The Mac Attack

When is enough enough?

2011-01-13T11:31:00.000-08:00

So I've decided that perhaps I'm a bit too connected. I've always been pretty accessible, but as I was just filling out my Yelp profile and then tweeting it (while opting not to FB it), things began looking a little absurd. I remember last month a friend was helping me get in contact with someone about a potential job. In the course of an hour, we communicated in no less than four different ways. He texted me to tell me to get on gchat. So I did and he told me what the details were. Then I called him with a question because I was driving and shouldn't gchat whilst operating a vehicle. Then I emailed him the resume. All of this within an hour. A bit ridiculous, no?

In the wake of this (and other similar incidences) I have since began tweeting regularly, joined and use four-square and just signed up for Yelp. All of this in addition and connection with my usual facebooking.

Since the beginning of the year I have used all of my new-found social media-ness twice in a productive way. Once to meet up with some friends (which the meeting was mostly to say I used social media to get with them) and once to read reviews of a restaurant I was about to go to.

So the question is, how much more connected could I possibly be? And furthermore, do people actually care about what I think or where I am at any given moment? As a media professional I feel like it's literally my job to keep up with all of these things, but I'm interested to see how long all of this lasts, and what the next new thing will be. Not to mention, as a culture, how will the need for constant approval/attention affect the kids growing up in this environment? Are we creating more diva's or are we really contributing to a more global society (instead of the look out for #1 mentality we've seemed to develop here in the States)?

Just something to ponder (and perhaps something to study when I eventually get started on my master's/PhD). How much is too much?

Random thoughts for the day

2010-09-24T16:36:00.001-07:00

Wow.... So much for writing more often... it's been 22 days!!!!! That's like, three weeks and 1 day!!! (Which, incidentally, is exactly one week and one less day then the time I have left before activating SF!!!!!!!!)

Yes, I'm visiting San Fran. You probably know this b/c I won't shut up about it. I'm so excited!!! Have only been to Cali once, and fell in love and am hoping to fall in love all over again! My bestie is coming with me and we're staying with another really good friend that I haven't seen in waaaaaaaaay too long. I even bought a new jacket (and a new dress, but we'll see about the dress....)I would show you a pic of the jacket, but alas I got it from the most glorious website hautelook.com and now can't find a pic :( Perhaps I'll model it once it arrives. But here's the questionable dress!! It's by none other than my most favorite Michael Kors!

Slash now I'm not posting pics b/c I don't think either of my purchases will be here in time for the trip. Oh well!

Also, my store's closing, so you won't be privy to anymore creeper or men in heel stories. Not sure if you should be glad or sad about this.

Luckily, I do have another small freelance gig lined up (that I said I'd do for free, so we'll see what happens) doing something that I actually really love! HOORAY!

But now I have time to do The Stewpot again, and I signed up for a volleyball team. Oh- And I am "training" to run in the Colon Cancer 5k at the end of next month! And by run I mean walk. Maybe some jog. But I'm working on it. GO ME!

Finally, I just learned that in the life of my blog, it's been read in the following countries: US, Canada, Russia, China, the UK, Singapore, Germany, Denmark, Norway and France! I'm quite the global author.

So that's that.

Out of Chaos, Hope

2010-09-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

The tree strewn across the roof of the building was at least three feet in diameter and was balanced so carefully across the roof beams it was almost believable that a giant had placed the tree there. As if he were balancing a matchstick on a house of cards as a mere reminder of his strength. The town beyond the road looked as if no one had lived there for years. Driving along the raised overpass of HWY 10 I could see the hard yellow plastic of McDonald's golden arches flapping in the breeze, serving as an ominous foreground for the scenes of destruction that were just beyond the service road. As a single red truck drove by that Saturday morning, it became apparent how lacking in life the town was. No green trees, only patches of mossy grass, no restaurant signs, no people, no cars, nothing. The scene was hopeless.

Four and a half years later, I can still see Slidell, LA as clearly as I could see the Dallas skyline as I approached my office this morning.

Earlier this week while I enjoyed the comforts of clean sheets and a cozy bed, I watched a special called Witness: Katrina on Nat Geo, and was quickly brought back to my time spent around New Orleans in February following August 2005's hurricane. Just watching the footage shot during and after the hurricane I felt my chest tighten with compassion and sorrow. I knew the people in the videos. I had seen first hand their pain and my heart again wept for them.

As a person who has always been obsessed by hurricanes (and any sort of natural disaster, really), the decision to skip school and camp out in haz-mat tents to do hard manual labor was not really a question for me of if, but rather of when.

(Our camp for the first leg of our stay in Houma, LA. Later we moved to and built our next camp that was used for more volunteers after we left.)

As soon as I heard that my church was one of several putting a group together to go help the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance organization with the demolition or rebuilding of homes destroyed by the hurricane, I signed up and told my professors I would be out for a week. What I didn't sign up for, however, was the rekindling of a lost friendship. Nor did I expect that six months after the hurricane the once thriving suburbs would still be desolate and empty. Literally, void of all life. The thing I did not expect most, though, was to leave as changed as I was.

While in Louisiana, we helped several families to rebuild their lives. They helped me to rebuild my soul. While Katrina represents many things to many people, to me it represents hope. That was, after all, the PDA's motto for their rebuilding efforts: Out of Chaos, Hope. On that trip I learned how to spray for mold. I demolished an entire set of kitchen cabinets with nothing but gloves, a mask, and a sledge hammer. I talked to people who had survived losing all of their possessions in a terrifying flood.

I learned compassion...

...Out of chaos, hope.

I learned that life is not about the possessions you may or may not have, but it is, rather, about the relationships you build...

...Out of chaos, love.

I learned that when opportunities are presented to you, you should take them, because you don't know how incomplete your life might be without the insight they offer...

...Out of chaos, peace.

As with all mission trips I have been on, I am the person who is healed. And so, out of chaos I found hope in humanity. I found love in deepening my relationships. And I found peace with myself.

The 3-0 Deadline. Or: It's not just me.

2010-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, but it's time for a smarticle! Ran across a topic this evening on my favorite blog, The Frisky, and though it hit pretty close to home. People in their 20s are just not ready to be the type of adult that our parents were 30 years ago.

After a bit of research, I found that my feelings of still needing to grow-up are not just arbitrary feelings, but more of an epidemic. Glad to know that despite constantly stressing about living with a family member after earning a college degree and scoring a full-time job, I'm not the only one. And when I obsess at age 26 that there's something wrong with me because I don't feel remotely close to getting married or having children, I find comfort that there's more out there just like me. And not just a handful, it seems.

After reading the New York Times article "What is it about 20?", I feel a bit enlightened (the title of this post links to the original article). Sociologists have studied radical trends emerging in people in their 20s that are immensely different from generations past. We're more likely to move back home while searching for a job. We're also getting married later (26 for women and 28 for men), and having children later than any other generation.

It's nice to know what I deem as self-inadequacies are actually the new societal norm!

But the question is, why this shift to a 30-year childhood that would make Peter Pan jealous? It's not just the economy. This trend of prolonging adolescence has been measured prior to this most recent economic decline. Now granted, we do have the ability to reproduce longer with different things to aid us, so the biological clock can tick a little slower. Or is it that we're living longer, so the natural progression of life stretches to fill the extra years that we're able to tack on?

One of the answers the NYT suggests is that we've been taught not to settle, so why should we? I think this is the answer most relevant to me. My generation is the one where everyone is a winner. Instant gratification is demanded. Perhaps the idea that we want what we want, when we want it, is the culprit of our slowed development. Not to mention we've all been told we're the best, regardless of actual effort or performance. I know that I have been taught that if I dream it, I can achieve it. Hello, own personal heaven. Is that not the mantra we still teach our children? It makes perfect sense, then, that we've been trained to accept nothing but the best. Well, our individualized idea of whatever the best is. And we have developed the tenacity to keep on mucking through mediocrity, awaiting perfection. After all, we expect that just around the corner all our dreams will come true, as long as we show up and take advantage.

I guess it all boils down to this. When will we ever grow up? I vote when we all turn 30... or 35 which apparently is the new 25. That seems to be the magic number. I guess only time will tell! Until then, I'll keep educating myself on the ways of the world to forge ahead and lay my path perfectly so when I do finally become an adult in 4 years, it will be everything I imagined and more. After all, age is nothing but a number!

I live in Legally Blonde, the movie

2010-08-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Well, at least I did today for a few minutes. So I was in the store this evening and we had scheduled a pick-up from UPS. Usually we have the same old UPS guy. He's perfectly nice and we've chatted for a bit, but he's not my cup of tea. He's no Mr. Yes-please, to put it bluntly. (But then again, not many people are. Also, yesterday I failed to mention that Mr. Yes-please was awkwardly buying pants with a pair he owned on his arm, then he bought a second pair, and refused a bag or to hang it up. Perhaps picking up pants on the way to work? wonder what happened to the originals... Irrelevant either way.)

So yes. UPS. We had a pick-up today since some of our spring products are going back to the warehouse to make room for the new fall line. It's always nice to have a pick-up because there's guaranteed interaction on slow nights (which tonight was). But tonight I was in for a treat!! The OTHER UPS guy came to pick up our boxes. The OTHER guy is the hot guy. Similar to Mr. Yes-please, he too could be a movie star! Even my boss admitted that when she passed him in the mall she had to do the see-you-then-promptly-look-down-because-your-beauty-overwhelms-me-a-bit-head-on move.

