So yeah, about the time I wanted to blog every day for a year and gave up two weeks in...
I don't know what happened to 2010. New Years is actually my least favorite holiday because I always reflect on how I didn't do everything I said I would in the prior year - you know, the unrealistic stuff like: finally get back to my HS weight (freshman year, not senior), run a half marathon, finally save some $, figure out my 401K, etc etc.
All of this is actually vital for 2011 since I'm turning the big 3-0 and don't really have any excuses for not getting my act together.
Not that I'm a degenerate. I mean, I have an awesome new job, pay my bills, do semi-productive things occassionally, etc, but I find the whole "saving for retirement" thing a bit daunting and have three different 401Ks floating around, two of which I have no idea what companies they are even through.
My fall has been a boring one. I've been so focused on the new job, I have no exciting stories of note, which is okay I suppose.
I'm literally sitting in my living room, staring at my calendar, trying to figure out what happened to this year. It's just so weird that I've almost been in Chicago for four years, and have had plenty of highs and lows here but definitely still love it as much as ever. And I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for me!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Columbus
Yeah. So that just happened. After nine months of planning and build-up and excitement, I emerged from Columbus emotionally drained and exhausted. It wasn't just that Miami lost. Teams can recover from one loss. It was also how we were treated. I've never met a group of fans more petty, rude, inappropriate and just downright mean in my life.
Friday evening we put on our Miami gear and went to a Miami party at Buffalo Wild Wings near campus (I think, though really, I came away none the wiser on the layout). BWW eventually got too crowded so we headed to Brothers and it was there that I started to see the nastiness seeping out of the C-Average Ohio residents who couldn't get in anywhere else. And the worst part was, it was unprovoked. I was at the bar getting drinks and some girl was like, "You just need to leave, you'll see what we're going to do to you tomorrow." I wanted to point out that she looked like a low class hooker but I was so taken aback I think I literally just stared at her for a minute and then said, "whatever." Some other dude told me (again, when I was getting drinks) that he felt so bad for us and our impending loss that he wanted to buy me a shot - so I let him, because who am I to turn down a free shot, right?
We tried killing them with kindness to show we were the classier fan base, but that honestly did nothing. When I told people I wasn't there to talk shit and just wanted to see a good game, they mocked me. When I said nothing, they mocked me. When Mary and I went back to the car during the 4th quarter to get a head start on leaving and avoid the riots (you stay classy, OSU), they mocked us. And as Patrick said to me later, "there's nothing worse than a sore loser." And it's true. They had already won, why add nastiness to it? Mary, coming in to this, had the most bad experiences with Florida fans and said OSU fans made Gators look classy. And that's saying something.
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel so that one or both of us didn't wind up in jail or the ER (kidding...sort of). But I think we were both too upset to go out anyway.
The one positive that came out of the weekend was the tailgate - the tailgate was downright amazing. And I met some great people. We got up at 4:45 on two hours sleep to get ready and there by 5:45. Yes in the morning. For a while it was just Mary, Paul, Sarah and I, but they were all a lot of fun. And as it got later our group kept growing. So from, 6am-3pm we tailgated (okay, fine, I napped a bit in the car, I'm not going to lie) and went into the Horseshoe happy and excited and optimistic and came out battered and bruised.
Now don't get me wrong, I am all about good-natured smack talking, when it's fun and everyone can just laugh it off. There was no laughing off with these jackholes and their odd superiority complex considering their school has rock-bottom admission standards and Columbus is a shit hole - what, exactly, is there to be superior about? Your coach who pays off the refs? Maurice Clarett who went to jail?
And also, maybe I need a thicker skin or whatever, because I know these people didn't even know me, so I couldn't take it personally, but such genuine antagonism makes me sad. Didn't your mother teach you to be nice to people? Geez.
I know this is the part where people will swoop in and start telling me Miami has the same problems, but Randy Shannon has really turned the program around and has been great about discipline - he has zero tolerance, the players know it, and they know he's serious. Now we're graduating players more than we used to. Now we have a team full of players with talent and academic success. I doubt Jim Tressel can say the same.
I will end my obvious whining with one final thought: Before the 2009 Final Four game vs. UNC, one of the CBSSports.com columnists wrote that Villanova had absolutely no chance to beat UNC - that they COULD NOT win. To my SHOCK, UNC fans lit up the message boards urging people not to count out Villanova, that they knew we were competitive and that they were not taking this game lightly. I was honestly humbled, since I assumed UNC fans were like snotty Duke fans and they turned out to be the opposite. I was impressed with their class, and the class 'Nova fans showed back.
It would have been great if our experience in Columbus could have been similar. But it wasn't. And I'm never going back there, or giving another OSU fan the benefit of the doubt (minus the one or two I knew prior to this - this only applies to people in Columbus). I would like to not wish OSU fans good luck in football but rather good luck in life. They'll need it.
Friday evening we put on our Miami gear and went to a Miami party at Buffalo Wild Wings near campus (I think, though really, I came away none the wiser on the layout). BWW eventually got too crowded so we headed to Brothers and it was there that I started to see the nastiness seeping out of the C-Average Ohio residents who couldn't get in anywhere else. And the worst part was, it was unprovoked. I was at the bar getting drinks and some girl was like, "You just need to leave, you'll see what we're going to do to you tomorrow." I wanted to point out that she looked like a low class hooker but I was so taken aback I think I literally just stared at her for a minute and then said, "whatever." Some other dude told me (again, when I was getting drinks) that he felt so bad for us and our impending loss that he wanted to buy me a shot - so I let him, because who am I to turn down a free shot, right?
