never make the same mistake twice

Preface: I briefly mentioned the following occurrence in my "vacation lessons" post.

At work, we're doing a test run for an office blog and my co-worker asked if I would write a test post. This is what I wrote:

I was walking on the sidewalk. It was around 9 o’clock at night and the muggy Florida heat was slightly oppressive. I moved onward, trying to focus instead on our destination. Then, I spotted it. I did a double take, not believing my luck. Does this ever happen anymore?

A ten dollar bill lay mere inches from my feet. I cautiously leaned over. I picked it up.

Yes, it was ten dollars.

I thought back to several months prior. I had been walking to my car with a number of friends. We chattered away about things of little consequence. Then, I spotted it. A crumpled, dirty twenty dollar bill. Rather than lean over and pick it up, I hovered over it’s appealing presence. It was like the forbidden fruit. I wanted to pick it, but I couldn’t. My extreme aversion to germs and bacteria was like a force field. Instead, I announced – “does anyone want twenty dollars?”

I would live with that moment for a long time.

No, I would not make the same mistake twice.

Oh, the drama.

wish list

It's funny how something can go from non-existent in one's mind to I-need-slash-want-to-own-that. I discovered this (the Philips Wake-Up Light) on instyle.com's website. I read the description and I was hooked.

Picture this: waking up to the lingering sounds of Grieg's "Morning" as the light begins to slowly brighten. The room illumines as the music begins to swell. I can do anything and yes, it's time to begin the day.

VS.

You're surrounded by the comfortable darkness. Somewhere far away, a grating sound begins to shake you out of an all encompassing immobility. You don't want to move, you don't want to open your eyes, but you're suddenly aware that yes (unfortunately), it's time to begin the day.
I'll ruminate on this decision before making any purchase, but seriously - how do I live/wake up in the morning without it?

I'm not shallow

This show gets my stamp of approval. To preface this: for about the last 2 or so years, I really began to wonder if I would like any TV shows again. Since my dearly beloved show American Dreams passed on, I've been left with a terrible (note: I'm using this term lightly) void.

But then - wham. All of sudden I found out like a whole bunch of shows. I'm not going to exhaust this list. But you get my drift.

Ok, so this show gets my stamp of approval. It's a Lifetime show, too. Yes, Lifetime. The channel which features teen pregnancies and domestic violence.

It's called Drop Dead Diva and it's (in my opinion) hilarious. My favorite character is Stacy. She is the main character's ditzy, aspiring model friend. My favorite line went something like this:

Stacy: Scott dumped me.
Deb: Ohmygosh. I'm so sorry.
Stacy: He said I was shallow.
Deb: What? Has he seen the indie movies in your Netflix queue?

Love it. Watch it. Enjoy the when-Legally Blonde-meets-Freaky Friday-esque combination.

gams and duds

Disclaimer: I'm not intending to make a political statement here. But something does not bode well with me when a fashion magazine website begins to hyper-critique the First Lady's wardrobe and moreover, describe in detail her "gorgeous gams." Yikes. It's slightly reminiscent of the media mega-spotlighting Sarah Palin for her designer duds. Except, in her case, it (being her proclivity towards wearing high end designs) was not only a faux pas, but a piece of straw that became the bale that broke the camel's back.

Um, how about we stick to critiquing the President and not just his lovely wife's fashionable choices.

just the basics

“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words
than your words without heart.”

- John Bunyan

Sometimes when I pray, I'm saying a lot of words. I have my "script" if you will. Thank you for this and that, I pray for this...etc.

What if I had a conversation with a friend that way? (Note: I have and it's kind of sucky as a friend.) Example:

Me: "Yes, friend, I understand what you're saying and I'm sorry to...wait, what was I saying? I was distracted by the upper right hand corner of the wall and/or was trying to decide what to eat for dinner."

That's no good. So, sometimes it's better to just quiet my heart and not force myself to say all the right words right away.

get outta town

What is it about getting "out of town" that is so enticing? Pack up your car, fly down the highway, and watch the road signs whiz by. Sometimes, the destination is almost immaterial. It's anywhere but here. In my daydream, I usually imagine the windows being down and the air is a little warm, but not too warm. In actuality, I have the a/c on and I'm belting out "Perfect Day" by Hoku. Yes, I'm that girl.

Ironically, I found out after spending a week and a half out of town, all I really wanted was to be home. I wanted to be in my room and eat my own food. I wanted to walk down my sidewalk or around the neighborhood if I chose. There's a weird pull between wanting comfort, but desiring something new. Liking what you may have, but asking yourself - what else is out there? After going through the TFP, I learned that this desire is creational. We were obviously made for something else. We're surrounded by the temporal, but our soul yearns for the eternal.