Yes, I had to look away too, but not after cooly chatting with him as he made small talk and carried the boxes easily on his shoulder. The boxes were filled with old product. Heavy when in numbers product. And Mr. M (as in mmmmmmm!) just picked those boxes up like he was lifting a feather.

But the whole point of this is not to prove that I'm blasted boy-crazy this week, but that I had to seriously contain myself from knocking a pen on the floor, seductively walking over to it in my 4" wedges and saying "WHOOPS" while peering through my abnormally awesome lashes up at Mr. M. Ladies, you all know where my head's at. The Bend-N-Snap. It almost made an appearance. I am wearing my skinniest jean/leggings today. PRIME bend-n-snap attire. I can see it now. He would reach for the pen. I would say, "Ooh.... I've got it" Again, peering through the Dior coated amazingness that fringes my eyes. After a little wink I would extend my right leg in front of me (quite like a prancing horse, come to think of it) until my knee was flattened out, and I would slowly, laboriously bend at the waist to pick up the pen. Arm slowly reaching down the length of my leg, drawing attention to my heels and muscular calf.

He would be riveted as I slowly clasped the pen between my fairly well-maintained manicured fingers. Just when I had his attention, I would quickly upright myself, flashing my Cali-beach waved 'do that I chose today, in an irresistible way where the blonde tendrils would land a bit mussed, as if I've just had a romp in the sheets.

And then I'd fall over from standing up too fast and the moment would be over.

But I feel like this might be the way to start a story of how we met. The Bend-n-snap... works every time! If you want to look a fool! If he comes back, I might give it a go, just to see how someone would react to this... EEPS! Wish me luck and courage, because I feel like this could be the start of a beautiful friendship... based on us laughing at me being a total dork weirdo!

Comic Absurdity or, The Story of My Life

2010-08-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

I want to start this post off by clearly stating that I really love my grandmother, who is my current roomie. She is one of those people who inspires everyone she meets to become a better person. She is kind, caring, non-judgmental, devout in her faith, accepting, giving, the list goes on and on, as those of you who know her can attest to. She really is my role model.

And I say all of the above in a non-sucking-up for what I'm about to say sorta way. She really is awesome and I know how blessed I am to have her in my life. We all are.

So with all those accolades, I do have to say she has some faults, like any human being. And I'm not going to list them online, as that would be rude. But this morning (and both summers that I have been privileged to live with her) she presents me with some questionable logic. This is, of course, regarding the air conditioner.

Now one of my grandmother's greatest strengths is that she is by no means materialistic in the slightest. She knows what really makes people happy, and knows that it is not things. Because of her non-materialism and frugality, she is great at saving. She saves money; recycles all cardboard, glass, metal, etc.; recycles used cooking oil; even saves the broth from cooking veggies to make soups. But the one thing that I cannot understand are her saving tactics when it comes to the blasted air conditioner!

First, she keeps the thermostat set on 78-80 in the summer. Might I remind everyone that I live in Dallas. That's in Texas. Where it's hot. HOT! Like, 105 degrees for days on end hot. I'll give her that she's old and has thin blood, but not all of us are! But that's the price I pay for having such an amazing, generous roomie. I'm hot ALL OF THE TIME when I'm at home. I can get past this, really. (Well, get past it with some complaining to friends and occasional trips to the thermostat before I go to bed... SHH!)

Now here's what I don't get. So please, if someone could explain this to me, it'd be great. She sometimes turns the air off of auto (again, at 78-80 degrees) to run. This means the fan constantly runs to move the air around the vents. Now, she does this to keep it cool while not turning the thermostat down so as to save money on the electric bill. This is faulty logic to me. In Jana-land, it would be more cost effective to run the actual air conditioner a bit more frequently. So here's my equation of electricity used:

24 hours of fan > less than 24 hours of air conditioner being on

I feel like that's a pretty solid equation. But what do I know about air conditioners...

Additionally, this morning she mentioned that the next time we have company, we need to close the air vents to both her room and my room so all the air goes into the part of the house that we're using. Now, this logic makes more sense to me. BUT, will it really make a difference?

Let's say that we have company for 4 hours. Will diverting the air from both of our rooms to the living areas save enough cool air so that we will not have to turn the air down from 78? No... The air will still only be cooled to 78, regardless of amount of air siphoned to other rooms. Thus, we're saving money for 4 hours b/c the air won't have to be on as long? I don't know. I can't think of an equation to help with this one.

FINALLY, as posted on FB, I have a blasted eye infection. Thus, I'm already 10% more irritable than usual. I was able to be squeezed in to the eye doc last week, and was given a joint steroid/antibiotic drop for my good 'ole eye. This directly relates to the air dilemma, just go with me. My drops need to be stored between 59-77 degrees. I CAN'T DO IT! With the thermo set at 78-80, there's no way in Hell that my house will ever reach a frigid 77 degrees. This frustrates me. There is no equation or no solution, just me whining. When storing your eye drops in your own house becomes a problem, there is ample reason for annoyment. At least now, if I go blind, we'll know why.

So that's my rant about the air conditioning. Again, if you can help clear up some of the faulty logic that I just can't wrap my head around, please help! Until then, I'll just be sweating in my room, suffering from dry eye thanks to the fan on high blowing right at my face.

Some cocky reflections

2010-08-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have been called many things in my life. Beast, rude, negative, control-freak, Vajana, the list goes on and on and on. Some things of course stand out, but then there are names I'm sure I have been called that I can't remember at all. With all the name calling that goes on in one's lifetime (or quarter of it), there is one thing that I can say I'm honestly pretty glad I'm called.

Cocky!

I've been told I'm cocky, confident, aggressive, full of myself, and every derivative thereof. But I have to say, I'm proud of myself for that! Of course I have my weaknesses, and there's countless things I wish to improve upon, but for the most part, I'm very content with myself. Overly content is more like it!

But here's why... (And I've said this since High School, so bear with me if you've heard it before)

I am my own biggest fan because, let's face it, most people in the world will tear you down at some point. There are enough people in everyone's life to say bad things about you. To tell you you're not good enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not confident enough, not enough... You name it, I guarantee there is someone who will be all to happy to insult you.

But my philosophy is this... There's enough people in this world to make me feel bad about myself. By George, I refuse to be another of them! There are things I excel at and things that I don't, so you better believe I'm going to toot my own horn when applicable!

So that's that. Yes, I'm cocky. Yes, I'm proud of it. No, I don't think I'll ever change. At least I hope I don't!

Shoe fiasco x 2.5! Or, my near death experiences.

2010-07-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

After 2.5 near death experiences this weekend involving footwear, I'm feeling quite empowered. It's as if I am an evil-fighter in stilettos.

Last night was girls' night out with my favorite female cousin that's in the metroplex and over 21. She had never had a night of debauchery, and I was the lucky soul chosen to "break the seal", if you will, of her life-long sobriety. After stops at Gloria's, Zaza, and several other seedy, glad that I don't know the name of, bars on lower Greenville, I took her to the end-all, be-all of ridiculous night-ending bars.... Zephyrs. After hanging out in the bottle-service section for quite sometime while half of us tried to recover our bearings, we decided that some water and a short trek to the patio would do half of us some good in the impaired vision department.

While cautiously establishing our footing to one of the more isolated tables in the back of the patio, my shoe broke. My most favorite Tory Burch wannabe t-strap sandal broke! The part that connects the t-strap to the sole between my toe just went free. It was emancipated from the bondage of the plastic between my toes to soar high above my foot. While I'm all about liberation from bondage, this was neither the time nor the place. But as with most revolutions, this riot was out of my control.

So across the patio I continued to walk, Queen of Inebriation on my right, broken shoe still fastened around my ankle, sole dragging behind like a ball and chain, and t-strap flapping in the breeze. I nearly fell and broke my neck. Or at the very least, my perfect little nose.

While we walked, I deliberated the second hardest decision of the night (the first being what to order for my cousin). Do I continue to walk barefoot across the patio and risk stepping on a drug needle or worse, a lougi while the sole of my shoe drags behind me much like a dead dog being taken on a walk? Or do I lift my left leg like an over exuberant Clydesdale in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade? I opted for option 2. I have been called horsey a time or two, so I figured there was no better time to not only flash the world as my short skirt betrayed me with each step, but also to live up to the adjective too-often bestowed on me by my mother. Mammal trumped drug needle in this battle.

After the treacherous 20 foot walk, my comrade and I made it to our goal, where I made sure she would not fall over and then removed my pathetic shoe. After we were settled, I told my cousin my plan. "I'm going to the bar to see if they have a stapler or tape."

"You're just going to go up to the bartender and ask him this?" She asked with not just a hint of a laugh in her eye, but with audible guffaws so enormous that she nearly choked on her own amusement.

"Abso-f***ing-lutely I am." I told her, much to her chagrin and continued laughter. She was doubled up at this point, and I sincerely feared that she would be the one with a broken nose, as her face neared the unevenly bricked patio.

Now, life risking moment number 1.5 was upon me. Do I show off my mad hopping skills, and pogo it to the bar (at the entrance of the patio)? Or do I again risk the drug needle/spit-wad scenario avoided earlier? Drug needles and fluid it was. I gingerly stepped over to the bar and asked the bartender if he had a stapler or tape. He promptly said, you'll need to go inside for that. After I hastily held up my shoe and said in my best dead-pan, "My shoe is broken. I'm not walking in a bar barefoot."

