it a thumbs up!'

Drumroll please.

It was Selena Gomez's 'I Love You Like a Love Song'.

Am I a teenage girl caught in 28 year-old's body?  Should I be embarrassed?  Do any other 20 somethings like this artist?  Should I make a Selena Gomez station!?  Does anyone out there have one already going?  Is it good?  Is it better or worse than this guilty pleasure?  Your thoughts?  Actually, let's be realistic, I probably don't want to actually hear them on this one....

Working Out in the Winter

So, not that this is a news flash, but it's cold out in Chicago.  Here is something that I always wonder about.  So, I go to dance class regularly - and I also see a lot of people around my neighborhood heading out (presumably) to work out.

Here is what I see -women in capri pants and sneakers with no show socks or men in gym shorts whilst walking outside in 30 degree (or less) weather - with several inches of bare skin.  What I don't get - why not put an extra pair of long over said capris whilst traveling to and from one's car to the gym?!  It's f'ing cold!!!!  I get it - it takes an extra 30 seconds.  I get it - it's an extra piece of laundry.  But still.  I get it that these men are such 'tough guys' that they can handle the cold for the couple minutes, but the women!?  Come on!

Your thoughts?  Do you put on an extra pair of pants before heading out to work out, or brave the elements?  Do you also not understand these people?  

A Brief Touch of Irony

So I just got my Glamour Magazine in the mail the other day - as Jay Leno would say - my bible.  In in, there was an ad for the Kardashian line of nailpolish by OPI.  I have spoken before on how OPI perfectly names their nailpolishes.  Well, they really hit the nail on the head recently.  In the Nicole by OPI division, Kardashian line, in Kim's division - there is a lovely pink color.  The name, as can be seen here, is, wait for it....

Kim-pletely In Love.

I guess this was one detail she couldn't get around with her staged nuptials.  Although, this could be completely accurate, seeing that it does not specify exactly who she is 'kimpletely in love' with.  Perhaps it's her sisters, or her work, or fame, or, mayhaps, herself.  In that case, this is probably spot-fucking-on.  No judgment.  

Honoring My Polish Heritage

Where can I buy this?  I want this.  Anyone who has 'Jaime' on his or her Christmas list - take note!!

A Throw Back....

These are my two girls who are no longer with me.  This picture was taken on the day we got Samantha.  Gretchen had been an only dog for about half a year.   Samantha had no problem warming up to Gretchen, but Gretchen kept looking at us with a "I didn't sign off on this" look.   They were the odd couple, but in the end, they were the best of friends - to each other and to me.   I miss them so much!

O Christmas Tree

I find having a real Christmas tree very similar to living in Chicago - I had a childhood without it and didn't feel deprived at all, but now that I've experienced it, I will never go back to the other way of life.

Anyhow.   Christmas season is upon us!!  My favorite part of it is gift wrapping.  Just sayin'.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I've noticed a lot of people list Thanksgiving as their favorite holiday.  Maybe it's because a) I'm not a turkey and 2) I've never had to cook one, but I totally agree!  It's nice, quiet, low pressure, and delicious. And, for the first time in a long time, I will have the day off work afterward without having to take a vacation day.   That is something for which I am truly thankful.

Anyhow - I am on board with having Thanksgiving as a favorite holiday.  I am thankful for you, dear blog readers, amongst many other things.  Have a great Thanksgiving, all!

Classmates.com

All this talk about Alumni Junction in my previous post raised a question for me - does anyone out there actually use classmates.com?  I don't know of anyone.  I am sure it is a reputable business.  I remember seeing a headline from The Onion which went something like "No One Has The Heart to Tell the Classmates.com People About Facebook".  I think that pretty much said it all.  Does anyone use it?  How does it compare against facebook?  Is there anything better or worthwhile about it?  I think it was, at one point, a great idea, but even if it has some selling points on facebook, it loses out on lack of participants alone.   One can reach many more old classmates on facebook.

Anyhow.  I am not trying to trash classmates.com because I know nothing about it (semi-disclaimer).  I am just curious if that's pretty much a universal sentiment....

An Angle....

So recently, I read a post by another blogger (I don't have it handy :-() about how hard it is to find an identity for one's blog - does one blog about a certain topic, or just topics as they come to mind?  Does one's blog have to be about something?  What is this blog about?  (I somehow, in some weird way, think of the 'what are we?' relationship talk when I think about this matter...I imagine myself asking my blog 'what, exactly, are you about?').  Anyhow.  As my long-term readers know, I have explored this identity crisis for my blog for a long time.  I have never really come to a conclusion...until now.  After 3+years....

Drumroll, please....

This blog is about personal relationships (not necessarily romantic) and human behavior.  Not every post, obviously, will be on this track - but I will try to have at least one a week on these matters.

Drop The Charges!

So, since I am single, a lot of my non-single friends like to try to set me up.  Today, I was at a good friend's house.  She mentioned that she thought one of her fiance's friends was a great guy and perhaps he and I might hit it off.  Her fiance was hanging out with him at said moment.

Later in the day, her fiance walked through the door.

