For a Regularly Contributing Commenter

Happy Birthday Tom!

Recurring Dream...

So for the past two nights in a row, I've had the dream that I was back in senior year of college.  Now, normally for me, the idea of a dream about being back in school and having to deal with classes, tests, etc. is a complete and total nightmare.  Normally I feel very relieved when I wake up from these kind of dreams - it's not that I stressed out about school that much, it just wasn't fun and I was glad when it was over.  However, I felt perfectly at ease and even happy in these dreams (well, senior year of college wasn't the most busy).  

Also, randomly, I can't recall the last time I had a dream about being back in college - perhaps I'd had some the first year after graduating but certainly not recently.  I am curious where these dreams came from and what they mean.  

Funny Stuff?

So a friend of mine recently brought up the point that she'd read somewhere - that guys are intimidated by funny women (kind of in the same sense that they are intimidated by women who make more money than them).  A lot of men will say a 'great sense of humor' is very important to them in the woman they date, but they really mean they want someone who will laugh at their jokes, as opposed to make them laugh.  

I kind of think this is true - not across the board with every guy but generally speaking.  I know there have been some guys I knew briefly who found me to 'not have a sense of humor' (because I didn't find them all that funny and didn't pretend to).  In reality, I think I have a pretty great one.   Also, I tend to be the kind of person who thinks I'm funny and I'm typically the type to be making the jokes - maybe this is one of those 'opposites attract' kind of things - two people who think they're funny don't jive because they are battling for the stage.  

Also, I regularly notice articles and studies saying women want a man who can 'make them laugh' - listing this quality as one of the most important ones a woman looks for in a mate.  For me personally, although of course it is important to find someone who I can laugh and enjoy myself with, I certainly couldn't say I'm specifically looking for 'someone who can make me laugh' - I couldn't even put that quality in my top ten.  

Anyhow, I guess, in short (well, at this point, can I even say that?), my question is this - do many guys pride themselves on being able to make the women in their lives laugh?  Are men intimidated by sarcastic women?  Do sarcastic women need to be with men who don't pride themselves on their ability to make a woman laugh?  

All I know is this - I am sarcastic and like to crack jokes (regardless of whether or not people find me funny at times), and I am not changing for anyone.  I am a feminist - I am not going to pretend to be some weak girl who is going to fawn over and fake laugh at some guy who thinks he is funny.  I have a sense of humor, but I don't humor the men who try to date me.  (However, as stated earlier - I don't really take into consideration whether or not a guy can make me laugh - the quality is not all that important to me.)

Thoughts?

Random...

Loving it, Google!

Black Wednesday

Today is apparently the biggest DUI night of the year.  I suppose that the thought of spending the entire next day with one's extended family sparks calls for desperate measures.  That, and people probably don't plan ahead for today like they do for New Year's Eve, etc., it's more a 'stop for one (or 12) on the way home from work', kind of day.

I am reminded of a time when I was working the lunch shift at Chili's on this day - I believe it was either sophomore or junior year of college and I was working the lunch shift in my hometown, right across the street from my former high school, on a break from college.  

Around 12, a large group of teachers from my high school (some of them my very own former teachers) meandered in (I remembered there was usually a half day of school on this day).  They started as a table of 12 (but kept expanding as the afternoon went on).   

Their server was slightly less than thrilled with them.  They sat for something around four hours (as of when I left, they may have stayed even longer), and they had ordered something over $120 of alcohol (mind you, this was at Chili's - home of the $5 as-big-as-your-head margarita), yet the only food they had was one order of boneless buffalo wings (amongst the however many at that point).  

A group of 12 first graders would have been quieter and better behaved.  The manager went over and asked them to keep it down a couple times.  I remember two of the female teachers standing up and kissing each other on the lips and all the men applauding rowdily.  As I was leaving, the management was contemplating asking them to leave because they were disrupting virtually everyone on their side of the restaurant.  

For some unknown reason, thinking of my former teachers in this disjointed, disruptive, inappropriate state always makes me smile to this day.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

RIP

'...a song for a heart so big, god couldn't let it live....'

