A New Way of Life....

So, as most of my readers know, I recently moved. Very recently. As in this past weekend.

Anyhow. That is partially my excuse for not blogging. I had to pack up, move all the stuff to the new apt, clean out the old apartment, unpacking the stuff in the new apartment (well, this hasn't been done yet).

Today was a milestone. Today I got internet, cable, and, for the first time in my life, DVR. I've been told my life will be forever revolutionized.

On the "To Buy" list - plates, bowls, utensils, food, a couch, a rug, a table, a bathmat, a shower curtain...hey, this is my first time living alone.

Anyhow. So far, so good. Pretty soon, I'll be back to my normal blogging habits. Stay tuned.

P.S. A certain unnamed building management company better give me and my roommate at least 90% of our security deposit back...or ELSE.

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella....

So it's raining today in Chicago. This is far from unusual.

Now, I have an umbrella. Usually, it is, ironically, sitting in my apartment or car during the burst of a rainstrom. However, there are times I have it with me at just the right time. However...sometimes, it almost doesn't even seem worth it to get it out of my bag. Does anyone else feel this way? It's not as though an umbrella completely protects a person from water - so unless it's a complete and total downpour, or I have plans to stand outside for a long period of time, the umbrella almost doesn't seem worth it. There's times I've walked to the el with my umbrella in my bag and just didn't take it out. Strangers offered to hold their umbrella over me and I felt like a thug because I had mine, I just wasn't into making the effort of pulling it out of my bag and pressing the little button - exhausting, I know. Maybe I have a faulty umbrella with holes in it or something. Hmm.

Anyone else feel the way I do?

Ahh, Toilet Seat Covers!

Ok - so now, let me ask - what's the deal with the paper toilet seat covers? Do people actually use them?

Well, I ask this because I notice in the public bathrooms at my work, people are using them. I hear the paper rustling.

Now, I'm all about being sanitary, especially in a public bathroom. However - do these really make this 'situation' more sanitary? I feel like one accumulates extra germs by touching and placing the toilet seat covers. Anyhow. Some people clearly make use of these EVERY single trip.

Your thoughts? Is this post too gross? Are you considering unsubscribing from this blog after this post?

A Fine Line?

So there's an old expression that goes 'there's a fine line between love and hate'. I googled it and found some discussion boards, which had some varied responses on the matter. Some people felt there was a fine line between love and like, or dislike and hate, but a large distance between love and hate.

Now, I do believe there's times when we can hate someone without the love component. For example, if, hypothetically speaking, someone were to hit my car and drive away without leaving a note, I would hate that person, but there would be no love to it. That, and I do believe we can hate someone like a coworker or a friend's boyfriend without the fine line. Although, this might be more of a strong dislike than a hate, depending on the situation.

The bottom line, though, is that a person has to CARE to hate someone. However, when it comes to people we at one point cared about - say, a family member, a friend, or a former lover - I do believe this statement rings true loud and clear. Indifference is the opposite of love (and hate, I suppose). I think it's the case for pretty much everyone we hate that we at one point in our lives didn't. I can definitely think of some examples in my own life.

Now, granted, I think that, with most of these people, my hate/dislike for them is legitimate - they betrayed/disappointment me in some way, and that's the basis for it - not just bitterness, as some would infer. However, I think the fact that I cared for them at one point is really what it's about. I think this is where my passionate hatreds lie (not that I have many). If someone you don't expect much from in the first place screws you, there's no shock factor to it, therefore there's no time wasted wondering 'Is there something I did to deserve this? Is there something I could have done differently? How was I so foolish? If only I would have....'

Anyhow. Your thoughts? Is there a fine line between love and hate? Agree or disagree?

For the Sixteenth Time, no, I do not Think You're Obsessive!

As I was surfing the web for reviews and critiques of various ad campaigns to see if my views are in line with the general public, I came across a site that refers to my least favorite campaign as 'the Old Navy dummies'.

He. He. He.

Jerry Seinfeld Raises an Interesting Point

"When you're in your thirties, it's very hard to make a new friend. Whatever the
group is that you've got now, that's who you're going with. You're not
interviewing, you're not looking at any new people, you're not interested in
seeing any applications. They don't know the places. They don't know the food.
They don't know the activities. If I meet a guy in a club on the gym or
some place - I'm sure you're a very nice person, you seem to have a lot of
potential, but we're just not hiring right now.

Of course when you're a kid, you can be friends with anybody. Remember when you were a little kid what were the qualifications? If someone's in front of my house NOW, that's my friend! They're my friend. That's it. Are you a grown up? No. Great! Come on in. Jump up and down on my bed. And if you have anything in common at all, You like Cherry Soda? I like Cherry Soda! We'll be best friends!"

Generally speaking - am I the only one who agrees that making actual, serious friends in adulthood is pretty difficult? Feel free to mock me on this one, but I think I'm not alone. I'm not talking friends as in coworkers, aquaintances, etc., but serious friendships - people you voluntarily see regularly. People a person could call at 4 am. People who would drive you to the airport. People who would help a person move (....).