My friend:  Hey honey, how's Derek doing?  (She winks in my direction.)
Fiance:  Oh, he's great.  He's really happy he was able to get the charges lessened....

In case you are wondering - no, it is not possible for that to mean anything else than what one might think it does.

Have my friends dropped the bar on their standards for me?  I was told that, despite this, he's a great guy, and he'll be at their wedding, so I'll definitely get to meet him!!

Translation

So one of my good friends is on a dating site.  She recently received an email that went something like this:

Hi there! How is your day going? You have some great pictures on your
profile. How recent are they?
Well I hope your week is going well...


She was wondering what 'great pictures....how recent are they?' means.  We both translated this to mean 'did you gain weight since they have been taken?'


Please let us know of what you might think said email means.

Bad Grammar

This amused me. 

Rough Day

My 15 year-old puppy Samantha passed yesterday.  She fought until the very end.   She went to join her big sister, Gretchen, who we lost 3 years ago.  I always felt bad because Samantha was in the hospital when we lost Gretchen, so when Sam came home, Gretchen was mysteriously gone.  I feel like she must have always been confused about where she went.  Samantha was very tough - I think the first picture captures that well - she ripped into that Christmas present like it was her job.  In her final days she needed room service - as shown by the second picture.  Poor girl.  She was suffering at the end, but she lived a good life.  We just all have to miss her forever now.

RIP.

Kangoooo!!

Has anyone seen this workout craze?  I guess it's called Kangoo jumps...or the shoes are called Kangoo jumps...I'm not really sure.  I saw it happening at my dance studio - that's all I know.  I can't mock it too much:

a)  It looks like a pretty good workout and
2)  It looks like a lot of fun

However, it also doesn't look like something for the clumsy/anxious/accident prone - I'm not going to lie, I saw some slipping and falling.  However, if these ridiculous shoes and classes are decently cheap, I wouldn't mind trying this crazy absurd workout tactic.  Anyone else out there tried this?  Did you like it?  Did you stay on your feet?  Your thoughts?

Bad Crazy Vs. Good Crazy

So, as some of my regular readers know, I like to follow the antics of Paula Abdul on occasion for my own personal entertainment.  Recently, she was interviewed in Glamour magazine.   If you will - a tiny excerpt:

Do look for a way past "no".  My first audition to become a Laker Girl was a cattle call and no one even saw me.  i got cut immediately, but I sneaked into another room, changed my leotard, put on brighter tights and changed my hair.  Then I went back in and used my middle name - and I got it!

Needless to say - I find this story a little crazy - but GOOD crazy.  Perhaps there's a fine line between bad crazy and good crazy.  And this woman toes said line quite often.  However, I enjoy something about this story - in fact, I might feel a twinge inspired.  The next time I don't get a job or something of the like, maybe I'll send in a resume under another name.  Rock on, Ms. Abdul!

What's The Deal With Alumni Junction?

So I periodically get emails from 'Alumni Junction' that my high school classmates have posted messages for me on their site.  It is specific classmates by name that I remember, but either a) it's someone I've never spoke to, so I highly doubt he or she is contacting me or b) it's someone who could contact me on facebook, so why is he or she writing me on a random site instead?

Anyhow.  I keep getting these emails.  I went to their site.  I know these 'messages from my classmates' must by lies.  I attempted to login - I clicked 'forgot password'.  It emailed me my 'password'.  Let's just say I'm, for better or worse, too much of a creature of habit - this is not a password I'd choose.  I found it odd that it sent me a password, instead of telling me to create a login/account.  As I started to think about it, I had no recollection of ever being at the site and creating an account (not that it is something so noteworthy that it'd stick out in my mind, but still).

I know there is some kind of sham here.  I am not sure what, exactly, and I do not want this blog to be sued for libel.  So, I do not have any hard evidence, nor am I making a direct accusation, but something seems off.  Does anyone know anything about alumni junction?  I did a brief google and I found someone discussing, on his own blog, in relation to his upcoming high school reunion, that he directly spoke to someone who 'posted a message to him on alumni junction' and she directly told him that she had not.   Your thoughts?  Anyone have more information?  Any alumni junction users out there? 

All That Is Wrong With America

This product.  It exists.  The NAME of it.  The HOLE in the back!?  Seriously!?  It's bad enough that someone thought to make this product - that he or she thought there'd be a market for it here in America.  Is anyone buying it?  I hope not.  The Snuggie was bad enough.

My Halloween Costume

Kate Middleton.  Not on her wedding day, when that bitch Pippa stole the show.  On the day when she wore that blue dress when she got all that publicity for finally getting engaged.  

How Old Is Too Old To Trick-or-Treat?

My mom told me to today that she had a trick-or-treater in the 20+ crowd today.  My mom felt she was too old to be trick-or-treating.

I remember when I was around 8, my mom commented that the our neighbor (a different one) was trick-or-treating as an 8th grader - she felt this was too old.  I made sure to make her eat these words.  I think I trick-or-treated at the beginning of high school - and I know plenty of my peers did.  I overheard some people talking today about trick-or-treating in college.

What are your thoughts?  How old is too old?