Funny how when you tell someone how it is (with a nice tone and smile, of course), duct tape appears. Since duct tape fixes everything, my life was saved. Not to mention, I started a duct tape revolution at the bar as all the guys who had turned to watch me tape my shoe (They suggested I tape my shoe to my foot. Yeah, right! Think about pulling the genius quick-fix off... Ha!) suddenly found that they, too, had something that could be fixed by duct tape, and that now was the perfect time to do it.

Near death #2 happened tonight at the store. First of all, can I just say that wearing my 4" heels to work in retail for 6 hours is not the most genius idea I've ever had? I'd say it's right about on par with last night's suggestions of wrapping duct tape around my foot and shoe to avoid further barefoot drug needle escapades. Thank goodness I had the sense to bring my trusty gold flops, even if they don't really match the shades of gray ensemble.

A customer wanted to try on a pair of shoes that we keep in the back. I went to get them for her, and of course they had to be the top shoe on the top shelf of our tiny storage/office area. In the interest of time, I do what I always do... plant one bare foot in the middle of our little hot pink rolling office chair, and work out my thighs hoisting the rest of myself up. I will say, that I've been told not to do this, but I just can't be bothered with Snapper the ladder during customer crunch time! Not to mention that Snapper earned his name for a reason...

I'm usually pretty dang good at finding my equilibrium when balancing on the rolling trap of death and concussion, so I wasn't concerned at all when I had to reach up a bit higher than normal to grab the appropriate size. Well, I wasn't concerned until I over-compensated too far over to the right. I placed my hand against the wall a bit out of reach to the left, which of course put pressure on the outside of my foot, pushing my bottom half right while my top half was falling left.

For a moment, I looked like a star as one foot was firmly on a chair, the other foot (in the 4" stiletto) sticking out to balance me as far as it would go to the right, and my arms flailing out to catch my balance. As I stretched back into my original one-footed stance, I realized that my flail of horror wasn't over yet. In my attempt to re-position myself, I had thrown off my planted foot, and started falling again!

From the doorway I looked like a giant gray starfish, struggling to breathe when hoisted from the water, attempting a complicated ballet move. Leg to the right, arm to the left. Head held high, body doing the snake, I was falling backwards with just enough space to hit my head on the door as I plummeted to the ground.

Fortunately, my stiletto knew what to do! Spike stayed attached to my leg and thrust himself down into the ground, until I was firmly planted. He didn't bend or break, to my surprise, and within a second I had the shoe attached to my foot firmly back on the ground, and only a mild impact from landing on one tiny stiletto.

I didn't see my life flash before my eyes, just some dust that fell off the shelf as I stirred the air with my flail-for-my-life ballet moves. I never thought that I would be so thrilled to have sore feet from stilettos as I am tonight. Good work, Spike. You've earned your keep!

THEIF!

2010-07-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

EXCITEMENT AT NORTHPARK!

Since my store is indeed a fishbowl of sorts with bright lights and hot pink inside an all glass facade and side wall, I get to see interesting things. Usually the most interesting things include people running into the wall, but not tonight!

On this unbearably slow eve, I saw a security guard acquaintance lead a handcuffed girl to the security office! Dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnn...

What had she done I wondered. Did she pull a knife? Did she try to steal? Did she write 1 too many hot checks?

My answer came about an hour after I watched the aforementioned culprit slink down the hallway. She had tried to STEAL! (Surprise surprise, I do work in a mall...) The question is, what did she try to take?

And the answer? None other than some LVs! This dork tried to steal Louis Vuitton. As if they wouldn't notice... As if they wouldn't have security measures in place to prevent such thievery. I mean, come on. If you want something bad enough where you need to steal it, should you perhaps make sure your plan is foolproof? Amateurs! (Slash I bet she got further stealing then I did since I've never actually tried to take something...)

The Offit

2010-07-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Sedgewick Stanislav, the Offit (Office Hobbit) I dreamt up today at work while chatting with a colleague in my corporate office.

Sedgewick could hear the thunder booming outside of his office building, but he couldn't be bothered to give it a second thought as he lumbered ferociously down the dim hallway. He was at work at the Krag, which meant he of course was on a very important mission and could not afford any delay that weather pondering might create. You see, Sedgewick is not just an employee of the Krag. He is the Assistant Financial Billing Specialist in charge of invoicing who, after a raucous night at the local pub and an unforgettable morning in the bed of the VP of marketing, was quickly thrust into the spotlight as the new talking-head for the entire finance department.

As he continued his march towards the copy machine, his team of five invoice-rs peered over their cube walls to leer at the melodramatic Sedgewick and to see what problem their illustriously incompetent leader would create for them. While they were used to his usual office antics, he had recently employed some more drastic scare-tactics involving a double-edged sword he purchased at the War and Warcrimes video game convention he attended two weekends ago. The convention had been stocked full of weapons ranging from medieval swords and poison infused chalices to the newly acquired technology making light sabers a reality. While Sedgewick had been able to forgo the light sabers, he had always been a fanatic for all things Will Shakespeare and could not pass up the opportunity to purchase a replica of the dagger used in the 1971 production of MacBeth.

I've figured out what Sedgewick does next, but tired of writing about him b/c I can't get over the fact that my stomach is eating itself from hunger... Only 1 hr and 19 mins left of work... LONGEST DAY EVER!!!

Things that made me smile today

2010-07-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

With the exception of a mild panic attack over nothing this AM, I found myself in an exceptional mood today! Here's why:

- Last night I believe I held the VISA equivalent of the coveted Black Amex... I felt it's power!
- My big toenail on my left foot is lookin' awesome today
- Last night I unknowingly liked my cousin's FB status, which she had copied from my blog
- This picture makes it seem as if I've climbed very high up a tree (I won't disclose actual climbing capabilities...)
- I'm taking the weekend off and heading to my fave TX town tomorrow
- While in said fave town not only do I get to visit a good friend, but we'll KAYAK! Tandem version. That means I'll be looking like this tomorrow:
- Two little girls that are in my store looking at handbags and shoes can't be older than the ripe old age of 10... Too cute!
- The fact that I had self control enough not to buy the DVF sarong that I wanted even though it was only $35. One does not necessarily NEED a sarong (regardless of DVF status and the internal coveting of anything by her), however one does need to be able to pay to go kayaking while in ATX!
- Going to Gap, trying on clothes that fit, and then deciding that I didn't like them enough to get them, and then actually putting them back. Did I mention that they even fit?!
- The fact that it's PAY DAY!
- The Bravery, Muse, The Killers, but most of all The Strokes "Someday" which came on Pandora and absolutely made my day!
- Finally buying the lotion I've been wanting for over a year, at a 40% discount!!

And the Pièce de résistance:

Telling the president of my company that my boss was on a conference call with Tom Petty (even though she wasn't, the name just sounded like the actual name of the guy she was on a call with that I couldn't remember... Tom Petty sounded familiar for some reason), having her laugh and say um... he's a famous rock star. To which I replied, leave it to me to say something stupid to you, you are kind of important, here... To which she replied that I could get away with it because of my awesome name! Granted, she does happen to share the same name as me... but I'm sure that little piece of info is irrelevant.

Yup. A pretty glorious day if I do say so myself!

AWESOME ONLINE RADIO!

2010-07-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm always in search of music to keep me going during the long workday. I've been a long-time fan of Pandora, last.fm, and the random youtube song search. But my BFF introduced me to the coolest site, and my new fave online "radio"!

http://stereomood.com

Unlike other radio sites I've used, here you choose an emotion, and stereomood plays songs that evoke that feeling. They have lots of emotions to choose from, and then show you the playlist with that mood. Not sure if their music selection is quite as extensive as other streaming radios, but it's sure a heck of a lot easier to choose "optimistic" over creating my own combo station to try and match my mood on pandora or last.fm!

GENIUS! Thanks, Lacey for the marvelous introduction!

You know you're tired when...

2010-07-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

So I've been doing nothing but daydreaming for the past few weeks. Dreaming about all the clothes I'm going to buy for fall, dreaming about what nail polish will most disguise my one stump nail, pondering how to meet R.Patz (which will never happen, but it indeed is at least a topic worthy of a daydream) and most often scheming a plan to somehow work in the movie/TV industry. It's no wonder with all this dreaming that I'm exhausted! And, surprisingly, I don't really have anything to blog about! I mean, I ALWAYS have something to say! I suppose it means I'm boring this week. Must try harder next week!

The only super hilarious thing that happened (at least hilarious to me after not much to eat during the day and a couple of cocktails at night) was going out for some friends' birthdays. We were at a bar in the Big D just hanging out when over to the left there was an Amazon Woman dancing with a flashing stick. Actually, not sure if it was dancing.... It was more like squatting. Actually, come to think of it, she was quite similar to my dog Scruffadoodle when you pick her up and her leg kinda pops out in an unnatural splay-legged sort of way. She frolicked all 6"+ of herself around for quite awhile, using her scepter as a magic wand, as a pole (for pole dancing), as a parade baton... Did I mention it was multi-colored and lit up? She was quite a sight in an otherwise ho-hum bar. And I'm certainly not poking fun of her height- she was a pretty enough girl, but my my... I thought her leg was going to kill someone! Or possibly trip them while she awkwardly lunged in the inappropriate man lunge way to lean over to talk to her friends. Again, she provided many minutes of quiet entertainment!

So that's it. I blogged b/c it is my mid-season goal to blog more. So there you have it. Amazon woman danced with legs all akimbo flailing around like a fish out of water at times. And that's the excitement of the week. Too tired to even think about something smart to educate everyone on.