We tried killing them with kindness to show we were the classier fan base, but that honestly did nothing. When I told people I wasn't there to talk shit and just wanted to see a good game, they mocked me. When I said nothing, they mocked me. When Mary and I went back to the car during the 4th quarter to get a head start on leaving and avoid the riots (you stay classy, OSU), they mocked us. And as Patrick said to me later, "there's nothing worse than a sore loser." And it's true. They had already won, why add nastiness to it? Mary, coming in to this, had the most bad experiences with Florida fans and said OSU fans made Gators look classy. And that's saying something.
The rest of the night was spent in the hotel so that one or both of us didn't wind up in jail or the ER (kidding...sort of). But I think we were both too upset to go out anyway.
The one positive that came out of the weekend was the tailgate - the tailgate was downright amazing. And I met some great people. We got up at 4:45 on two hours sleep to get ready and there by 5:45. Yes in the morning. For a while it was just Mary, Paul, Sarah and I, but they were all a lot of fun. And as it got later our group kept growing. So from, 6am-3pm we tailgated (okay, fine, I napped a bit in the car, I'm not going to lie) and went into the Horseshoe happy and excited and optimistic and came out battered and bruised.
Now don't get me wrong, I am all about good-natured smack talking, when it's fun and everyone can just laugh it off. There was no laughing off with these jackholes and their odd superiority complex considering their school has rock-bottom admission standards and Columbus is a shit hole - what, exactly, is there to be superior about? Your coach who pays off the refs? Maurice Clarett who went to jail?
And also, maybe I need a thicker skin or whatever, because I know these people didn't even know me, so I couldn't take it personally, but such genuine antagonism makes me sad. Didn't your mother teach you to be nice to people? Geez.
I know this is the part where people will swoop in and start telling me Miami has the same problems, but Randy Shannon has really turned the program around and has been great about discipline - he has zero tolerance, the players know it, and they know he's serious. Now we're graduating players more than we used to. Now we have a team full of players with talent and academic success. I doubt Jim Tressel can say the same.
I will end my obvious whining with one final thought: Before the 2009 Final Four game vs. UNC, one of the CBSSports.com columnists wrote that Villanova had absolutely no chance to beat UNC - that they COULD NOT win. To my SHOCK, UNC fans lit up the message boards urging people not to count out Villanova, that they knew we were competitive and that they were not taking this game lightly. I was honestly humbled, since I assumed UNC fans were like snotty Duke fans and they turned out to be the opposite. I was impressed with their class, and the class 'Nova fans showed back.
It would have been great if our experience in Columbus could have been similar. But it wasn't. And I'm never going back there, or giving another OSU fan the benefit of the doubt (minus the one or two I knew prior to this - this only applies to people in Columbus). I would like to not wish OSU fans good luck in football but rather good luck in life. They'll need it.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Reality TV at it's "finest"
I have a profound hatred for MOST reality TV shows. I say most because I inexplicably will watch Keeping up With the Kardashians (side note: I recently read in US Weekly that the mom, Kris Jenner, used to be friends with Nicole Simpson, but then her ex-husband defended OJ Simpson. Seem weird to anyone else?) but other than that, really cannot STAND those shows.
For example, the Bachelor/Bachelorette has been tanking for the longest time, Jersey Shore is like the Hills but MTV went into a gutter to cast it, and don't even get me started on the Real Housewives of Anywhere. It just takes fame whores of the worst kind (selfish, awful people) and makes them rich for literally doing nothing (I mean, Snooki can get $10K+ for an appearance fee. We're giving a five figure salary to someone who thought the Bump-It was a GOOD idea?) except exploiting their privacy and the privacy of others - I mean, even I will admit the Kardashians are famous for no reason and I'm not sure how I got on that bandwagon. But I digress.
So now, Dancing With the Stars, 11th edition, has cast the most wretched bottom dwellers they could have possibly come up with. Let's examine, shall we?
Bristol Palin - Famous for no other reason that getting knocked up while her mom was running for VP. No pregnancy = no dancing with anyone.
The Situation - Rescued from a life of certain mediocrity when MTV put him on the worst show in the history of ever.
David Hasselhoff - Drunk. All the time.
Florence Henderson - I mean, I guess at least she was on an actual TV show (okay, DH was too, but he's such a jerk now I won't acknowledge).
Kyle Massey - Apparently used to be on That's So Raven...need I say more?
Kurt Warner - Okay fine.
Margaret Cho - Haven't heard of her relevance since 2002. Since DWTS calls on desperation, she's perfect.
Audrina Partridge - Will probably spend most of her time dodging advances from the Siutation.
Rick Fox - Not doing much else.
Brandy - Loved her in 1996 when she peaked.
Jennifer Grey - Hasn't been busy since 1988 - should win because if she doesn't there will be too many insufferable "nobody puts Baby in a corner" jokes otherwise.
Michael Bolton - No Talent Ass Clown
So we basically have a bunch of drunks in a professional dance-off. I might just wind up watching this train wreck of a season.
For example, the Bachelor/Bachelorette has been tanking for the longest time, Jersey Shore is like the Hills but MTV went into a gutter to cast it, and don't even get me started on the Real Housewives of Anywhere. It just takes fame whores of the worst kind (selfish, awful people) and makes them rich for literally doing nothing (I mean, Snooki can get $10K+ for an appearance fee. We're giving a five figure salary to someone who thought the Bump-It was a GOOD idea?) except exploiting their privacy and the privacy of others - I mean, even I will admit the Kardashians are famous for no reason and I'm not sure how I got on that bandwagon. But I digress.
