Skirt or Belt?

I, very officially, feel like an old person on this one.  I'm one step away from yelling at kids to stay off my lawn and turn the music down.

That being said - I was shopping this weekend.  I went into Abercrombie (yes, I know).  I was curious what they carry these days.  I saw the above.  

It's a skirt.  I, too, was a little confused.  Now, I'm not necessarily all about dressing modestly.  I'm not bothered by teenage girls in half-tops or short shorts.  However, this, in my mind, is a step across the line.  And, if the person wearing this isn't a teenager - well that's even worse!  

But serious now.  How does one wear this?   How does one, ahem, bend over (even slightly)?  It literally looks like a belt?

I'd like to think fashion wasn't so bad when I was younger.  And I'd also think that, when I was younger, I would have had the good judgment not to buy this or try to wear it.  I really really hope so.  

P.S.  Comment on the '30% off' irony.

A Pre-Date Googling, Part 1

So I read this very interesting article in April's Glamour magazine about the dangers of pre-date googling.

It probably won't surprise my readers to learn that I'm a pretty big offender on this front.  Knowing myself, this probably isn't going to stop me.

Basically, this article stated that it takes out the organic element of getting to know a person.  We make too many assumptions based on what we find online.  One of the points they brought up is we might find 'deal breakers' online that we would normally excuse in real life because either there might be some  additional explanation, or the real-life chemistry might be so strong that this becomes irrelevant.

However.  I, like almost all single people in Chicago, am on a little site called 'OKCupid'.  For those not familiar, there's the standard profile portion, plus an unlimited amount of questions one can answer about him/herself on sex, values, religion, etc.  One can answer the questions him or herself, then answer what one deems 'acceptable answers' from a potential mate, and whether or not one deems this question important.

When I filled out said dating site profile, I answered a TON of questions.  This, in theory, helps better match me to those similar.  Now, let me tell you, for almost every guy I have encountered on said site, I have seen some question that I didn't like the answer to.  Some question that I felt I could cut a guy on.    (Are you happy with your life? What are your feelings on group sex?  Is it ok to date someone already in a relationship, if no one else finds out?  How often do you do things out of spite?)

However, as I did this, I thought about two important facts.   Perhaps I was inferring too much on a guy's character based on a bad answer (he couldn't be attracted to someone whose body-type wasn't right?  this must mean he's superficial, or a workout fiend!).  Or, more likely, if I'd met this guy in person, these questions most likely wouldn't have come up in conversation on the first couple dates, so would I have dated this person anyway?  Would I possibly end up in a serious relationship with this person?  And more importantly, how many people out there do I think I know that might, in secret, have these weird-ass inappropriate (per my standards) answers to these burning questions?

Your thoughts?  Do you judge people on what you find out about them online?  Does anyone else on OKCupid feel she (or he) could cut practically everyone based on these questions?!

Happy Birthday, Now Come Buy Something

So, as my readers know, my 30th birthday has come and gone.  Eeek.

Something I noticed this year (beside the greetings on all forms of social media):

It started mid-March.  A store I frequent sent me a card - Happy Birthday, Jaime - please enjoy an additional $5 off the next $25 you spend.

Then the emails started.  Happy birthday - enjoy 10% any item in the next 90 days.  Enjoy $10 your next purchase during the month of your birthday.  Enjoy 25% off at checkout - enter code 'birthdaygirl'.

Everyone does a birthday coupon these days.  Which is, in theory, genius.  Because we all feel like we're getting a treat.  Only, we have to spend money to receive said treat, and it might be money we weren't planning on spending in the first place.  And, is a part of this preying on our vulnerable emotional side?  Maybe we're feeling a little sad, getting older and all, then all of a sudden we get a message from an old 'friend' (or store), and suddenly we want to go feel the love?  They wished us a happy birthday, it made us feel good for a bit, so maybe it's ok to go spend a little something on ourselves there.  Ok, maybe I'm being cynical here.

Have too many places adopted this practice?  Is it becoming white noise (i.e. daily deals)?  It's starting to feel that way.

Have you all bought yourself a birthday gift with a coupon?  No judgment if so.  I'm curious how successful these efforts are.   I prefer Sephora's free birthday gift.  Just sayin'.

Should I Have Opted for A Polite 'No Thanks'?

Another OKC adventure.

A guy starts messaging me.  He looks nice from his one pic; his profile is a little empty.  His first message is brief, but I decide to give it a chance.  We're talking; it turns out we're in the same line of work.

We start having a nice conversation about that; I then ask him where he likes to hang out.  He starts talking about his neighborhood.  He made the comment that he's had some trouble meeting women in his neighborhood.  Why so, I ask?

"They are all fake and lame."

Well, something about this didn't really sit right with me, and I kind of felt like I was at a crossroads in the conversation with him anyway.  I wasn't really sure if we were hitting it off and had much in common besides the same line of work.  I didn't reply.

I received another message (which I found odd, seeing I hadn't replied yet).

"Would you like to go out sometime?"

I suppose I could have written back a polite 'no thanks'.  I'm bad about that with online dating.

Then another message:

"Happy Easter."

"I know you're busy and all, but I find it hard to believe it could take you that long to type a couple words."

"You can't answer a simple question?"

At this point, I have blocked him.  And I feel confident I have made the right decision.  I'm curious if he's tried to message me again and received some kind of notification that he's blocked.  And I fear the day I randomly run into him at an industry function.

Absolutely Terrifying