Hopefully my weekend trip to Austin will provide for some much needed blog material. I mean, how can I become Chelsea Handler if I run out of material at the ripe old age of 24?? (I'm contemplating lying about my age.... I feel like I could pass for 24!)

Till next time. Cheers!

PS, I realize akimbo is the wrong word, but it's kinda how her legs would've looked if they were arms... Did I mention that I'm exhausted?? ;)

Captain Narcissism

2010-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

A while back I think I mentioned that I was reading the Narcissism Epidemic. And by reading, I mean I read a few chapters until I got bored. (Oh... and I did the self-test to determine how narcissistic I am, and I was pleased to find out that I was only at medium levels!)

Well, after some more introspection spawned by my insane addiction to all things that a teenage girl would be obsessed with (namely Twilight, Hannah Montana, and nail polish) I have decided that a long-ago thought of conclusion about my own psyche is now more of a truth than ever.

In one of my psych classes, we discussed Erikson's (that cute little German dude to the left!) stages of psychological development. An interesting point that my professor brought up was that when a child goes through a trauma during one of the stages of development, the child can remain stuck in that stage of development long-term. So after years of being focused on me, I've decided that I'm perhaps halfway stuck in the fifth stage of Erikson's 8 stages. This is the stage during adolescence (13-19) where adolescents are concerned about how they appear to others. One of the defining psycho-characteristics of this stage of development is that the child feels that they're constantly on a "stage", being scrutinized by others. This stage in development really stuck out when I was learning this originally in college when my professor said that children in this stage assume that everybody is watching them.

Well, I hate to break it to myself, but that's how I feel! That people are watching what I do. I mean, I suppose I know they aren't really, but even today as I was eating breakfast on the way to work I was concerned with what the car next to me would think if she saw me eat in the car. So I glanced over at the driver expecting them to be judging me and my breakfast on the run, and of course she was just doing her own thing!

My theory that I'm stuck in stage 5 came up again when I was discussing Eclipse with a co-worker. Now granted, every woman and her dog practically loves this book/movie series, but I'm obsessed! (Not that this is so abnormal, but combined with my love for Disney Channel shows like Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana, I'm starting to notice a trend.)

Finally, today I was discussing with one of my college besties my need for a life plan and how I want to go work in the movie industry doing promotions. We were talking about movies and famous people, and how I'm the ultimate escapist. I know movies/books/TV isn't real life, but oh how I struggle sometimes! (I mean, honestly.... I'm sure Rob P. would be my buddy if we ever met!) Now not that being the ultimate escapist is directly related or mentioned in Erikson's stages (at least not that I've researched so far), but I can't help but think that my unnatural longing for something more, that most likely isn't reality, are the same desires of an adolescent with the world at the fingertips. I'm a bit unrealistic, and am in-turn disappointed when life isn't movie-tastic! Surely it's related!

So today brought me back to college psych 101, and Erikson's stages of development. My trauma was the whole Dad dying thing when I was 17. All of the aforementioned thoughts are those, too, of a 17 year old version of myself. Thus, I officially declare myself stuck between stage 5 and 6. Not sure how I feel about this. I suppose I feel ok, as I just do what I do! But after all these years, it just goes to show that sometimes people never grow up, and that major life events affect people for years to come in unimaginable ways!

(For more info on Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, click the title!)

Prancing in heels

2010-07-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the last post, part of my resolution was to pay off credit cards. To aid that goal, I have not only cut expenses, but also got a part time job at a high end handbag and shoe store. I've been there for a couple of weeks now, and had a most interesting experience yesterday!

A young man (I would guess between 20 and 25) came in asking if we were hiring. I told him, "No, sorry. We just hired our fourth person. Good luck, though!" To which he told me thanks and started walking out the door. On his way out, he grabbed a pair of our highest heels and said, "Oh My GAWD! I LOOOOOOVE these shoes!" It was quite apparent to me that he was of the homosexual persuasion, so I thought he was just admiring our handiwork. He eyed the shoes up and down, so I went through my normal selling points...

"Yeah, those are a great pair of shoes! All of our shoes have memory foam, so they stay super comfortable all day long. And I know the heels look a bit daunting, but since there's the inch platform in addition to the memory foam, this pair is so easy to walk in!"

I assumed that he was interested in the shoes for a family member of a friend. WRONG!

In response to my sales pitch his eyes lit up and asked me what size we go up to. I told him a 10 (by this time I'm catching on that maybe the shoes aren't for a friend, but rather for himself.) I told him that's my size, too, and he asked if he could try them on, and if so, did he have to keep his socks on. I told him that he should of course try on the shoes with whatever he'd wear them with, and that if he wanted, I would be glad to give him some of the little hose used for trying on shoes.

He proceeded to try on the 4" pair of shoes and tell me about how the other day he bought a $300 pair of 12" platforms. I was impressed.

After trying on a champagne colored heel, he spotted the same shoe in black. "Oh my GAWD! I HAVE to try that pair on too! Do you have a 10?" We did, and after asking for another hose bootie (his big toe ripped a hole in the right bootie from the first try on), he tried on the black pair of heels. He was in love and pranced around the store in heels.

At the same time the young man was frolicking in the back of the store, another gentleman walked by outside and did a double-take. After comically blinking he decided that yes, he did indeed see a man walking around in women's shoes in the middle of a high end mall. He gave me a questioning look to which I replied with a shrug. I mean, a sale is a sale, regardless of who wears the shoes!

At the end of the whole experience, the young sir asked me to put both pairs of shoes on hold for him, because he'd have to ask his husband if he could get them. Apparantly, he has a bit of a shoe and skinny jean fetish that his husband is getting a bit tired of paying for. I said, isn't that what husbands are for?

Certainly it was an experience I won't soon forget! Not only did the young man provide me with some humor (how often is it, really, that you see a man prancing about in high heels), but he also astounded me with his confidence. How remarkable that he was so sure of himself that he felt comfortable telling me, a complete stranger working in a high end store, that he was a) a part of the gay community; b) was a male with a husband (in the state of TX no less!) and c) was so sure of himself that he could try on and walk around in women's shoes!

This was surely a 4th of July I won't soon forget!

Wow.... I suck at this blog thing!

2010-07-02T17:53:00.001-07:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions (yes, one of them... I had one main theme, which was then broken down into 5 parts) was to blog every day of the new year so I could eventually write a book. Well... I'm not much further on either of my short stories for a book, and you can clearly see when my last blog was. That's ok... No time like the present to start something back up!

So my NYR was 5-fold, all falling under the theme: The year to WIN is 2010! (Getting fine in 2009 was a bust, so I figured something a bit more ambiguous was in order!) The 5 parts of my resolution were as follows, including their status 6-months in:

1) Blog regularly (FAIL!)
2) Lose a substantial amount of weight (SUCCESS!)
3) Pay off all my credit cards (SUCCESS- well, in 9/10 total success!
4) Travel to SF and NYC (in the works... have plans to do so, at any rate)
5) Start a book club. Eat, Pray, Love has been our first book, (which we will eventually finish!) and then see the movie (Quasi-SUCCESS!)

So over-all I've done pretty well! (I'm counting last week's trip to Yellowstone as a half success for traveling, and we did have 1 book club meeting, and the other will happen, I'm just sure of it!)

So today I'm starting my 2nd half of the year resolution. To seriously consider doing something adventuresome. The more I think about my life, the more I get frustrated. Yes I have put a lot of pressure on myself to do something great, but here I am, 26 years old, in a job that's not going places as quickly as I'd like, living with Spaggy (which has been the most inspiring year of my life, but let's be honest... I'm too old to rely on someone else as much as I do), and about to overcome the peak of my personal mountain. I can feel that something exciting is just around the bend, and I just need to convince myself that the time is right!

My thoughts of adventure entail legitimately writing a book of short stories about my favorite topic... me! Also, I think I might travel to Thailand in the spring of 2011. Thailand in '11, it's gonna be heaven! Sound like a new theme to anyone else?

The main point of this rambley post is to share what has kick-started my adventuresomeness tonight(it's a word.. I just used it!) and it's a person. Anais Nin. I feel like I've been familiar with that name from random song lyrics or HS lit classes or something, for quite a while, but had no clue who she is. (Or even that she's a she!) So I did a bit of research, and have found a new muse. At least new to me, and a muse for the time being. Read the following and I dare you to not be inspired! (Don't just stop reading here... the best 2 are at the bottom!)

* "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
* "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
* "For me, the adventures of the mind, each inflection of thought, each movement, nuance, growth, discovery, is a source of exhilaration."
* "Creation which cannot express itself becomes madness."
* "Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."
* "The only abnormality is the inability to love."
* "I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing."
* "Each friend represents a world in us, a world not possibly born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
* "Dreams are necessary to life."
* "The dream was always running ahead of me. To catch up, to live for a moment with it, that was the miracle."

And my two favorite truths (well, truths to me):

* "It takes courage to push yourself to places that you have never been before, to test your limits, to break through barriers. And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

* "I am an excitable person who only understands life lyrically, musically, in whom feelings are much stronger as reason. I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me. Anything I cannot transform into something marvelous, I let go. Reality doesn't impress me. I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls."

Hoping to remember this as I enter the last half of 2010, the year to win! I can feel an excitement stirring (or maybe I'm still suffering from butterflies from seeing Eclipse, but doubtful!) and hope I make some exciting decisions in the nearish future! After all, it's just life... no one get's out alive and we can sleep when we're dead!