I have no answers, only musings. Ah, life. Gets me every time.

desperately seeking rover

Everyone knows about mid-life crisises. Men or women decide they want to regress/repeat their youth as they come to realize that they might be getting a little older...

Is there a quarter life crisis? I think there is. And what is the sign? Getting a dog or a cat.

We might not be at an age where we want/should have children. But we have the strong and almost insatiable desire to nurture something. For some, a fern or geranium just doesn't cut it. It needs to interact, be taken for walks, or pay (sometimes exorbitantly) visits to the local veterinarian.

I had a dream last night that I had a puppy. I'd forgotten about my dream until driving to work, I see a woman walking her dog. I hear her resounding voice say, "sit!" as I drive by and suddenly, I remember my dream! I had a little puppy and he was running around. I picked him up and he/she was so cuddly with all his/her adorable furriness.

Oh no. Don't get me wrong, I don't want a puppy...just yet. But it was fun to dream for about 2.5 minutes that I had a cute little creature to nurture.

these are a few of my favorite things

• the smell of Coppertone
• vacuum lines on carpet
• clean sheets
• night sky
  
• acceptance letters
• words of encouragement

boho gone glam

Not a big Sienna Miller fan - either professionally or personally, but the girl can dress. Going back a couple years, she was the quintessential "boho chic" model. But here she is, 5 years later looking extremely well coiffed and rocking the retro-glam vibe. I like, I like.

Item # 941 on my bucket list: wear a Yves Saint Laurent gown

Movie to avoid this summer: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (unless proven otherwise)

boomerang

Since graduating from college, we (and by we, I mean those who have graduated and those who haven't - wait and see) have witnessed an interesting divergence in the lives around us. As we start school, we all seem to be on the same or at least similar tracks. We go from first to second to third (and etc.) grades, looking towards the inevitable. For some, it's college. For others it's a job or starting a family. That's where the predictability ends. All of a sudden, the road signs are not pointing towards the Rest Stop of Adulthood Beginnings, but instead the arrows are pointing left, right, and everyone in between.

Where to go? There's an interesting phenomenon that has recently been "discovered." We have become a generation that "boomerang" back home and are experiencing what has been coined as the "quarter life crisis."

Of course, there are a few variables in this sweeping generalization, but for the most part - a majority of middle class American thirty-year-olds and under will identify with this terminology.

I'm sure there are many, many more qualified sociologists and anthropologists who have studied our modern day culture and the recent changes of those young people who decide to return to the nest or experience said crisis. But really, why is this happening? One hundred years ago, such a concept would have been absurd. Let's think. What was life like one hundred years ago?

By my age, most women had been married for an average of 5 (or even more) years and would probably have 2 or 3 children. That woman would have zero time to think about having an identity crisis (due to being elbow deep in raising children and other wifely duties) and she had a home with her husband. She didn't have the option of "being" something else. My first thought is: "Thank God I didn't live 100 years ago...", but seriously - would it be so bad? Today, maybe the prospect of 34,249 (note: not a scientifically proven number) options and possible careers/lives/choices is causing such a crisis.


So what about the modern day young man/woman. What is the general consensus on the idea of moving back home? Is it economical or is it adding to this prolonged adolescence trend? Personally, I think its a little of both.

technology peeve

Growing up, I remember eagerly anticipating my favorite show coming on. I would watch the clock and hover around the family room. It was coming on in 5 minutes, I might as well at least turn on the TV. (Note: our family favorites were Avonlea, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Lois & Clark.)


Fast forward several years and I don't remember TV schedules. The awaited show may come and go and I won't think about it. Why is that? Well, my friends, I have a confession.

The new invention of putting episodes online has radically changed my life. I discovered it sometime in college and my eyes were opened. I vividly remember driving back to school my sophomore year and running across campus to my dorm just so I could catch the new episode of America Dreams. (Pathetic, maybe.) I turned it on just in time and I did a little victorious fist pump. But can you blame me? This was pre-TV shows online era. If I missed it, I missed it forever. Or until the reruns came on...but seriously, who watched the reruns?

Except what started as an ingenious invention has now become a minor downfall for me. Now, I have dozens of shows at my finger tips and if I decide to watch 3 in a row, who can stop me?

Believe me, I'm not a TV junkie (although I am a recovering one...) and don't schedule my time around it. But this instant gratification is killing me.