So now, Dancing With the Stars, 11th edition, has cast the most wretched bottom dwellers they could have possibly come up with. Let's examine, shall we?
Bristol Palin - Famous for no other reason that getting knocked up while her mom was running for VP. No pregnancy = no dancing with anyone.
The Situation - Rescued from a life of certain mediocrity when MTV put him on the worst show in the history of ever.
David Hasselhoff - Drunk. All the time.
Florence Henderson - I mean, I guess at least she was on an actual TV show (okay, DH was too, but he's such a jerk now I won't acknowledge).
Kyle Massey - Apparently used to be on That's So Raven...need I say more?
Kurt Warner - Okay fine.
Margaret Cho - Haven't heard of her relevance since 2002. Since DWTS calls on desperation, she's perfect.
Audrina Partridge - Will probably spend most of her time dodging advances from the Siutation.
Rick Fox - Not doing much else.
Brandy - Loved her in 1996 when she peaked.
Jennifer Grey - Hasn't been busy since 1988 - should win because if she doesn't there will be too many insufferable "nobody puts Baby in a corner" jokes otherwise.
Michael Bolton - No Talent Ass Clown
So we basically have a bunch of drunks in a professional dance-off. I might just wind up watching this train wreck of a season.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A Whirlwind
August has just flown right by. I blinked and it was over. My new niece Kate was born the 5th (yay!) but I have to wait until Thanksgiving to meet her (booo). Then I had surgery to fix my deviated septum (no, that is not a nose job, but thanks for asking) so spent a good four days high on Vicodin (yay!) but missed Sarah's birthday (booo).
This weekend is Megan + Mike's wedding, then Labor Day, and THEN, in a mere 15 days, I am off to Columbus to go to the Miami vs OSU game in the Horseshoe where I can only hope Miami enacts the revenge we've been waiting seven years for. Sure, a national title isn't on the line OUTRIGHT, but if OSU loses this game, it will severely hurt their chances to get to the title game. Most analysts are predicting they will make a run to the title game but you really can't get there anymore unless you're 12-0, so if we beat them, it surely will damper their plans for a title (also, the past two title games they've played in they've been blown out anyway, so even if they get there, they will likely lose).
Given how much money I spent on the ticket, hotel, plane ticket, etc, I can only hope I am rewarded with a Miami win, but regardless, it will be a fun weekend to watch some great football - and I am SURE I will come back with some fabulous stories to actually make this blog interesting!!
This weekend is Megan + Mike's wedding, then Labor Day, and THEN, in a mere 15 days, I am off to Columbus to go to the Miami vs OSU game in the Horseshoe where I can only hope Miami enacts the revenge we've been waiting seven years for. Sure, a national title isn't on the line OUTRIGHT, but if OSU loses this game, it will severely hurt their chances to get to the title game. Most analysts are predicting they will make a run to the title game but you really can't get there anymore unless you're 12-0, so if we beat them, it surely will damper their plans for a title (also, the past two title games they've played in they've been blown out anyway, so even if they get there, they will likely lose).
Given how much money I spent on the ticket, hotel, plane ticket, etc, I can only hope I am rewarded with a Miami win, but regardless, it will be a fun weekend to watch some great football - and I am SURE I will come back with some fabulous stories to actually make this blog interesting!!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A sobering cartoon
I came across this little cartoon on Mint.com, which I found rather sobering. I mean, everyone knows if you only pay the monthly minimum on your credit card the balance will go nowhere - but to see it depicted in such a riveting piece of art really made it all the more scary. I've actually stop using plastic altogether - knowing that if I didn't, I'd never pay my cards off. It definitely makes things difficult (booking flights, for example) but makes me a lot more disciplined - if I don't have the cash, I won't do it. Saying no may mean missing out on some fun times, but I don't want to be 45 and living in my mom's basement in NH because I couldn't reign in my spending. In the long run, a few years of suffering will surely be worth it.
Personal Finance Sofware Mint.com
Personal Finance Sofware Mint.com
Vegas - Exploring the Obsession
Those that know me (well, not well, peripherally, you've met me once and I friended you on Facebook) know that I am completely obsessed with Las Vegas. If not for the fact that I have limited funds and vacation days, I would go there as often as possible. I joked more than once that I should just move there (which I won't because I wouldn't last a month but I digress).
So, why Vegas? What's so great about it? Let's explore, shall we?
First of all, I can't say I love it because I've consistently won a substantial amount of money when I'm there - it isn't like I'm a high roller who can be up thousands of dollars at a time. Usually you'll find me camped out at the penny slots drinking either a Bud Light or watered down vodka cran. My most recent trip I did win $342 by putting a five in a quarter slot and winning on my second hit but that rarely (or never) happens. Most of the time I lose $40 or $50. So it's not the money factor.
Although I do love gambling. I'm not sure why. It's something about the lights, noise, and unlimited supply of drinks. I could be happy staying in the casino 24/7. I don't need the shows or dining (though both are fabulous I haven't eaten at any high end restaurants and the only shows I have seen involved male strippers so pretty much I'm saying I don't go there to eat at Emeril's and watch Celine Dion belt out my Heart Will Go On for $200 a pop).
Three of the four times I've gone, the weather has been nice enough to get in some serious pool time - so that's one reason: the plethora of pools and the great weather (the second time I went barely counts anyway because it was for one night with my mom when I was moving here from San Diego).