Anyhow. Is it just me? I feel like it's easy to drift apart/lose touch/have falling outs with people - but is it easy to acquire new people into the group. Also, people live in other parts of the country or are in different stages of their lives, so it's harder to stay close. I feel like I know a lot of people who have claimed they feel like they don't have many friends any more and that their significant other is one of the only people they spend time with. Is it difficult to keep/make friends during adulthood? Are everyone's groups of friends pretty much set? Your thoughts.

Things That Happen on TV but not in Real Life

So anon raised an interesting point. On Clarissa Explains It All, Clarissa's best friend Sam used to frequently enter through her second story bedroom window via a ladder.

This wasn't unique to CEIA. This happened frequently on Saved By The Bell (Zack visiting Jessie, etc.) and Dougie Houser. I know this happened regularly on other shows too - I'm having a bit of trouble thinking of them at the moment. (Please feel free to help me out here.)

I am highly, highly confident this falls into the wonderful category of 'only on tv' (like leaving a man at the altar, running in to stop the wedding, stopping someone from getting on a plane - again, I'm leaving some out, help me out on this one). Please feel free to correct me if you do, indeed, know someone personally who regularly uses a second story window as an entrance in lieu of the front door.

Do these people live in a world where this isn't a safety concern? Hmm, an open window that an adult can easily maneuver in and out of with a ladder propped up in the near vicinity? Yeah, it seems fine to leave it like that unattended at all hours of the day, no worries here. Also, what about window screens? These people clearly lived in communities not only void of burglars but also void of all bugs. Seriously, I'd have liked to have seen the episode of Clarissa Explains it All that took place during cicada season.

That, and did these people not experience winter? I know a lot of TV shows are set in California, but still, there had to be some chilly days, I might imagine. Or at least days of rain. It seemed as though bad weather never struck at an inopportune time. Again, I'm not sure where the show was set, but it clearly wasn't in the Chicagoland area. That window was ALWAYS open. There was never a moment when the ladder flew up and cracked the glass. THAT would have been some 'must see tv'. That, and while we're talking, roughly, children and teens entering through second story windows - were all the parents ok with this? The parents of the children who climbed through the window and the parents who owned the home that contained said window - no one saw a concern of potential damage to the house/a possible broken arm (and maybe a lawsuit to boot)? Again - NOW we're talking must see tv.

Anyhow. Does anyone out there know anyone who actually had a friend who climbed through the window regularly?

Quote From an Email Forward

This quote applies to me a little TOO well....

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

This is why I went private on Facebook.

Moving!!!!

So, as most of my loyal readers know, I am moving. Out on my own. For the first time. Eek! I can't wait!

I know for sure I am painting at least one wall purple. I am not sure what my other color is going to be - I am thinking about maroon, maybe because, for the first time in like 7 years, I won't be living with a Sigma Kappa so I might start going through withdrawals.

Anyhow.

It took me a long time to find the right apartment. I must have looked at practically 10 different units. In the end, I ended up going with the first apartment I looked at - go figure. In the process of finding my new digs, I found that finding the right apartment can be like finding the right man.

--Some that aren't taken aren't taken for a reason
--One must realize that no one would ever be perfect and meet all of her needs
--The questions 'should I take something tolerable or hold out for what I really want' and 'what if I don't find anything better' arose multiple times
--Sometimes, the right one was there the whole time, after all

Anyhow - I'm super excited about this new place. A week and a half from now, I'll probably be complaining about it for one reason or another - again - kind of like with a man. I digress. Pictures of the new apt to come soon.

One of the Google Ads that Came Up....

Geek 2 Geek Dating
A Geek You Can Love is Nearby Meet & date other geeks
www.Gk2gk.com


Should I be offended? Are any of my readers interested in this site?

Agree or Disagree?

Emily raised an interesting point:

(in regards to Clarissa Darling/Melissa Joan Hart)

....she was so much more cuter as a kid than she is now. Same thing happened to stephanie tanner. I had high hopes for those two.

Stephanie, before:



Stephanie, after:



Clarissa, before:



Clarissa, after:



Your thoughts?

Old Navy Mannequins, Part 467

Ok. The Old Navy mannequin commercials are GETTING WORSE. It's like a train wreck, only I have no problem looking away. Pregnant mannequins? Naked mannequins? Mannequins losing body parts? Yuck, yuck and triple yuck.

A lot of people are afraid of clowns. I lump these into the same category. They are nightmare inducing for small children and people like me.

Again, perhaps there is something successful about these commercials because they are noticable, memorable and identifiable for their specific brand. Sometimes bad commercials are great for business. I am curious to see Old Navy's sales reports after this campaign. Does anyone know if Old Navy's sales are up the past couple months? Does anyone ACTUALLY LIKE these commercials? Anyone not hate them? Thoughts? Please discuss....