Outdated?

Two things I saw today.

1)  Phone cards
2)  Physical pictures, developed at Walgreens from a disposable camera

I did not know these things still existed.  I did not know people still used said things.  Did you?

Going Places Alone

So, as all my readers who know me know, I am the single gal living in Chicago.  This coming weekend is Halloween (observed).

A friend of mine who is not part of my usual circle is hosting a party and, well, facebook-invited me.  I really like said friend and would like to see her apartment, meet her boyfriend, meet her other friends, etc.  Hey, fresh meat!

It just so happens that the handful of people she and I mutually know have prior engagements.  This means yours truly will be showing up at the party solo.  This is fine by me - like I said, I know the host.  She is a nice person, so I assume she will have some other friends at the event that are nice people.  If, for some reason, it gets really awkward or I have no one to talk to or some issue, I will leave - I don't plan on staying long anyway.

I pride myself on being an independent person, so I am fine with going places alone.  Recently, there was a good friend's surprise birthday party with a similiar circumstance.  The three people I was friends with - the birthday boy, his girlfriend, and his sister were all out to dinner, so I showed up at the bar beforehand, alone, and spent about an hour/hour and a half with his random friends - all nice friendly people.

This leaves me wondering two things.  1)  Is this normal?  Do other people feel ok showing up at bars/parties/various places alone?   Am I in the minority, or is this completely and totally normal?   I know back in high school and even college, I would not have felt ok showing up anywhere alone. And, if my readers remember correctly, I, for some reason, did not feel safe showing up at my high school reunion alone.  Anyhow.

Secondly - is there something weird about a person who shows up alone to other people?  Again, I know back in high school/college, there would have been some stigma attached.  Is that still the case?  As Carrie Bradshaw would claim - singles' discrimination!  (SINGLES AT THE COUNTER!)  Is that one of the greatest perks of dating someone?  Having someone to drag to all kinds of events?  I swear, once, someone dated me simply for the reason that he wanted me to accompany him to 'girlfriend' stuff.   I digress.

Anyhow.  What's your personal policy on people who go places alone?  Is it normal, or is there some stigma attached?  Do you go places alone?  Your thoughts?

Update on Lee DeWyze

In case anyone cares....

And I'm guessing you all don't...

This coming November, I will be attending a wedding.

No, not HIS wedding, despite the fact that the word on the street is he's engaged.  Anyhow.

It's my friend Laura's wedding.  Her family is active in St. James' Church, where Lee went to middle school.  In short - Lee's mother will be at said wedding.  I'm hoping Lee will make an appearance, and maybe sing a song.  I need to work out these details with Laura.  But if that doesn't happen - hopefully I can have a cocktail will Mrs. DeWyze, if nothing else.  

Irony Alert

The other day, I was discussing Sex and the City with a good friend.  I made reference to this quote:

Carrie Bradshaw:  We are so over, we need a new word for over.

She says this to Big.

In season 3.

Yep.

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That leads me to a question - whenever someone declares she is "so done with 'xyz'", is it EVER true?!  The fact that the person is consciously making a statement on the matter is very telling, in my opinion.  Remember when Nicole Richie said she was done with Paris Hilton, ending it with the every cryptic 'Paris knows what she's done', then a couple months later they were out shopping together or something?   When is some event or person truly 'over'?  I don't really know, but I do know that when someone is talking about said event or person, they surely aren't yet.  Agree?  Disagree?  Your thoughts?

I Fell in Love...

...with the new grocery store, Mariano's.  I LOVE it.  They say one can't go back to the farm after having seen Paris.  I don't think I can set foot in a Jewel again.  It was like an amusement park.  I even bought a three foot long tube of buttery popcorn and a giant candy apple.

Is this official a sign of getting older?  I am this excited about a grocery store?  Is this a sign I need some more excitement in my life?

Don't judge until you set foot in the place.

Book Club - Love At First Bark

So, as most of my readers know, I am part of a blogging network, and, through said network, a book club. Well, recently, I participated in a group reading for Julie Klam's 'Love at First Bark'.

**Requisite disclaimer:  I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review, but, like everything found on this blog, the opinions expressed in said post are my own.

Anyhow - moving right along.   The author discusses three separate instances in which she went through moderate to great lengths to rescue/foster dogs in need.  She seems like an easy victim to every dog in need that crosses her path, although that certainly isn't a bad quality.  (No judgment.)

Overall, I found the author's writing style to be direct, humorous, and easy to read.  I imagine that Julie Klam, in real life, is one of those people who cracks herself up.  (Again, no judgment.)  Anyhow, I found it to be a quick, pleasant read based on her writing style.

Two of the biggest challenges I found reading this book were a) the reminders of how people, at times, are pointlessly cruel to animals and b) dealing with the fact that my 15 year-old Samantha is struggling.

But I digress.  In short, this was a good, humorous read about the ins and outs of fostering dogs and all the challenges one encounters throughout the process.  I was reminded that it certainly is not easy to save a dog - Klam clearly outlines all the red tape one might face whilst trying to do a good deed.

More discussions on said book to come.  