My theories on love

2009-12-14T15:27:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about living with Spaghetti is that she has lots of smart, interesting things just laying around. Take, for instance, the book eat pray love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I had first spotted this book several months back on the table next to Spaghetti's chair, and thought hmmm.... I should read this before the movie comes out. So that's what I started, about a month ago. So I just picked it back up tonight while waiting for the potatoes to be done for dinner.

Within the first 5 minutes of reading, I came across this idea, which really resonates with me. Elizabeth is talking about a relationship she fell into after the demise of her marriage. She talks about how she fell into a desperate love with an actor who was playing a character from one of her short stories.

"He was playing a character I had invented, which is somewhat telling. In desperate love, it's always like this, isn't it? In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding that they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place."

Maybe this idea of desperate love is a girl thing, or maybe it's a loneliness thing, but I'm finding that her summation of this desperate love and creating the partner you want, is particularly poignant at this juncture in my life. I have friends who have been in long term relationships who are now realizing that perhaps the person they're with is not the person that they've created in their heads. I mean, I know I've been there. I've fallen into this trap of a desperate love (granted, mine is one sided, but isn't most love like she's describing usually one-sided?) and have been continually disappointed when the object of my affection fails me in some silly way.

But the point to all of these musings (and yes, I'm finishing this blog post MONTHS after it began) is that Elizabeth recognizes that she creates these characters, and these fictitious people will not lead to her happiness. And I think that's worth noting. Knowing what will lead to dissatisfaction in a relationship is in itself a step closer to finding a true and lasting partnership.

Random thought of the day...

2009-12-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

Growing up I was always told that I had a smart mouth that would eventually get me into trouble. Seriously, I can't count the number of times my dad would tell me that me smarting off was going to get me punched in the face. That a) doesn't make sense, and b) is nonproductive because the phrase merely promotes the bad behavior. Why would a smart mouth ever get me into trouble? Clearly it's smart enough to get me right back out of it. And as for the punching.... If my mouth was really smart, would it not alert me to the impending danger so I could pull a super-sweet punch-dodging move? I should think so! Also, if a child is told their mouth is smart, isn't that really like a compliment? I mean, who doesn't want to be considered smart? Just a thought...

7 Things

2009-12-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

Across the blogosphere, fellow bloggers are letting their readers in on seven “little known” facts about their blog’s writers. My friend over at A List Baby(a most fabulous blog about all fantastic things for baby)tagged me to clue you in on myself! Here are some tidbits you may not know about me:

1) On past mission trips with my church I jumped off a couple of things. First I jumped off of a bridge (I say it was about 30 feet tall, but that was a guess from looking down) and into the river below in San Marcus. It was scary and fun and for that trip I earned the nickname Kerplop. On another mission trip I jumped from the roof of the house we were building onto a pile of dirt. It's amazing what you'll do when boys you're wanting to impress are doing it...

2) Like my friend Mary, I too adore Diet Coke. It is by far my favorite drink of all time. Especially when it burns my throat and makes my eyes water. That's just the best!

3) My favorite thing to do and daydream about is traveling. I have been to 12 countries (other than the US) on 3 continents: Belgium, Belize, Canada, England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands and Venezuela.

4) I have aspirations to get my Ph.D. either in Communications or Psychology.

5) I don't like creasing paper. It gives me the heeby jeebies and then I fear getting a paper cut. Especially construction paper. If it's construction paper, I won't even try- I'll use a pencil or ruler or something other than my finger to crease it.

6) Speaking of fears.... I have a fear of escalators. But only going down. I think it stems from my aunt ripping open her leg running back up the down escalator. I wasn't even there, but I'm always afraid I'll overstep and tumble to my demise.

7) I'm great at feigning confidence. If I don't know the answer to something (especially directions), I'll act like I know. Surprisingly, I'm usually correct!

OK- There's my 7 things. Now time to pass it on. The Dallas Morning Hughes, let's hear your 7 things!

Movie Reviews!!

2009-11-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

With all the big fall movies coming out, I've seen several articles on what's creating Oscar Buzz. My list of Oscar-worthy movies to see is made (as well as my non-oscar, but I want to see anyway list)and I'm slowly making my way to the theaters to space out the contenders for favorite movie of 2009 (let's be honest... it's going to go to New Moon, what with my ridiculous 14-year-old self re-emerging with a vengeance!) But here's the two movies I've seen in the last week and what I think...

So I actually had great expectations for this movie. I LOVED The Day After Tomorrow but who can really blame me... Jake Gyllenhaal was in it... but that's neither here nor there. I liked that disaster film. It had enough extra oomph in the plotline so that when the end of the world got to be too much, or a bit cheesy, I could refocus onto the relationship side of the movie. 2012 had none of that. It was seriously ridiculous, I'm sad to say. So if you don't know what it's about (then I don't know how we're friends and you're reading this because I'm CLEARLY a movie fanatic...) let me give you a brief synopsis. It's 12/21/2012 (my 29th birthday!! EEPS!!) and the end of the world predicted by the Mayans or Incas or someone back in the day is upon us. So when the tectonic plates start shifting there's earthquakes, fire, doom and gloom. Basically, the perfect plot for some amazing stunts and graphic stuff. And I'll admit that I thought the graphics were pretty cool. At this one point, Santa Monica is sliding into the ocean, and I thought it looked really realistic. But that's about all that was realistic and awesome about the movie. The acting was ok, but it was the writing that I just couldn't get over, in addition to some cheesy camera angles that I probably wouldn't have chosen. Instead of adding to the heart of the film, some of the lines were literally laughable (Emily and I were cracking up). Also there was a particular camera angle used when someone was falling off something and it just cracked me up! This guy is plummeting to his demise, and I'm cracking up because the camera is falling with him, a close-up on his face, while his mouth is just opened in a wide "O" of shock.

I guess there's really not much more to say, other than I wish I hadn't spent my $5 on the Saturday matinee. It was amusing, yes, but probably the biggest movie disappointment, and certainly not worth all the hype for the last few months.

Luckily, my faith in film was restored last night when I went to see the long-awaited Precious.

Precious is about a 16 year old girl in Harlem in 1987 who lives with an abusive mother and is pregnant for the 2nd time by her father. This is probably one of the most intensely heartbreaking films I've ever seen. I can't even think of a movie where I felt remotely the same after watching. I guess the closest thing I can think of is how I felt at the end of Atonement. That was another film that was just heartbreaking (I honestly can't think of another word to describe it). The cinematography was more raw in this film, much less of a sweeping epic look like Atonement, or other high budget films, but it was perfect for the story. The angles and movement of the cameras just added to the rawness of the film. Even the music was an amazing fit. I would have never thought to include the upbeat music that was scattered throughout the film, but it just helps to add a depth to the main character, Precious, that was almost hard to believe existed after seeing the desolate, abusive life she had.

This brings me to the actors. I mean, wow. There has been a lot of hype and Oscar buzz already, and with good reason. Every actor was phenomenal, but I absolutely cannot get over Mo'Nique. I've seen her on talk shows and she's bubbly and personable, but in this film she was an absolute monster. And she was believable, and unrecognizable. For her to deliver the verbal and physical abuse she inflicted upon her daughter was hard to watch, and I can't fathom having to actually live it while in character. This is the first time I have ever had a physical reaction to a film. I wanted to puke in disgust a couple of times, while there were several other scenes that of course had me tearing up. The climactic ending was almost too much to watch.

The film does have a hopeful ending, which is nice after such an emotionally draining couple of hours. So far, this is my favorite film of the year.

More movies to come (if I remember!) Let me know if you've seen either of these and if you agree or disagree with me.

Dad Woulds

2009-10-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

At lunch the other day I was sitting with one of my best friends from college and somehow we began discussing my father. I have no idea how it came about, but knowing myself, it was probably completely NOT where either of us expected the conversation to end up. Whether the conversation was planned or not, it sparked some questions that I've since been thinking about.

Just in case you guys didn't know, my father died when I was in high school. He had cancer for several years, and, to be honest, his death wasn't unexpected. What has been unexpected for me, however, are the questions that are just posing themselves eight years after his death.

Like I said, my dad died when I was in high school. It was spring of junior year, to be exact. The months following his death I experienced all the emotions that go along with losing a loved one, specifically someone you were extra close to. I was always a daddy's girl growing up, and it's just now that I'm realizing how little I actually know about my father.

Back to the conversation with my friend... In that conversation I realized that I never really knew my father. No... That's not true.... I never really knew Bob. And I think, looking back, this is probably the hardest part of losing a parent at a fairly young age. You see, I was old enough to know my dad and I still remember things about him (amazingly, because I have a TERRIBLE memory!) but I only remember him in his role as my father. Of course I knew about his personality, which I believe I inherited, but I didn't ever get to know him as a person. And I think I'm just now realizing what I'm missing out on.

I have always thought to myself, usually after making a bad joke, oh.... dad would have said that. Or after singing in the Meyerson last week, I thought, oh.... dad would be proud and would have enjoyed listening to that. These little dad woulds don't really make me sad anymore, it's just a part of life. But this last week, I've really been in tune with my "dad woulds" and have been wondering, well, would he really? And the answer is, I honestly have no idea! But I like to think the image I have of my dad is the right one.