The company is another reason. The third and fourth times I went were an absolute blast - just was with the best group of people and that really contributes. The combo of company, weather and Bright Lights City never disappointing all contribute to my freak-like obsession.
So, who wants to go, and when?
So, why Vegas? What's so great about it? Let's explore, shall we?
First of all, I can't say I love it because I've consistently won a substantial amount of money when I'm there - it isn't like I'm a high roller who can be up thousands of dollars at a time. Usually you'll find me camped out at the penny slots drinking either a Bud Light or watered down vodka cran. My most recent trip I did win $342 by putting a five in a quarter slot and winning on my second hit but that rarely (or never) happens. Most of the time I lose $40 or $50. So it's not the money factor.
Although I do love gambling. I'm not sure why. It's something about the lights, noise, and unlimited supply of drinks. I could be happy staying in the casino 24/7. I don't need the shows or dining (though both are fabulous I haven't eaten at any high end restaurants and the only shows I have seen involved male strippers so pretty much I'm saying I don't go there to eat at Emeril's and watch Celine Dion belt out my Heart Will Go On for $200 a pop).
Three of the four times I've gone, the weather has been nice enough to get in some serious pool time - so that's one reason: the plethora of pools and the great weather (the second time I went barely counts anyway because it was for one night with my mom when I was moving here from San Diego).
The company is another reason. The third and fourth times I went were an absolute blast - just was with the best group of people and that really contributes. The combo of company, weather and Bright Lights City never disappointing all contribute to my freak-like obsession.
So, who wants to go, and when?
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
You Get What You Pay For
Ahhh online dating. I'm still trying to figure out when the explosion happened - somewhere between AOL chat rooms circa 1996 and Twitter circa now, the internet became everyone's one-stop shop to find a mate. Maybe you alienated all your guy friends and their friends with your insecurities or refusal to settle or maybe you live in a town where everyone knows everyone else - whatever the reason, online dating sites can be your best friend or worst enemy.
I saw a friend's Facebook post earlier saying she was reconsidering Match.com and I tried to intervene as quickly as possible - which got me to thinking - of all the sites out there, what are our best options as single folk? So I've decided to grade them all (and by ALL of course I just mean the ones I've tried).
My one other date came a while later - I made the mistake of suggesting we meet at Sedgwick's, a Villanova bar, during a Villanova game, and while I barely paid attention to a word he said, he rehashed his recent trip to Costa Rica where he mentioned (several times) hot tub activities I'd rather not repeat. Fail. Massive Fail.
Plenty of Fish - (F) - I tried POF when I lived in San Diego. As I was working all the time, I was only hanging out with guys from work and there was enough drama in that place to rival Days of Our Lives so I decided to look outside of the company for a date. My friend's roommate recommend POF, so off I went, into the jaws of the unknown (it was my first time using a free site, so I feared the worst). I met and talked to this guy who seemed normal at FIRST, but then I started to have my doubts. This was back in the day when AOL IM was like THE THING, and we would chat at night sometimes when I got home from work - he had an amazing talent for making jokes completely irrelevant to the conversation we were having so I would never know how to respond.
Example:
Me: I have to work at Baby Gap on Saturday
Him: LOL I LOVE Nascar bibs LMAO
Um...what?
Eventually I relented to meeting him and forced my good friend Katie and her boyfriend Brian to double-date with us. It turned out his IRL appearance was so far off what he posted online that it took me a good five minutes to figure out if it was actually him or not. Also, he was wearing brown pants with black shoes. No wait. Maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, he was so creepy I could not get rid of him fast enough but he continued to email me for almost two years. Yikes.
Match.com - (C) - I think out of all the sites out there, I have tried (and failed) the most with Match.com. There was the guy who never gave me his number so when I got lost and showed up to our date 20 minutes late I already had a huge deficit - by far the cutest, most normal guy I'd ever met online and he wanted nothing to do with me post-date. Then there was the dude who was so sweet but we had no spark, but I keep seeing him because I figured why not, the one who I am pretty sure was gay, the one who was too immature, Hollywood Kisser, Lawyer Man who I would have loved to see again but wanted nothing to do with me (common theme I suppose). I mean, it never ends. And the most recent time I tried it, no one showed interest in me at all. Which brings me to...
OKCupid - (D) - I either go on dates where I'm forced to split a $29 check or I receive messages such as this gem (spelling and grammatical errors are their own):
Subject Line: Free Pie
Alright seriously...there is no pie but I thought this would help you open and this maybe chat with me later. Who knows we could get real pie in the future, or if you don't like pie maybe ice cream. Either way you're now thinking about sweets and will remember this message and either message me back from the sheer awesomeness of this note, or you you will blame me for massive weight gain from eating awesome sweets because this note was awesome. so I might be awesome and you're proabably awesome especially if you message me back I hope to hear from you soon
Or this:
I just wanted to take this time and say hi and I would like the chance to get to know you better, if you're cool with doing so?
Take good care and I hope to hear back from you when the time allows for you to respond back to my inquiry. All my best to you.
Take good care and I hope to hear back from you when the time allows for you to respond back to my inquiry. All my best to you.
Or my ABSOLUTE favorite (from a guy who had previously emailed but I had not responded to because he was 40+ and lives in Michigan:)
Just give it a chance. You've got nothing to lose. It's not like we are going to get married right away. Maybe you might appreciate a mature guy for a change. I certian know how to treat a lady and you my friend, are a lady in a half. Beautiful..... Listen to me.... You are beautiful....