A Statement that, Nowadays, Holds Meaning....

The other day, I found myself at lunch with a good friend.  I was telling her a story about someone I knew that she didn't know (terribly interesting for her, I'm sure).   I concluded the story with 'I'm not even facebook friends with him!!'

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a significant statement about a relationship (or lack thereof).  

10 Year High School Reunion Recap

So, as most of my readers know, I recently had my high school reunion.  It started off with a slightly embarrassing moment.

So, long story short - there were several events planned, then canceled, then rescheduled, then some people chose to make alternative events happening at different locales at the same time (all whilst I started to ask myself 'wait, what am I about to subject myself to?').  Long story short, I spoke with a real-life friend (not just one of the facebook variety).  We both agreed that we would show up at one of the multiple bar names thrown out, and, worst case scenario, we would sit together and catch up just the two of us, and if that happened, that would be fun in and of itself.

Anyhow.  We both show up at the bar around the same time.  By 'we both showed up at the same time', I arrived, sat in my car in the parking lot and texted/facebooked until said friend showed up.  I don't know why or where this came from, but I felt too self-conscious to walk in alone, even though nowadays I have no problem showing up at an event alone provided I will know at least one person there at some point (I figure if someone thinks I'm the weird girl who showed up alone, well, fuck them).  I don't know where this burst of self-consciousness came from, and I really hate to think that it had something to do with stupid high school insecurities, but anywho, a mere 10 minutes later, my friend is banging on my car window in a dark parking lot (serial killer style) and we're headed in.

We walk up to the hostess.  Since this is our 'unofficial reunion' not at the original meeting spot, we're not sure if there's some formal reservation or any such thing.

Us, to a hostess who looks like a high school student herself:  Uh, we're kinda sorta here for, uhh, maybe, our high school reunion, we're not sure if there's a reservation....
Hostess:  Are you guys here for the Hersey Reunion?
Us:  YES!
Hostess:  Ok, we're still clearing the room out from a previous party, it will be ready shortly!
Us:  Great, will go sit by the bar and talk in the meantime!

So said friend and I are chilling for around half an hour, having a nice catch up chat.  After a short bit, we see said hostess head over to us with a big smile on her face.  "The Hersey Reunion is getting started upstairs - some people are up there already."

Great.  Thanks!  We pay our bill and head on up, excited and curious who might be there.  We reach the top of the stairs.  I immediately search a small crowd for a somewhat familiar face.  I see a large banner:

John Hersey High School Class of  1981 Reunion.

My friend and I are part of the class of 2001.  We were not even BORN in 1981.  Everyone we see in the room, well, looks like a member of the class of 1981.  This hostess thought we belonged in the group?!  This only brought on a bigger series of self-conscious questions than one could expect from a high school reunion.

Have we reached the point of just 'looking old' to anyone in the 18 and younger crowd?  Do my friend and I need botox?  Had this girl just assumed my friend and I had been the ones to stumble upon wealth and, subsequently, had had a lot of botox?

Anyhow.  We then went back down to the main area, feeling painfully dejected, and shortly thereafter stumbled upon a handful of fellow classmates from the class of 2001 and had a very nice brief catch up conversation.  The only thing we were really truly missing were more people.  And maybe some botox.  We are thinking a possible 11 year reunion, since, for some reason, this one just didn't pan out (it wasn't poor planning).   If not, well, apparently, there's always the 30 year....

Deep Fried Butter!

What is that on my fork, you ask?  It's deep fried butter.  And it was, let me tell you, delicious.  Not quite as good as deep fried snickers.  Or, if you're in a savory mood, deep friend bacon.  But it's yummy.  Please disregard the deep fried look on my friend and my faces.  

Has Google Made Trivia Obsolete?

So, regularly, in the morning, I listen to Eric & Kathy.  They usually do something 'trivia-like' (oh, pardon me, 'Mix Morning Mind Bender').  Whenever they ask the question, I always simply think 'if I wanted to participate in this contest, I would simply google the question'.

I remember being at a bar on a trivia night back 3 years ago and the administrators of game made a big deal that iphones MUST BE PUT AWAY or the team would be immediately disqualified.  Granted, it was a large bar with at least ten teams participating, so there probably was some cheating, although, at this point in time, smart phones weren't as prevalent, so there was a good chance that some people in the game didn't have extra special help.

Whenever I find myself on the receiving end of an obscure question and not in some timed/isolated from technology conditions, there is one thing and one thing alone I immediately do - I google it.  I think I can safely say, most of society is with me on this one.

This begs to questions - is there a purpose of trivia contests on the radio/television/newspaper any more? Can't everyone pretty much 'cheat'?  Secondly - at one point in time - there may have been something to knowing some piece of obscure information.  Perhaps it defined a 'true fan' of something.  Perhaps it was some kind of payoff to someone devoting a lot of time/energy/interest to a certain subject.  Is it a blessing and a curse that all kinds of information easily accessible at our fingertips?  Is the concept of trivia pretty much gone?  Are we losing something in this, or is it all for the better?

Let It Be Known....