I guess the moral of this story (because every story indeed has a moral) is that you can never understand or know a person based on one facet of their personality. As if that's a new idea that we DIDN'T learn from the idea of stereotypes... But really. You absolutely cannot put people in a box with a clean label on their personality type, how they would respond in situations, etc. Because really, at the end of the day, we have no idea! I have no idea about the multiple facets of my dad's personality I didn't get to experience as a kid, and I'm just now realizing how much I miss learning that.

Warning: going political

2009-10-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

No....not political... humanitarian.

As an avid reader of CNN.com, I'm always up to date with the latest news. Lately, I've also started to include some NPR and talks with Spaghetti (my grandmother) to my current events knowledge. While I'm for a public healthcare option, I can understand that not everybody has the same sentiment. A public option is reminiscent of socialism, and dammit, we're a democracy. I understand. I understand that public-option opponents may be scared of helping those who refuse to help themselves. I understand that there are those concerned that a public option will increase the cost, or lower the standards of their own healthcare. Despite being a by-the-book democrat, I get these concerns.

What I can't get over, however, is that the end result of all our fears lead to people dying. People that could have easily been treated are dying because they are less fortunate than people like myself. At the end of the day, that is the result, and I can't get over that.

And the scary thing is, this mentality... the look out for yourself and your own interests, is carrying over to every aspect of our lives. I have to ask, what happened to the idea that you're only as strong as your weakest link? I honestly think it's pitiful that, for the most part, a majority of us can't look at the big picture. America is the sum of her parts, and when we don't care for all of our parts, we're just running like a squeaky, broken-down machine. We're all better than that!

This mentality that I speak of (which inspired this soap-box rant) is especially evident in morgues in Detroit and even in LA. I read an article on CNN that tells about bodies piling up in a Detroit morgue because family members can't scrape together the exorbitant amount for a funeral or for cremation. The deceased just "hang-out" in the morgue's freezer because they have nowhere else to go. Picture that a loved one has just passed away. Think of the grief and hardship you will go through, emotionally. Now imagine that you are unable to even claim your loved one and give him a proper burial. As sorrowful as the thought may be, that's many people's realities.

Let me just reiterate, that I completely understand and up until this summer have declared myself economically conservative. But where is the compassion and the humanity? How can I, with so much, NOT care for a fellow-human being who can't afford to bury his mother? It is situations like these that call out to us as humans. Not as democrats or republicans. Not as the rich or poor. Not as white, black, asian, or whatever. This story should affect us as humanitarians. Our hearts should go out to the people who cannot afford to bury their loved-ones, and as a society we need to be inclined to help those who are suffering, in whatever way possible.

The point of this rant, and yes, I'll agree that's what it is, is not to change your mind on healthcare, or any number of other political beliefs. It is, however, to remind you that you are human, and we are a community. We live together in a society that will flourish if everybody looks out for each other. To quote wise Jack from Lost.... "Live together, or die alone." I urge everybody to stop and think how they can contribute to society that has given them so much- from National Parks, to public schooling, to public hospitals. Stop and think what you're talented at, and then see what you can do to share that for the betterment of others. If we all did that, wouldn't the world be a much better place?

How much do you like you?

2009-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Speaking of books.... I'm reading (yes, still...) The Narcissism Epidimic. I got to the section today about measuring narcissism, and I thought I'd be off the charts! But lo and behold, I'm not nearly as full of myself as I thought! Take this quiz, and see how much you love you!

In each of the following pairs, choose the one that you MOST AGREE with.

1) A. The thought of ruling the world frightens the hell out of me.
B. If I ruled the world it would be a much better place.

2) A. I prefer to blen in with the crowd.
B. I like to be the center of attention.

3) A. I can live my life any way I want to.
B. People can't always live their lives in terms of what they want.

4) A. I don't particuloarly like to show off my body.
B. I like to show off my body.

5) A. I will never be satisfied until I get all that I deserve.
B. I will take my satisfactions as they come.

6) A. I am no better or no worse than most people.
B. I think I am a special person.

7) A. I find it easy to panipulate people.
B. I don't like it when I find myself manipulating people.

8) A. I try not to be a show-off.
B. I will usually show off if I get the chance.

9) A. I am much like everybody else.
B. I am an extraordinary person.

10) A. I like having authority over other people.
B. I don't mind following orders.

SCORING
Questions 3, 5, 7, and 10: Give yourself 1 point if you answered A.
Questions 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 9: Give yourself 1 point if you answered B.

0-3 points: You have scored low in narcissism
4-5 points: You have scored about the same in narcissism as the average college student. This is a slightly above-average score for someone older than 40.
6-7 points: You have scored above average in narcissism.
8-10 points: You have scored significantly above average in narcissism.

So.... how'd you score???

My book....

2009-09-04T07:53:00.001-07:00

So I have this crazy goal to write a book. Seeing as how I'm an expert at nothing, this proves a bit problematic when choosing a topic. I could write about my life, but I forget most things that happen to me, so there goes that idea. I could write about my friends' lives, but I forget most of that too!

So here's my new idea. I'm going to write the 2-paragraph story starters/random poetry-esque nonsense that I pat myself on the back for. Then I'm going to sell it at Urban Outfitters. New title: Super-short Stories of Toenails and Fleas.

Entries 1 & 2:

Australia
At the beginning of the summer she stumbled upon the perfect storm for a quarter-life crisis. Now, as fall lurks just around the corner, she realizes the doomed summer was just a catalyst for adventure.

The Cannonball
She gathered her courage and without even sticking a toe in, she waved goodbye and took a flying leap. With eyes closed, arms around her knees, she hit the water with a most satisfying KERPLOP!

And all at once she found herself completely submerged. The fish had a vibrancy she never before knew, as if the water were their permanent display case. Her eyes had been opened, and she knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision. And her world was never the same again.

what i learned from the orphan

2009-08-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

As I stood in the humid, sweltering heat of Central America, I watched my Grandmother wipe tears from the man’s face. He was hunched over, no more than 5’3” or 4” with hands gnarled from age and hard work. Despite the early hour, he was pungent with alcohol. Growing up as an orphan

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,
and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

In that moment, I could see God working through my Grandmother. As she kissed the man’s cheek “adios”, a bittersweet contentment fell over me. I did not want to expose myself to the apparent trials of this man, and yet I could not will myself to leave. I was immersed in the moment unlike any other time in my life that I can recall. Next to the cornfields in Guatemala with sweat pouring down my face and into my eyes, clothes sticking to me like a second skin, I learned what was to be the theme of my trip, and hopefully my life—be present.

Quest for the best hamburger, entry 1

2009-07-06T10:36:00.005-07:00

Growing up I remember that my Dad was perpetually on a quest for the best hamburger ever. We would drive miles to find the unknown hole-in-the-wall with the burger that was sure to satisfy his craving for the All-American charbroiled sandwich. Some would be greasy, some would be dry, and some would be pretty dang delicious.

While I do love a good hamburger, I don't quite share the zest for finding the perfect burger that my father had. But maybe I'll continue his quest, now that I'm think about it!

Either way, quest or no quest, I did extend my hamburger experiences to include the new mushroom swiss burger from McDonald's. And my official review: don't do it! The burger (as are all fast-food burgers) was dry, with a gob of mayonnaise and a heap of mushrooms (and no lettuce or tomato, like I had hoped). The problem is, however, is that at the end of the day, it's still a McDonald's burger, and certainly not worth the $3.99 I paid. The bun IS better than the other McDonald's buns, but do you really go to Micky-D's for the bun? NOPE!

I just realized over the long weekend I actually sampled 4 different burgers, so I'll continue!

Thursday night at Harry Potter night, I had a Steak-n-Shake cheeseburger. As far as fast food places go, this might just be my favorite thus far! It was greasier than my most delicious home grilled burg, but for some reason it was completely satisfying and glorious, greasyness and all!

Finally, on Friday I went to Red Robin with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I'm not sure if I've been to Red Robin before, but I was excited to see what kind of burgers it had to offer! My uncle and I split 2 burgers: the teriaki burger and a cajun burger. While the teriaki burg was best, neither would be worth driving far to get... But it was fun, and delicious after a long day at the winery!

So, as for these three burger places, I'd have to say Steak-N-Shake wins, hands down! BUT nothing compares to Jakes or Kellars.... Just in case you were wondering.... :D

Vouching for a murderer? Pack a squirrel!

2009-07-01T06:49:00.003-07:00

I'm going to take a moment and publicize my love for squirrels. I like them. I think they're cute, and have the best flouncy tails, and I like watching them run around. They're funny when they fight with each other over nuts. They're smart enough to know that they can eat birdseed and not have to scavenge for food. They're 1/2 my favorite animated character ever... SKRAT!! They're like puppies, except smaller and related to rodents... Heck, I even used to walk up to the neighborhood pet store as a kid to see and blow on the flying squirrel that was waiting to be adopted (flying squirrels, by the way, chirp and gurgle and squeak if you blow on them- it's cute!). But...

I WOULD NEVER KEEP ONE IN MY CLEAVAGE!!!!

Apparently the lady in the video was being questioned by police when out pops a squirrel from her bosom. I mean, I've got nothing. Just watch :)

The cost of champagne at The Ritz

2009-06-22T07:24:00.001-07:00

After working in the Dallas world of advertising for the past few years, I've had the privilege of frequenting some of the swankiest hotels, bars and restaurants in Dallas. You could say I lead a pretty charmed life. This past Friday I decided to share some of my favorite super-swank spots with a friend who up until now hasn't had much of a reason to check them out.

The evening was a HILARIOUS DISASTER pretty much from start to finish. Basically, it was a typical night in the pretentious Dallas scene.