E-Harmony - (D) - In E-Harmony's defense, I joined when I really wasn't as serious about dating as you should be when you join E-Harmony. After going through the 768 steps of communication, I found myself at brunch with someone much older and shorter than his profile and picture indicated. Five minutes after the date was over he texted me to ask if I felt any chemistry. Then the next day if I wanted to continue dating and what I thought about "us" - okay that's just a little fast for me.
I'm sure all of these sites have worked better for people who aren't so inept but if anyone wanted my two cents - there it is.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Attack of the D-List
Yesterday was Chicago's Rock & Roll Half Marathon and I spectated for a bit so that I could see Katie finish.
I started at mile six where a friend of mine was volunteering at a water station, then met up with Megan & Mike so we could go to the finish line to make sure we'd see Katie.
Well, they should have renamed the marathon DList Central as there were reality TV stars running it, which the Emcee's could not stop talking about. First, we had Guiliana Rancic cross the finish line, then a Real Housewife (though I don't watch any of them so I couldn't tell you which one), then Jake the most recent Bachelor, followed by Jason & Molly Mesnick.
Jake is actually the second cousin of my friend Michelle, which I informed him of when I ran up to him while he was sitting at the back of a golf cart at a red light (who knows where they were taking him). I just couldn't resist. First I asked for a pic thinking either Megan or Katie was behind me w/a camera - but they weren't - so some random lady tried to take one with her camera but her battery was dead. At this point I gave up, shook his hand and told him I knew his cousin Michelle. I was met with a blank stare and a "WHO?" so then I told him her last name and the lightbulb went off just as the light turned green so our entire interaction was kind of odd. But whatever.
I can add him to the list of famous people I've met.
That list includes:
-Ian Ziering
-Andy Roddick
-Jerry Springer
-Rue McClanahan
-wow this list is not impressive
-though I did see Chris Noth and he was only about 10ft from me, he was filming Law & Order
-but he did look right at us
-and we had to play it cool
-Debra Messing came into the Baby Gap I worked at in San Diego...but not while I was working
-this is pathetic so I'm stopping now.
I started at mile six where a friend of mine was volunteering at a water station, then met up with Megan & Mike so we could go to the finish line to make sure we'd see Katie.
Well, they should have renamed the marathon DList Central as there were reality TV stars running it, which the Emcee's could not stop talking about. First, we had Guiliana Rancic cross the finish line, then a Real Housewife (though I don't watch any of them so I couldn't tell you which one), then Jake the most recent Bachelor, followed by Jason & Molly Mesnick.
Jake is actually the second cousin of my friend Michelle, which I informed him of when I ran up to him while he was sitting at the back of a golf cart at a red light (who knows where they were taking him). I just couldn't resist. First I asked for a pic thinking either Megan or Katie was behind me w/a camera - but they weren't - so some random lady tried to take one with her camera but her battery was dead. At this point I gave up, shook his hand and told him I knew his cousin Michelle. I was met with a blank stare and a "WHO?" so then I told him her last name and the lightbulb went off just as the light turned green so our entire interaction was kind of odd. But whatever.
I can add him to the list of famous people I've met.
That list includes:
-Ian Ziering
-Andy Roddick
-Jerry Springer
-Rue McClanahan
-wow this list is not impressive
-though I did see Chris Noth and he was only about 10ft from me, he was filming Law & Order
-but he did look right at us
-and we had to play it cool
-Debra Messing came into the Baby Gap I worked at in San Diego...but not while I was working
-this is pathetic so I'm stopping now.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Games
Games –
The other day, I was talking to my friend about the dating games we play. She didn’t want to call a guy she’s been seeing because she didn’t want to seem too eager – I told her that if she wanted to call him, she should call him, which launched a lively discussion about games. (P.S. we compromised on a text. It worked out. That is all.)
Here’s the thing: I’ve been playing these so-called games since I was 13 and someone told me you have to act like you don’t like a boy if you want him to like you back (oh, so stalking doesn’t work? Noted.) It was okay to be bad at this crap when I was 13. But now...
Sixteen (yikes), I repeat 16-years later this is still a game I’m losing. Not only am I losing, I don’t even know the rules. It’s like Monopoly, Chutes & Ladders, Twister and SORRY! all combined into one festive clusterfuck.
How so, you ask? Great question. In Monopoly you can own lots of property but just as easily wind up bankrupt. Same with dating – you can be playing the field and end up with no one. Like you decide to buy the shitty properties (hello Baltic Ave) just so you’ll have SOMETHING but wind up wishing you waited until Boardwark or Park Place were available, but now they’re dating the leggy blonde they met on their softball team who can actually hit while you just look stupid.
Now you’ve just wasted all this time dating other people trying not to look too eager while some opportunistic poor man’s Tori Spelling swooped in and took what was rightfully yours. But since you were all, “let me date other people so he’ll know I’m interested” it backfired right into your living room on a Friday night where you’re drinking wine and watching the Golden Girls alone.
You also have to deal with the ups and downs of dating, just like the ups and downs of Chutes & Ladders. One minute you’re flying high and the next thing you know, you’re right back where you started (or maybe you truly never left but were getting enough on the side not to notice). One week you can have three dates but then the next year brings you zero (not that I’m referring to myself here – just so we’re clear).
You have to deal with arbitrary luck, just like in Sorry! (or Twister) where the draw of a card or spin of a wheel can set you back in the game or force you into a position that even weeks of yoga couldn’t prepare you for. Sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, you’re in the right place at the right time and still screw it up. Sometimes it’s so blatantly obviously right there in front of you that you screw it up because you’re so used to playing games that when it’s handed to you on a silver platter you turn it into a game and lose.