Yesterday, October 5, 2011, around 7pm, I went to start up my mac.  It would not start.  I tried again.  It didn't work.  It appeared as though the battery was completely drained, although, I remember distinctly that the last time I'd used it, it still had a bit of a charge in it.  That, and despite what battery experts might advise, I never let the charge COMPLETELY run out of the battery, so I knew something was highly unusual.

I think this is what is referred to as 'mourning'.  I gave my mac and iphone a little extra loving.  They needed it.

Continuing to Eat My Veggies....

Yes, that's a yam.

Does anyone know where I can find a marshmallow the size of my pillow?

Does anyone have a good recipe?

A Book, Its Cover....

I got matched up with someone I know in real life on a dating website.

I'll keep it brief.  I don't know him very well, therefore there is definitely room for a margin of error.  He and I went to college together, we have a couple mutual friends but don't know each other personally.

From what I do know, I don't have the highest opinion of his ability to treat others with respect, act maturely, use good judgment, or be kind to girls he dates.

I must say - from his profile....  Never married, no kids, definitely wants kids.  Good education (duh, he went to college with me).  Lucrative career he is passionate about.   Good looking enough.  Feels grateful for his friends and family.  Likes to do volunteer work in his spare time (ok, he laid it on a little thick with this one).   Likes to travel and read.  In other words - he looks like a TOTAL CATCH.

Not that I didn't realize this could happen.  Not that this deception can't happen in real life encounters.  However,  I view it as a friendly reminder - when it comes to online dating, ladies, proceed with caution and don't get too wrapped up in the perfect profile....

How We Met....

So, as a lot of my loyal readers know, my high school reunion came and went this past weekend.  I stopped by.

A cliffnotes version:

I saw a guy I was acquainted with - we had several mutual friends, but never really knew each other too well.  Let's call him Tom, well, cause that's his name.  We started the usual casual banter.

J:  What are you up to these days?
T:  I work in x field, at x company.  I live in Chicago with my fiance.
J:  When is your wedding?
T:  Next weekend.
J:  How long have you and your fiance been together?
T:  A little over two years.
J:  How did you two meet?
T:  On the metra.  She and I were sitting across from each other.  I randomly struck up a conversation with her.  It was the one day I was randomly taking the metra.

Ok, let's assume he's 100% telling the truth and this isn't a cute cover story for eharmony.  I was just, in my mind, wondering if people met like this any more.  I felt like 5-10 years ago, maybe, people pushed themselves to meet speak to strangers this way because it was one of the only ways to meet new people.  However, with the existence of the internet, I wonder if people no longer stepped out of comfort zone in such a way.  I suppose I must say, thank you, Tom, for answering this question.

Does anyone out there sometimes strike up a conversation with an attractive stranger?  Does anyone else have a 'how we met' story like this that has taken place in the past three years?

So True.

Just sayin'.

While We're on the Subject of Random Pictures

Any estimates on what percentage of the 15 & under crowd can correctly identify this object?  

Irony - Juxtaposition

Yes, that's broccoli.  

Shady.

So I have a good friend who is currently single. She decided to try online dating. A man contacted her. They started having the typical brief get-to-know you chatter. He asks her for a picture to see what she looks like. She asks him for an email address. He gives it. Naturally, she logs in to Facebook and runs a search. A public profile immediately pops up, with a recognizable picture.

Drumroll please....

He has a girlfriend. His default profile pic is him and her. It's clear that he's logged in recently.

First off - what's with the shady guys?!  Is he just shady because he can be?  If he's not happy with his gf, why not just break up with her?  And if he wants to argue he can't break up with her for some reason, how is mistreating her better, or at least, justified?

Second off - and more importantly - the question came up:  should she contact the girlfriend and tell her? Most people would say no.  Mind one's own business.  There's no way she'll believe a random person over her own boyfriend.  He'll just say he's never met or heard of my friend, and my friend will seem like the psycho.  However, is there some good samaritan obligation here - this poor girl is wasting her time and giving herself to this shady guy - shouldn't my friend warn her?  Also, I do know some people who have been in relationships where there was shadiness the entire duration and when it was over, the question of 'How could I waste so much of my time on this person?  Why didn't anyone say something to me?' came up.  Also, although my friend probably won't have enough credibility in this random girl's eyes, she will probably raise some questions that might lead this girl to further investigate and discover the truth.  That, and it bothers me that shady guys can exist - I believe there's an expression - men like this can exist in this world when good women do nothing.

Your thoughts?  Should my friend cold call this girlfriend?  Will it do any good?  What would you do in her situation?  Why are there all these shady guys all of a sudden?  Have they always existed?  Is it because the internet makes it easier?  Or does the internet make things more difficult because of facebook, etc.?

A Bra for a Gal Like Me.

Another company that does a good job of making bras for small-busted women - Gap/Gap Body.

Some people might think that if one just 'shrinks', or makes a bra designed for a larger-busted girl in a smaller size, everything would work just fine.  If someone just took a bra designed for me and 'made it bigger', if you will, would it be the right design/fit/and most importantly - support - for a larger-busted girl?!

I rest my case.  

Some Thoughts on Paula Abdul

She's really pretty.