We started out getting turned down entry into an overrated bar atop a hotel due to a fashion show. After not making "the list" we headed over to a new underground lounge where our shoes were insulted (I personally see nothing wrong with short dresses and gladiator sandals, but what do I know?! I mean, I did miss the fashion show at the earlier locale...) After making it in to this new prestigious establishment (in flats, thank you very much!) we headed downstairs, then upstairs to the rooftop pool where a tray of drinks was spilled on us. An entire tray. On the behind of my white dress... DISASTER! We weren't offered comp drinks or anything, so we promptly left and had to wait about 8 minutes for an elevator in what seemed to be an un-air conditioned hallway.

Finally we made it over to my favorite Dallas hotel/bar for some good times and great drinks at the Dragonfly. After enjoying a famed white cosmo and chatting with our surrounding company, it seemed that the evening was looking up!

As we left we decided to make one last stop at The Ritz on the way home. Now I LOVE the Ritz... It's everything I usually want in a bar. Great decor, great atmosphere, great everything. Until Sir Upton came over. Mr. Upton, a gentleman (read: d-bag) in his mid-30s (at the youngest)came up and sat thigh to thigh with me. If nothing else, he was probably good for a beverage, and I felt that his immediate forced intimacy owed me that much. (I feel like you should be aware that as soon as he sat down I scooted away from him... I was having NONE OF THAT!)

After several minutes of small talk (and a couple of suggestive comments... he thought that he and I would actually happen.... HA!!!), Mr. Upton asked us what he could get us to drink. Being at the Ritz, and offered a drink by someone who could afford it, I certainly HAD to have some champagne, at least he certainly owed us that much. (To give you an idea of the extent of inebriation we're talking, Sir had forgotten what we were ordering by the time he got to the bar.) This should have been when we left, but we stayed because let's be honest, I just wanted some free champagne at the Ritz. I am that classy.

Anyhow, Mr. Upton's ridiculousness just increased and after some suggestive comments. After a hand on the leg, I politely told Mr. Upton that the evening he wanted was not happening, that he needed to "phone a friend" because he was drunk, and that his shirt was unbuttoned at the bottom and his stomach was hanging out. My friend and I left, no harm, no foul, and a sip or two of champagne the wiser.

So moral of the story (and the educational part of this blog) is that the $20 glass of champagne I had was not worth the cost of the time wasted with my new gentleman "friend". Upon leaving I realized that I was embarrassed to have tolerated this letch's behavior for as long as I did, and the lesson of "there's no such thing as a free lunch" (or drink)was yet again reinforced. Note to self: if a man sits next to you with shirt unbuttoned from the bottom, hairy stomach showing, drunk as a skunk, it is not the time to use manners. Instead, leave immediately. Otherwise, you'll regret (yet laugh hysterically) about it for days to come! Also, welcome to the Dallas Scene. Gentlemen aplenty!

Taking the plunge

2009-06-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm an act first, think later kind of girl. I'm the girl that talked her way out of failing a class I needed to graduate college because I didn't show up to said class. I'm the girl constantly putting my foot in my mouth and having to extract it. I'm the girl who loved buying her first car even though I had no idea what I was doing, which could have potentially cost me much dinero. Maybe I could be called a problem solver. Maybe I'm just the girl with crazy good luck. In reality I'm the girl that causes problems and finagles to fix them after the fact. But I guess this is what I get for being repeatedly pushed into the deep end of the pool (metaphorically, of course) and having to teach myself to swim out. When forced, I'm used to taking the plunge.

I bring all of this up not to toot my own horn, but because I'm chest deep in my own quarter-life crisis. Thank you, John Mayer... it does exist! I feel (as do several of my friends) that there's more to the world than the little bubble most of us live in, and hopefully my rationalization of jumping into the deep end of a pool despite swimming (or lack thereof) capabilities will help get the ball rolling again. The hard part is figuring out which part of our lives are lacking, and which are fulfilled. When you reach your mid 20s, you've finally reached the point you've been waiting for your whole life. The problem I've run into, though, is that I'm still waiting for my life to start. Like many of my friends, I'm stuck in a rut and need to activate life, and not the other way around. We're adults now. Life's OBVIOUSLY going to keep on going without us, and it's not going to be anything spectacular unless we plan it that way!

So with all that said, I have to ask myself, "Self... you got yourself into trouble before, and it all turned out fine." And it's true! Every single ridiculous situation I have found myself in over the last 10 years (believe me, there have been MANY) I ended up coming out on top. It's funny how things work like that. Just when you think you're about to break, you realize that you've got it. And the truth is, the same goes for every other person in the midst of their "quarter-life crisis". The difference is, up until now, we've been pushed in the deep end by parents, school, jobs, relationships... by life.

My question and challenge to myself (and anybody who reads this, quarter-life crisis or not) is: Why are you so afraid to jump in the deep end now? You've been pushed in before and you've come out just fine, so why not take a flying leap? Everybody has a lifeguard that can save them if absolutely necessary, and no decision you make will leave you treading water with no ladder (read: end) in sight. So if there's something you've been thinking about doing but have been too much of a wuss because you're ok with the path life has been dragging you around on then ignore this. But I know that I'm going to keep climbing the ladder to the top of the high dive and can't wait to do a cannonball. I expect great things out of myself and am ready for others to see them. I mean really... what's the worst that can happen??

All the single ladies, put your hand up!!!

2009-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

This goes out to all the single ladies out there.... all 2 of you you read this...

You know when you're out at a bar, and the skeezy cheesball in the corner is eying you up and down and there's no chance in hell that he'll ever have a shot with you? And yet in his drunken stupor, there's no question that it's gonna happen? Well... enter Ms. Taken. The website sells forreal looking engagement rings that easily slip in and out of their carrying-case keychain. So when you give Mr. Creepazoid the finger he'll see your bling and move on! Good news is, if Mr. Right or Mr. Right-for-right-now comes along, just slip the ring back into your keychain and he'll never know the difference!

If nothing else, at least check out the HILARIOUS "Puke in my mouth" response to the also hilarious "Jizz in my pants" video!!!

The perks of being in a wreck...

2009-05-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately this won't make you any smarter, but maybe it'll help next time you crash...

This morning I rear-ended a Benz... It was bad... Bad as in my car is totaled, airbags, and dangling headlights bad... Luckily, though, we were both OK other than some soreness and bruises.

After digesting it all, though, I've come to realize there are some perks to wrecking your car.

1)Get to be thanksgiving comfy w/undone button (presses on bruise and hurts like whoa)
2)Have most spectacularly blue (I'd say azure) bruise ever known to man running diagonally across your stomach!
3)Get to see what it's like to stand up and sit down like a prego woman, while keeping the torso flat/still so as not to disturb azure bruise
4)Can now say I've ridden in the back of a cop car! (By the way, they don't have real seats! Only plastic nasty chair things and no leg room)I mean, seriously..... kinda interesting!
5) Get a new car
6) Got to be the cause of flares, which are like fire works, which I LOVE

I dont know why I don't rear end someone every day, in fact!

Anyone want a free comic book??

2009-05-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

For some reason I got the brilliant idea yesterday that I should repeat my college experience of going to see X-Men at midnight.... While seeing the 2nd X-Men movie in Denton (pronounced di'in) was surrounded by much hype (a roach crawling on my chair, the crazy Roman Rebels crew from whatever dorm I lived in, and the general excitement of something to actually do in the middle of the night other than drive through Jack-in-the-box backwards), I was worried that this experience would end up being lack-luster and fall quite short of my Di'in experience.

But I was wrong- rare, I know.... And Wolverine was SOOOOO worth tolerating the ignoramuses of Mesquite! The evening was already hyped-up thanks to a good friend, a bottle of wine, and dining across the patio from Ms. Kim Kardashian and crew. The movie was action-packed, and filled with some nice eye candy that made it worth the 3.5 hours of sleep I got last night.

Even better, though, is that the fun that surrounds the movie continues through tomorrow (Saturday 5/2) at local comic book stores. "In an effort to attract new readers, more than 2,000 comic shops are offering free comics, ranging from Wolverine and The Avengers from Marvel to a preview of DC Comics' "Blackest Night" event in Green Lantern" in the 8th annual free comic book day!

So if you love you some comics, or just want to practice your recessionista skills, check out the below site to find a free comic book near you, and then go see Wolverine- it's well worth it!

freecomicbookday.com

Stella vs. the DDP

2009-04-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

I have a plant at the office names Stella.

So today she was looking a little dry and I wondered if she would enjoy yesterday's leftover Diet Dr. Pepper. My colleagues told me that it would be MURDER if I infused her soil with some of the good Dr. I disagree and decided to do a little research....

The effects of diet soda on potted plants:

According to wiki answers, The preservatives in diet coke actually preserve the plant and help it grow.

According to the 2006 science fair project of a Ms. Natalie M. Garcia, "the Coca-Cola plants died quicker, grew smaller, and did not grow more leaves. The plants that were given water stayed about the same height and grew a few more leaves. The plants that were given nothing ended up dying very quickly and they dried up very quickly. Also Coca-Cola causes for a foul odor to develop in the soil of the plants and for flies and ants to come and invade the plants.

As you can tell, my findings are inconclusive. If I notice a change in Stella over the next few weeks, I'll keep you posted.

Until then, I stand by wiki answers, and suspect that Stella will be completely fine and continue her happy existence on the corner of my desk. (And sometimes on the windowsill)

If you regularly cut the cheese...