At what point does our not wanting to appear overeager translate to disinterest? You can think you’re playing it cool when really you’ve alienated people from asking you out because they think you want nothing to do with them (awesome if that’s actually the case!!). At what point does you going after what you want become stalkerish or crazy? How many times has someone told you to “play it cool” and you wound up playing with yourself?
Why do we still have to play these games when we’re almost 20-10? I mean, it’s one thing to play games when you’re eighteen, but quite another when you’re trying to have an adult relationship but the honesty ship has sailed.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not calling all of us liars. I’m just asking why we can’t be more honest about our emotions with ourselves and others. How hard is it to tell someone you like them (kind of hard, I know, I’m guilty of it too). How hard is it to say, “thanks but no thanks?” Okay, that actually IS hard and I’ve resorted to basically dropping off the planet to avoid having to say that, a move that tripped the karma alarm and it’s been blaring in my ear ever since. Thanks, I get it. And why, if we do tell someone we're interested, is it considered a bad thing? It's not like you hunted down their email address off their company's web site to email them this at work. Oh, you did? My bad.
Where was I? Oh yes. Honesty. The games we play have become so drawn out and the rules so convoluted that my new (and only) rule is this: if you try to play games with me, you’ll be playing by yourself. Or with yourself. Which preposition is more appropriate? Did I really just ask that? Is this the reason I’m single?
I guess if I'm going to be single either way, I'd at least like to know I did all I could rather than being involved in a game I didn't even want to play in the first place, or know the rules to, and therefore wound up losing by default.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Transformers
Transformers 3 is apparently filming downtown. I haven't seen the first two movies so I don't really care that much but it's definitely cool to live in a city where so many movies are filmed, such as the following gems:
While You Were Sleeping - Sarah and I like to watch the movie to point out the geographical inaccuracies and I think our main mission in life is to figure out where Sandra Bullock's apartment was (we think Logan Square).
My Best Friend's Wedding - I watched this movie w/a group of people including my friend Ryan, who I had just told I wanted to date. We watched the movie, then he was all, "just want to be friends, sorry." Yeah, not the movie to watch when you're apparently in the same situation. Oh 1998, you make me laugh.
Home Alone - If you can't watch this movie and get into the Christmas spirit, something is wrong with you. Okay fine, so it was filmed in the burbs, but it is still Chicago-area. Unlike...
Adventures in Babysitting - Which was supposed to take place in Chicago but the majority of which was filmed in Toronto, including the epic scene at the Silver Dollar Room, where they get on stage and sing the Babysitting Blues. I feel deceived.
The Fugitive - One of my all time favorite movies - every time it is on TBS or whatever, I watch it.
Last but not least:
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Apparently, anyone who doesn't love this movie is a communist.
While You Were Sleeping - Sarah and I like to watch the movie to point out the geographical inaccuracies and I think our main mission in life is to figure out where Sandra Bullock's apartment was (we think Logan Square).
My Best Friend's Wedding - I watched this movie w/a group of people including my friend Ryan, who I had just told I wanted to date. We watched the movie, then he was all, "just want to be friends, sorry." Yeah, not the movie to watch when you're apparently in the same situation. Oh 1998, you make me laugh.
Home Alone - If you can't watch this movie and get into the Christmas spirit, something is wrong with you. Okay fine, so it was filmed in the burbs, but it is still Chicago-area. Unlike...
Adventures in Babysitting - Which was supposed to take place in Chicago but the majority of which was filmed in Toronto, including the epic scene at the Silver Dollar Room, where they get on stage and sing the Babysitting Blues. I feel deceived.
The Fugitive - One of my all time favorite movies - every time it is on TBS or whatever, I watch it.
Last but not least:
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Apparently, anyone who doesn't love this movie is a communist.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Anywhere You Go...
This past weekend was great - we celebrated Courtney's birthday at Southern. We had a cabana on the rooftop deck, which was very nice in spite of the torrential downpour going on outside. Southern also has amazing food. I had the mac & cheese (they use Gouda!! I couldn't help myself), which was delicious but probably broke my "in order to be less of a fat ass I should stop eating 7lbs of pasta per day" rule. Also, at some point we ordered a vat of Kentucky Lemonade, which honestly tasted like straight whiskey. But that's fine. It was a great evening overall.
On Sunday evening, we ventured over to the Burger Fest in Roscoe Village to see the Gin Blossoms. Can we discuss this briefly? In the 90s they were this really hot band and had a song on a movie soundtrack that everyone was obsessed with and now they're playing at Roscoe Village Burger Fest? Oh how the mighty have fallen. They opened with "Follow You Down," which is my personal favorite and only got to play 5-6 tunes because it was lightening outside and the stage was unsafe. Sad.
After everyone trickled home, John and I wound up playing darts at Mulligans for a while. I actually almost beat him too - we had to institute some sort of tie breaker - which means that yes, I actually hit all the numbers AND the bulls-eye, though I am sure that was the blind luck of me chucking the darts at the board and hoping they stuck rather than actual skill. But that's fine. Who knew I could play darts? Certainly not me!
On Sunday evening, we ventured over to the Burger Fest in Roscoe Village to see the Gin Blossoms. Can we discuss this briefly? In the 90s they were this really hot band and had a song on a movie soundtrack that everyone was obsessed with and now they're playing at Roscoe Village Burger Fest? Oh how the mighty have fallen. They opened with "Follow You Down," which is my personal favorite and only got to play 5-6 tunes because it was lightening outside and the stage was unsafe. Sad.