She might be batshit crazy.  But she's really pretty.  I hope she gets it together. 

Crazy Noise on Fox

Ok, last week I posted about the annoying, cell phone-esque noise during the Emmy's.  Apparently, it wasn't just an Emmy's thing.  One of my other readers noticed it during an episode of Glee.  It's now going strong during Sunday football.  I read on facebook that tons of other people notice it, and that it was also noticed during other shows (Fringe was the one referenced).  It apparently isn't every Fox show, because it was absent during The X Factor.

Ok - two questions:

1)  What is it?

2)  It's all over facebook/twitter.   Mind you, there has to be some Fox employee somewhere watching the shows as they air, I am assuming.   Or, at the very least, there must be some PR person keeping a watch on social networks...my point being- it's been a week of this nonsense - FOX has to be aware of it at this point.  Why can't they make it go away?  Is it some bizarro glitch they can't fix?  Is it, as someone suggested, an attempt at a subliminal message?  Are they trying to force me to vote republican?  Will it work?

Ok, that was was more than two questions.  Sorry, my readers.  Your thoughts?

Does Everything Happen for a Reason?

So earlier today, I was supposed to go to the dentist at 9:30.  I worked from home to accommodate this.  So I'm in my car, running right on time (for one of the first times in my life, mind you).

All of a sudden, I hear an unusual, consistent noise.  It sounds like something may have gotten wrapped around one of my wheels or something.  I hope whatever it is can free itself.  As I continue on for a block, said noise continues.  I pull over to the side of the road, ironically right across the street from an auto-body shop.  I check the wheels.  I check underneath my car.  There's something long and silver, in the middle of my car's underbelly, that's dragging.  As you can tell, I'm a car expert, so I know the exact part.

So, I'm feeling pretty dumbfounded about what to do.  I know nothing about cars.  I don't have triple A.  Is it safe to drive a car with a metal part dragging?  I was guessing the answer to that is no.  It would appear someone would have to seriously get underneath the car or lift the car up to fix it.  Well, I'm a little nervous.  Since I have no idea what to do from here, I call the dentist to tell them I'm going to be late.  They tell me to do what I can, but they can't promise they can keep my appointment if I'm too late.  The least of my worries.

Anyhow.  I happen to be across the street from a car dealership with an auto-body repair shop attached.  Again, I wasn't sure what to do - could I safely drive my car back to my apt if I didn't want their service?  What were my choices?  I had no idea what to do.  I figured I'd go in and ask if they knew what was wrong with my car and start from there.  They seem to have already seen my troubles through the window and are mildly amused.  They know exactly what's wrong.  Something (they named it) became disconnected.  They could reconnect it for me.  What does it cost?  Don't worry about it.  So, 30 minutes later,  I was all fixed up.  I called the dentist.  Unfortunately, I lost my appointment, but I couldn't be too upset based on the kindness of strangers.  My dentist's office said he could take me at 2:30.  Since I was working from home, this worked.  Again, the whole circumstance was mildly inconvenient, but I couldn't be too upset because it obviously could have been much worse.

Now, this leads me to the question - why do random things like this happen?  Granted, this isn't cut from the same cloth of 'why do bad things happen to good people', but just plain why - what was the point of this?  I know many people would say there isn't any profound meaning to something like this (and that's usually where I am on things), but I know there are also people who believe everything happens for a reason and perhaps this car malfunction saved me from some impending car accident up ahead near the dentist's office or perhaps a car malfunction at a more inconvenient time in a dangerous neighborhood or something.  Your thoughts?  Do you believe things happen for a reason?

Committed to my Blog

So, as I touched on earlier - one of the biggest challenges of being a blogger is coming up with material on a regular basis and consistently posting.  Most blogs don't last more than 6 months to a year.  

I am not one to not own up to something.  This blog has suffered lately - partially out of my busyness (not an acceptable excuse), partially out of a lack of material (again, a good writer will tell you there's no such thing as writer's block - just work through it).  I have noticed my blog has suffered in other respects - complaints from regular readers and fewer comments, to name a few.  I am not happy about this.

Anyhow.  I remember in 6th grade, there was a poster in my homeroom:  Don't make excuses, make improvements.

Since this has been a somewhat consistent problem, I have decided to put forth more effort to fixing it.  I am going to try to make more physical notes on things in life that are worthy of a blog post.  And, more importantly - I have put blogging on my calendar.  I am carving out several times a week dedicated to addressing this blog.  Blogging used to be something I did for fun - I remember times I was rushing home because I had such a great post idea in mind.  Now I am working it into my schedule, homework-style.  I feel like I am part of a married couple that has scheduled sex.  Dear married readers - believe you me, I will not judge you right now.

Do any of my fellow bloggers have similar problems?  How have you gone about combatting them? Your thoughts?  

Get ready for a better, more improved blog.  I'll be back, stronger than before.

Old Faithfull

So, recently I was cleaning out my closet.  Every time I decide to go through and pare down the wardrobe (out with the old, in with the new), the above sweater seems to make the cut to stay.