2009-04-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

... then check out this super cool slate cheese plate!

How many parties have you hosted/gone to where you needed to have the names of 5 seemingly discernible cheeses on the tip of your tongue? One of my fave blogs, The Frisky, has a solution.... A cheese plate chalkboard!

This super cute version by VivaTerra (linked in the title) comes with two little mousy knives, and is $69.

If that's a bit steep for you, though, make your own cheaper version with a slate place mat from Crate & Barrel (varying sizes available, chalk sold seperately!). It's the same look for less than half the cost!

Questions I've had today, and their answers

2009-04-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Question: Why does only one cranberry float to the top of my most delictable white Zaza cosmo?
Answer: A slit cut in one side of the cranberry causes the cranberry to float with the slit side on top.

Question: What do the following organs do? Organs in question: appendix, gallbladder, spleen.(Obviously it's not important if they can all be removed..."
Answer: Appendix: "the appendix is traditionally thought to have no function in the human body. However, new studies propose that the appendix may produce and protect bacteria that are beneficial in the function of the human colon"
Gallbladder: "The gallbladder stores bile, which is released when food containing fat enters the digestive tract, stimulating the secretion" of digestive juice
Spleen: destruction of redundant red blood cells, and holds a reservoir of blood

Question: What does Nerf stand for?
Answer: Non-expanding recreational foam

Question: What is Port wine?
Answer: wine + brandy

Hope you learned something new.... I surely did!

Poof... be gone, odor!

2009-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a little on the....earthy side, but whatev!

Have you ever had those days when your stomach's just not agreeing with you and you're suffering from some mighty pooty booty (read: the runs)?? Well, you certainly can't stay home from work just because you partied a little too hard the night before.

Well, now there's a solution to your public bathroom pooty-booty dilemmas.

"Poof it! Just a few drops of this liquid deodorizer in the toilet water and a translucent seal traps your odors in the water, releasing a refreshing scent of Japanese Mint to fill the air! Created for the sophisticated and bathroom conscious, Poof is packaged in an appealing yet discreet bottle that easily slips into your purse, pocket, or the palm of your hand.

One drop of Poof will forever change the way you do your business!"

Yeah, you read it! Straight from the Poof Drops website. And I ask, who WOULDN'T benefit from a translucent odor seal?

Title links to poofdrops website.

And their target is...

2009-04-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

So there have been 2 commercials I've seen in the last 2 days that I can't get enough of. THe problem is, I have no idea who they're targeting?

The first is the ridiculous sponge bob Burger King commercial for "I like square butts"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5X4TSbGreA
Now I don't remember who does BK's advertising, but they're either genius or insane... I haven't decided which! Either way, WHO IN THE WORLD ARE THEY TRYING TO REACH?!

The second commercial literally cracks me up. IN fact, I was on the phone with my BFF Melody today and was singing it to her and couldn't make it through this one line without breaking into laughter like a giddy 5-year-old! I mean, when someone sings about "herding cows the size of schnauzers but they're cattle" what else can you really do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0WDb-xzks

Hope you enjoy the genius of the down economy... apparantly fast-food advertisers are getting bold in these tough times!

Get ya some free culture!

2009-04-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know, Dallas has some great cultural events.... I mean, coming from the city with the world-famous (well, regional famous...) Greenville St. Paddy's Day Parade, what could you expect?

The Dallas Museum of Art (one of my fave architectural buildings here in the Big D) hosts Thursday Night Live at the DMA. There's live music, food, drinks, and a chance to go see some FANTASTIC art (be sure to check out the Mondrian in their permanent collection!)

But best of all, it's FREE!!!

So why not make an evening of it one Thursday, take the Dart down to the DMA, get some dinner, some jazz and some culture!

Admission again, is free every Thursday from 5-9pm. Below are bands for April:
4/16: The Quamon Fowler Group
4/23: The John Lewis Trio

And as always, the title of this post links to the Thursday Night Live page

And this is just expletive ridiculous...

2009-04-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday during House testimony in Austin, Republican Betty Brown suggested that Asian Americans change their names to something more "American" to use at polls so it's easier for pollers... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! I've got nothing!!! Check out the link in the title.

Ms. Betty's rebuttle is below, but again.... SERIOUSLY????
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6365320.html

Can we fire her, please? And to think she is from a mere 15 minutes from where I live... Oh the SHAME!!!

What God gets out of strippers

2009-04-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

In my quest for my daily smarticle, I found this story about the stripping nun. No joke!

Well, maybe a little bit of a joke... Anna Nubili of Italy used to be a stripper in Milan but after 20 years of dancing, she decided to become a nun. Talk about a change of heart! After taking a trip to the shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, she "saw something fluorescent within the clouds, a cascade of colour and felt the presence of God, the Creator." After returning back to Milan, Sister Anna told her boss at the stripclub that she had "found a new clean treasure and it was God."

Now, Sister Anna has joined the order of the Sister Workers of the Holy House of Nazareth, and will be performing in a dance group in the Jarusalem Basilica in Rome for an archbishop.

All this just goes to show-- it's never too late for a career change, and you really can do whatever you set your mind to! From a stripper to a nun.... I mean WOW!

(title links to actual story)

Hello forests, goodbye business cards

2009-04-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

So next time you're out and about and need to exchange business cards but just can't seem to find any (ladies, I know how it is with the small clutches- I'm lucky if my phone fits in it!) no need to fret! Use Contxts instead of your business cards of the past!

According to their website...
Contxts is so much more than a professional social network. It's a way to make meaningful connections while out and about. Business cards are so 2007. What with the environment in shambles do you really want to be that guy who is handing out chopped up pieces of bleached trees? We here at Contxts.com think that our site will solve this problem and more. By using SMS, built into every mobile phone, you can easily and rapidly distribute your credentials. - Exchange all of your professional information with a single text message
- Keep all of your professional contacts organized in one place
- It's eco-friendly (txt messages don't kill polar bears)
- Rid yourself of "old school" business cards
- Link with other professionals

So... save the trees, make connections! The title should link to the Contxts website, but if not here's the link: http://contxts.com/

If you're feeling nervous, but in an intelligent way...

2009-04-09T04:49:00.000-07:00

...Maybe it's time to wear a bowtie!

You've seen them around lately, I know you have. You question whether they're cool or just worn to make a statement. Well, according to the WSJ, bowties are back people! Apparently they're selling out in all colors and shapes.

Here's the link, which is complete with instructional video!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123924141044503821.html

Also, if you're looking to start a new business, bowties anyone?

(Sorry about the links not linking and there being no pictures.... I'll get there eventually!)

Proposition 1: AKA own your own hotel

2009-04-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I learned that my friend's (and mentor's) husband is running for the City Council in the Big D. (Hallelujah as he is a fine upstanding citizen with military and teaching experience, and is passionate about the community.... VOTE JOHN YOURSE!!) When she mentioned helping out by campaigning and handing out fliers I was a little worried I wouldn't know his stance on the upcoming issues, considering that I don't even know what the issues are. So as she was rattling off some of the things he stands for she mentioned something about a tax-payer owned hotel here in Dallas. Now maybe I had been living under a rock (or too obsessed with CNN) but I hadn't heard of this. But I figure if my tax money (or if not mine, friends of mine) is going to buy a hotel, I surely want to know what this is about!

So here's what I've gathered... Dallas is looking to build a hotel with $500 million dollars of taxpayer money. People who are all for building the hotel (or will vote AGAINST Prop 1) say that the hotel will help bring conventions to the Big D, resulting in over $200 million in city tax dollars.

Those against building the hotel (or FOR Prop 1) say that the $500 for the hotel could be better allocated elsewhere. And I can't say I don't agree! Now granted, I have a limited knowledge of financial shenanigans, and an even lesser knowledge of city planning/conventions, etc., but I have to wonder... Should we not maybe choose to spend $500 on a new homeless shelter? Or what about revitalizing Deep Ellum? If we need a hotel adjacent to the convention center, maybe the people all for that should invest in a REIT specifically for that purpose?

These are all just questions I have with no answers, but either way, there's lots to say about a publicly owned hotel. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the HPO! (Hotel Public Offering :D )

Inspiration

2009-04-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've wanted to do a blog for quite a while, but figuring out what to say was particularly challenging. The whole point of these things is for people to read them, and I always have to win, so I want mine to be read!

Well, at work this week I got this idea. My friend G sent me an article about stocks, bonds, investments, etc. that was really interesting and had a great quote from Warren Buffet at the end, but I digress. At any rate, I read the article and it got me thinking about my own investment portfolio. Now, seeing as I don't have an investment portfolio just yet I don't think about my personal investments too often. But in reading this New York Times article I got some great advice from the richest man in the world (read: he's doing something right!). Mr. Buffett says to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful. Again, while not applicable to my current financial position, useful for life in general!

o I dubbed the article that G sent me as a "smarticle". Or-- a smart article. Something I learned from. I figured we could all benefit from a quick smarticle every now and again and thought that a blog would be the perfect way to learn something new everyday.

I'm sure this isn't an original idea (a blog where readers learn something new...groundbreaking...) but figured if nothing else, there's not another with a bit of the Mac Attack approach on life thrown in there, so there you go. This is my new blog and I hope you learn something!

And here's a link to the yahoo finance site with the NYT article I read, in case you want to learn a bit about personal finance too. (Or if nothing else, say you've read your daily smarticle...)

http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/106867/When-Nest-Eggs-Change-Colors?mod=fidelity-readytoretire