After everyone trickled home, John and I wound up playing darts at Mulligans for a while. I actually almost beat him too - we had to institute some sort of tie breaker - which means that yes, I actually hit all the numbers AND the bulls-eye, though I am sure that was the blind luck of me chucking the darts at the board and hoping they stuck rather than actual skill. But that's fine. Who knew I could play darts? Certainly not me!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Jezebel's Worst Pickup Line Contest - Rated R
Jezebel, one of my favorite sites, is having a Worst Pickup Line contest. The prize for those who don't live in NYC is some sort of DVD I'm not really interested in. But I did want to enter because I have such a great story and why not share it with others? So, below is what I submitted - enjoy, my lovelies!
My best story occurred the summer after I graduated from college. I was working at a video store to kill time until I got an actual job. The store had a "back room" if you catch my drift, and one day when my (male) manager and I were working alone, a male customer came in (during the day, if it matters) and ventured into said back room.
Now, being 22 and still fairly innocent, I was always rather nervous ringing up transactions for adult videos, so when he came to the counter with a DVD entitled "No Cum Dodging Allowed" this was certainly no exception. My previous method to combat said nervous feeling was to make small talk ("great weather today, how was your 4th of July, did you see the new Will Smith movie?") because USUALLY when renting from the back room, other customers would throw other mainstream movies into the mix.
But not my friend this day. We'll call him Will. Will was only renting this one DVD. And of course while making normal small talk w/him, I made a mistake on the transaction and had to call my manager over to come fix it.
After he fixes the error and I resume the transaction and Will says to me, "Just so you know, the next time you make a mistake like that you're going to get spanked." I thought he was a) kidding and b) talking about my manager because he was the one who had to fix the error. So I responded by pointing to my manager and saying, "who him? Naah, he's harmless." Will then says, "no, I was talking about me."
It was at this point that I became so mortified that I had no idea how to respond and merely (half) laughed and just said "oh."
Will then asked for my number. I was so embarrassed and wanted to get him out of the store as quickly as possible, so like a dumbass I GAVE it to him. So color me surprised when three days later he actually called me. Come to think of it, his name actually WAS Will. Anyway. I didn't call him back and thought that would be the end of it.
But it wasn't.
That Sunday, when I was working alone, he COMES INTO THE STORE, sneaks up behind me and was all, "hey there, you never called me back."
I literally had nowhere to run so just said, "yeah, sorry, you really embarrassed me so I can't go out with you."
He said he understood, ventured into the back room, rented another porn, and left.
So, there you have it friends. I can't make this stuff up!
My best story occurred the summer after I graduated from college. I was working at a video store to kill time until I got an actual job. The store had a "back room" if you catch my drift, and one day when my (male) manager and I were working alone, a male customer came in (during the day, if it matters) and ventured into said back room.
Now, being 22 and still fairly innocent, I was always rather nervous ringing up transactions for adult videos, so when he came to the counter with a DVD entitled "No Cum Dodging Allowed" this was certainly no exception. My previous method to combat said nervous feeling was to make small talk ("great weather today, how was your 4th of July, did you see the new Will Smith movie?") because USUALLY when renting from the back room, other customers would throw other mainstream movies into the mix.
But not my friend this day. We'll call him Will. Will was only renting this one DVD. And of course while making normal small talk w/him, I made a mistake on the transaction and had to call my manager over to come fix it.
After he fixes the error and I resume the transaction and Will says to me, "Just so you know, the next time you make a mistake like that you're going to get spanked." I thought he was a) kidding and b) talking about my manager because he was the one who had to fix the error. So I responded by pointing to my manager and saying, "who him? Naah, he's harmless." Will then says, "no, I was talking about me."
It was at this point that I became so mortified that I had no idea how to respond and merely (half) laughed and just said "oh."
Will then asked for my number. I was so embarrassed and wanted to get him out of the store as quickly as possible, so like a dumbass I GAVE it to him. So color me surprised when three days later he actually called me. Come to think of it, his name actually WAS Will. Anyway. I didn't call him back and thought that would be the end of it.
But it wasn't.
That Sunday, when I was working alone, he COMES INTO THE STORE, sneaks up behind me and was all, "hey there, you never called me back."
I literally had nowhere to run so just said, "yeah, sorry, you really embarrassed me so I can't go out with you."
He said he understood, ventured into the back room, rented another porn, and left.
So, there you have it friends. I can't make this stuff up!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Hotlanta
I spent my third consecutive 4th of July in Atlanta this year, visiting Katie and enjoying some much needed pool time. This year was different, however, as I decided to run the Peachtree Road Race rather than just spectate. So, running a 10k in 80-degree heat in too-tight cotton shorts while hungover, out-of-shape, and nauseous is basically the worst idea ever, in case you were wondering. But I finished. So I guess that's all that matters. And three-days too late I finally ordered my desperately needed new running shoes. So there's that.
We had fun as usual. I got to know some of Katie's friends a bit better and also since she is the only person who shares my obsession for Vincent A. Larusso (Google him if you don't know who he is) we watched D2 last night.
The night before the race, Katie & Sarah wanted to watch 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, which I've never seen, and incidentially still haven't as I fell asleep about ten minutes in. I don't have a taste for old movies but should probably develop one - like I've seen Casablanca once and was like whateves, not for me.