It's a simple, plain black cardigan sweater from Express.  It has no holes.  There is no logical reason to get rid of it.  I would probably have to go spend money on a new solid black cardigan sweater.  What would be the point of that?!

I was thinking back to when I first got this.  Drumroll please....  Sophomore year of high school.  It is from the days of when Express used slashy sizes (remember?!  1/2, 3/4, 5/6, etc.)  I have owned this sweater for...almost half my life.  It's coming up on being with me half my life.  And, as I've already established - there is no end in site for our relationship.  How long will our love last?!

Anyhow.   Does anyone see a reason to give this gem away?  Does anyone else have long-term clothing relationships?  Is it a very basic piece or more of a statement item?!  I used to give away 'statement items' fairly quickly because I felt it was easier to get tired of wearing them or they went out of style quickly.  I don't regret the extra closet space, but there are some quirky items I wish I still had, just for the fun of it (gold leather pants, I am looking in your direction).  

Is He Crazy?

So, as my readers know, I am part of a brilliant blog network.  One of my fellow bloggers raised an interesting point.  Basically, the question is if his exes are crazy, is he too?

Now, don't get me wrong, I know firsthand that there are PLENTY of crazy women out there.  However, whenever a guy tells me his ex-gf is crazy, I default to blaming him for either a) doing something to piss her off, and she reacted with the normal human emotion of anger or b) having bad judgment in partners (which then opens the can of worms of 'does he have bad judgment in general? does he not have a keen sense of the obvious? etc., etc.)

What are your thoughts?  When a guy says his ex is crazy, do you take it at face value, or somehow place some of the blame on him like I do?  What if there's more than one crazy ex?  Is this red flag of the year?  Did he then pick you cause he's in a pattern of picking, well, crazies?  Has anyone out there dated a guy with a 'crazy ex' who turned out to be totally normal?   Do normal, functioning members of society sometimes just go crazy on a dime, or did they always have it in them in the first place?!

Emmy Recap.

There is only one thing I want to say on the subject on this past Emmys.  It has nothing to do with the winners, the losers, the host, anyone's dress, etc.

What the F was that random recurring background noise?!  It drove me f'ing NUTS.  It sounded like a cell phone alarm (eh er eh eh), only it NEVER stopped.  I know it had to be coming from the tv - when I turned it off or put it on silent, it went away.  I know, per a facebook post, that I was not the only one who heard this.  What WAS that?!  Does anyone know?  I'm not going to ask if anyone else heard it - I KNOW I'm not alone!!!

What is it?

What, exactly, is it?  I'm not talking the candle, or the crisco.  The yellow, vegetable-like thing.  Half of me think it looks like a flying saucer.  The other half thinks it's like giant yellow mushroom without a stem.  

Your thoughts, jury?

Full Moon

So, tonight is a full moon.

I know someone - a sane, logical person - who works in a hospital.  She claims that she knows when it's a full moon - strange things happen in the hospital, people come in with bizarre injuries, there's general odd/erratic behavior.  She also claims that one can ask anyone who works in a hospital - she's not alone in this line of thought.

Not that I necessarily think this blog has the market cornered on hospital employees, but I'm curious, dear readers - does anyone out there agree with this theory?  Does anyone else notice odd occurrences surrounding a full moon?  Are there any other lines of work that are affected by lunar cycles?  Or, instead, has someone just yanked my chain?  Is gullible really not in the dictionary?

Your thoughts?

You Like?

You know what I find funny?  When I run into an acquaintance with which I have a facebook friendship, and they randomly mention to me 'oh, I liked you facebook status the other day about (...)'

It always makes me wonder 'if you noticed it, and you liked it, well then, why didn't you, well, 'LIKE' it?'  That, and why are you, if you will, 'commenting on my status' in real life?  Why didn't you do it on facebook?  It's not that they didn't like or comment on my status, it's more that they, apparently, wanted to but, for some unknown reason, refrained.  Please, dear facebook friends, don't be shy.  Don't hold back.  I don't bite.  I will like your comments.  Even if I don't officially 'like' them.

Dear fellow facebookers - why are we sometimes like/comment shy?   Dear blog readers - if you are, at all, tempted to comment or like something on this blog some point - PLEASE don't hold back.  Please go with it.   I say this, that is, until I receive some hate mail.  Please hold off on that.  Maybe.  

J'aime.

It appears that I should move to France.  

(This is their Facebook like button.)

Are Men @ssholes?

According to glamour magazine, roughly 16% of men are assholes (their words).

Even though the whole article doesn't seem all that scientific, I could see this being accurate.

Here's the signs that a guy may be an asshole:
1)  He only wants sex
2)  He's a chronic drunk dialer
3)  He texts and bails
4)  You're always making excuses for him
5)  He makes you feel like crap

Now, in the spirit of protecting the guilty, I can think of at least one person's boyfriend who has an, ahem, perfect score on this.  I think #4 is especially true.  If one has to tell others that her guy is not all that bad, that pretty much says it all.  I can think of a couple friends, even, who might complain about their guys about little things and, ultimately, I think their guys are better than they get credit for.  However, whenever a friend goes out of her way to point out that her boyfriend is wonderful, I know that's the first immediate red flag.  I never trust anyone who goes out of her way to point out how spectacular her boyfriend/relationship is or how incredibly happy she is.  Generally speaking, I think people who are nitpicking and complaining about little petty things are oftentimes in the ones sitting in the most enviable positions (both in relationships and in life) .  Tanget.  Anyhow.