My dog - Gretchen Grace Sikora - passed this morning.  She was almost 13 years old (11/28/95-11/25/08).   She was a tricolor Collie.  I will miss her terribly - I do already.  I am a dog person (I realize some of you are not and this is just silly to you), however, she was a longtime best friend to me (even though she lived with my parents).  

No one will ever love me quite like this dog did.  No one will ever think I'm as great as she did.  And that's ok.  From here on out, I will try to be the person she thought I was.     

Psychic?

So, my girlfriends and I have, at times, discussed going to see a psychic as a fun group activity.  We would not be willing to put out any large chunk of cash for it and we would, of course, take things with a grain of salt.  

I am curious - has anyone out there gone to one before?  I had a coworker once who regularly went to one - she used to drop 'my psychic' like 'my hairstylist' or 'my dentist'.  I know some people put a good amount of faith in them.  

However, I do know the typical scams - a lot of time they will put out a very general statement (someone you care about is undergoing a health issue - or - you are currently second-guessing your career choice - or - there is someone close to you with a name that starts with [insert common letter, such as S or T, here]).  

Then a person will say 'well....' and start providing the psychic with some personal information that she can then make some more specific 'predictions' on.   Also, people will often find ways to make the psychic's general statements apply to their own lives - so it will seem more effective than it actually is.

That being said, I am still a little intrigued.  I felt my handwriting analysis (in a previous blog) was pretty accurate and I did not provide her with any information.  Has anyone gone to a (cheap) psychic before?  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Happy Birthday to a near and dear friend - Emily!!   What would I do without Emily?  She introduced me to byobs and blogging (oh, and also Tropico).  I can honestly say I wouldn't have survived, well, you know, without her - we lived through a tragic experience together and are stronger people because of it.  

Em - I know you're reading - I hope you have a good one.  I believe most of my blog readers who haven't met you feel they know you on some level because they often travel over to your blog.  

Bizarro Work Perks, Part Deux

How could I forget this?!?!

So, earlier I mentioned that a good friend of mine works at a company where she and other employees received large turkeys as a 'bonus'.   Well, a mere two years ago, 'said' friend and I worked together at, ahem, another company.  (I have mentioned 'said' company briefly in one post before, other than that I do not speak of it.  Please understand we all have our skeletons.)

Anyhow, at this company, around Thanksgiving, we were rewarded with 'paper' turkeys.  When someone caught someone doing a 'good job', he or she was to color in a blank paper turkey and give it to this person.  This was supposed to make one feel good and rewarded, received a colored-in piece of paper (from ANOTHER ADULT).

Paper turkeys.  Real turkeys.  Some of us move up in the world.  

Say What You Will

Over the next couple days, I am making a point of watching the entire Friends Thanksgiving episode library.  I am not sure which episode is my favorite, although I think there's a frontrunner....

"I love Jacques Cousteau!"

Bizarro Work Perks

So a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless received a 20 lb turkey (!?!?!)  from her company as a Thanksgiving bonus.   Although this is great if one is hosting a Thanksgiving party, I imagine it to be a bit awkward if one already is going by someone else for Thanksgiving - there's suddenly an odd obligation to cook this large bird....  Also, what about vegetarians?

However, I know this is not uncommon.  I get an unlimited supply of free/$1 brand new hardcover books (which I find to be the BEST PERK IN THE WORLD).   That, and I get to sometimes ride the elevator with Richard Roeper.  Oh, not to mention the Jerry Seinfeld Bee Movie meet and greet - that was, as Mastercard would say, priceless.  

Anyone else have any interesting/bizarre work perks?

Gift Cards?

Did anyone else get the e-mail forward warning of companies filing for bankruptcy/closing stores after the first of the year and the dangers of gift cards for these stores not being valid?  I am not going to copy and paste the entire long e-mail here - the previous sentence sums it up.  

I am not too worried - I have already planned or bought most of my Christmas gifts, and for those I haven't figured yet, well, I wasn't planning on a gift card to one of those stores.  If I for some reason receive a gift card to one of those joints, I will simply shop before January 1.  (Maybe I AM paranoid.)

I could always 'snopes' this and see if there's truth to it.  Hmm.  Anyone have any knowledge on this subject?