Agree or disagree with this list?  Agree or disagree with this percentage of less than favorable men?  Anyone feel she's met all 16% of them?  

The Most Important Thing I Learned From Being a Waitress.

So, as most of my readers know, I worked at the fine establishment best known as 'Chili's' for around 4 years.  It was quite the life learning experience, as many people believe working waiting tables is.  I can tell you, for me, there was one distinct lesson.

Now, let's take out the fact that there are plenty of variables that can affect one's tip - financial situations, cheapassedness, obnoxiousness, stupidity, lack of basic math skills, etc.  Let's say, hypothetically speaking, a tip is a direct reflection of what one thinks of the service he or she was provided (even though, at times, there are other factors).

The biggest lesson, I found, was that sometimes, I was very very wrong at guestimating what people thought of me.  Sometimes I felt like I was having a great time with a table and then didn't get a good tip.  Sometimes I worked with some very cut and dry folks who left me over 20%.  Most tables were predictable; however, there were always a few curveballs.

One thing that I sometimes found hard to deal with was when it appeared that some table liked me but the tip the left didn't reflect that.  It wasn't the couple of dollars, but rather, the insult.  Sometimes one of the biggest surprises was thinking that someone liked me and then realizing I was wrong.   Granted, it never really had any real impact on my life when someone I waited on didn't like me, sometimes it was just a minor surprise that kept me on my toes.

Anyone else have a shocking moment when it seemed like someone liked you, but then you realized you were sorely wrong?  I suppose these moments could potentially happen all the time (job interviews, dating, etc.).  Granted, when waiting tables, it's easy to quickly put these moments behind oneself and move on - sometimes in other aspects of one's life, it's hard to deal with when someone doesn't feel the way he or she initially appeared to feel.  Anyone out there know how to best handle it when she realizes she is wrong about how someone feels about her?   

A Thought....

Mr. DeJa-Wink

So, as quite a few of my readers know, I was on match.com for a while.  I quit recently, not because I'm madly in love with the man of my dreams, but because I've been really busy lately with my new job, etc., so I just felt like I wasn't logging on enough and 'getting my money's worth', if you will.  I may try again at a later 'date'.

Anyhow.

I did, of course, get a couple interesting experiences/stories out of it.

I think my best one is Mr. DeJa Wink.  We will call him Joe.  Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Ok.  So it's early June.  I am new to match.  He winks.  He looks decent.  I wink back.  He sends me the standard generic first email (Hi!  You look interesting.  How was your weekend?  I live in this area.  I work in this area.  Where do you usually hang out?  Hope to hear back from you!)  I replied.

I never heard from him again.  No big deal.  I figured he started dating some other girl or something.

Anyhow.  Then, two months later....

I see he views my profile.  Then he winks.  Uh...  Does he not recognize me?  Is our relationship already moving backward?   I thought we were at the email stage already....

Anyhow, to further entertain where this might go, I winked back.   He then writes me virtually the same introductory email.  Thanks to gmail, I checked that it wasn't the EXACT same email (in which case I'd think he'd just be firing off a copy/paste), but it was pretty much a 'Hey, I'm Joe...hope to hear from you!)  I wrote him back virtually the same email.  He then emails me again.

At this point, he's being pretty nice/polite, and I'm starting to think 'is it really that big of a deal that he doesn't remember me?  it's not like we actually went out or even spoke on the phone...there's a ton of people on here, it's a reasonable mistake....'

Anyhow.  He suggests we get together.  Sure.  When am I free?  Next Monday or Wednesday would be good.  Which day is better for me?  Monday.  He then suggests a nice Irish bar.  Sounds good to me - what time?  Would 8 work for  him?  At this point, it has reached Sunday night.  He replies 'Yes, 8 is good.  We're talking about Wednesday, right?'

Umm, no.  And if he were to look down through the emails which automatically show up in the chain, for just one second, he would have seen it.  Again, not a huge deal, just kind of weird.  So, sigh, I replied 'Wednesday is fine.'

Then I ran it by the jury.  My friend Jeannine stepped up and played the voice of reason.  'This guy sounds really dumb.  He doesn't remember talking to you, he doesn't know what day you're getting together....'

Now, under normal circumstances, since this guy seemed like he was a decent person, I would have gone out and had two beers with him, then made the ultimate judgment call.  However, a combination of me being pretty busy/exhausted and me thinking 'this guy clearly isn't my soulmate, I'm not going to fall in love with him, best case scenario is I won't feel like I totally wasted two hours of my life, and right now that's looking a little slim' lead me to politely canceling.  I was kind of vague and said something came up, I wouldn't be available that night.  I was curious if he would try to reschedule.  He didn't.  I doubt I'll ever hear from him again.  Unless, of course, I rejoin match and he winks again.