But watching D2 got me thinking about the life lessons you can glean from this Disney gem (because I'm all about the life lessons. Disclaimer: not to be taken seriously):
1) It's all about money until a ninth grader brings you back down to earth: Gordon Bombay (what a horrible name, P.S.) agrees to coach Team USA for the junior Goodwill games only to be given a huge salary, house in Malibu and tons of press time and endorsements. Ignoring the fact that none of this would ever happen in reality, old Gordo doesn't come back down to earth until Iceland crushes his team and he once again has an epiphany thanks to Jan and Charlie feeding him some self-righteous bullshit about how hockey shouldn't be all about winning, even though it ends up being all about winning.
2) Recycling old story lines is easy and preferred: We as humans are all about routine. I didn't realize how much I appreciated my routine until I didn't have one. So basically D2 is the original Might Ducks on hormones: take a team that needs to overcome physical and mental obstacles to beat a superior one that would probably beat them 9 times out of 10 (think 18-1 Patriots vs. Giants) but because the inferior team can use Jedi Mind Tricks, they win.
3) Being cocky is never the answer: Admit it: you love seeing cocky athletes get knocked off their high horses (applies to people in general too, not just athletes) and if you know me you know I throw a party every time Roger Federer loses. And I'm sure it does your body good when Duke loses - admit it, a little part of you enjoys that Coach K and Dick Vitale are crying in a dark corner together somewhere in the Raleigh-Durham area. D2 thrives on this: Team USA is cocky until they can't be and then they turn the tables on Iceland.
4) The hottest men on the planet are from Iceland (unless they're from Latvia): Props to the casting crew for making the villainous Icelanders massive eye-candy. So even though they bullied those poor Ducks, they were nice to look at.
5) I guess in the end, everything turns out okay - As cheesy as it sounds, Disney got one thing right: life always goes on.
We had fun as usual. I got to know some of Katie's friends a bit better and also since she is the only person who shares my obsession for Vincent A. Larusso (Google him if you don't know who he is) we watched D2 last night.
The night before the race, Katie & Sarah wanted to watch 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, which I've never seen, and incidentially still haven't as I fell asleep about ten minutes in. I don't have a taste for old movies but should probably develop one - like I've seen Casablanca once and was like whateves, not for me.
But watching D2 got me thinking about the life lessons you can glean from this Disney gem (because I'm all about the life lessons. Disclaimer: not to be taken seriously):
1) It's all about money until a ninth grader brings you back down to earth: Gordon Bombay (what a horrible name, P.S.) agrees to coach Team USA for the junior Goodwill games only to be given a huge salary, house in Malibu and tons of press time and endorsements. Ignoring the fact that none of this would ever happen in reality, old Gordo doesn't come back down to earth until Iceland crushes his team and he once again has an epiphany thanks to Jan and Charlie feeding him some self-righteous bullshit about how hockey shouldn't be all about winning, even though it ends up being all about winning.
2) Recycling old story lines is easy and preferred: We as humans are all about routine. I didn't realize how much I appreciated my routine until I didn't have one. So basically D2 is the original Might Ducks on hormones: take a team that needs to overcome physical and mental obstacles to beat a superior one that would probably beat them 9 times out of 10 (think 18-1 Patriots vs. Giants) but because the inferior team can use Jedi Mind Tricks, they win.
3) Being cocky is never the answer: Admit it: you love seeing cocky athletes get knocked off their high horses (applies to people in general too, not just athletes) and if you know me you know I throw a party every time Roger Federer loses. And I'm sure it does your body good when Duke loses - admit it, a little part of you enjoys that Coach K and Dick Vitale are crying in a dark corner together somewhere in the Raleigh-Durham area. D2 thrives on this: Team USA is cocky until they can't be and then they turn the tables on Iceland.
4) The hottest men on the planet are from Iceland (unless they're from Latvia): Props to the casting crew for making the villainous Icelanders massive eye-candy. So even though they bullied those poor Ducks, they were nice to look at.
5) I guess in the end, everything turns out okay - As cheesy as it sounds, Disney got one thing right: life always goes on.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
fail
This project is a giant failure!! My life isn't interesting enough to write about every day. But, the past few months I have been thinking about regret.
One of my favorite quotes (that I discovered in college when debating whether or not to transfer) is: "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." It is credited to someone named Sydney Harris, who I have never heard of (but according to Wikipedia, the authority figure in everything, was a journalist).
The problem with this is that no matter what you do, follow this advice or don't, you'll still have something to regret. Examples:
1) I transferred colleges my junior year and my first semester at U of I was one of the hardest of my life, leaving me to wonder, "what if I hadn't left Miami." But if I hadn't left Miami, I would always wonder what would have happened if I did.
2) Upon graduating college, I had no job and had enough money to go anywhere (granted I got a job). I seriously considered moving to Miami, but was too scared, so stayed in NH. So, I didn't take the financial risk of moving somewhere without a job, but now I'll never know what would have happened if I had.
So, while this quote is inspiring after you took a risk and did something stupid, does it ever really help you??
One of my favorite quotes (that I discovered in college when debating whether or not to transfer) is: "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." It is credited to someone named Sydney Harris, who I have never heard of (but according to Wikipedia, the authority figure in everything, was a journalist).
The problem with this is that no matter what you do, follow this advice or don't, you'll still have something to regret. Examples:
1) I transferred colleges my junior year and my first semester at U of I was one of the hardest of my life, leaving me to wonder, "what if I hadn't left Miami." But if I hadn't left Miami, I would always wonder what would have happened if I did.
2) Upon graduating college, I had no job and had enough money to go anywhere (granted I got a job). I seriously considered moving to Miami, but was too scared, so stayed in NH. So, I didn't take the financial risk of moving somewhere without a job, but now I'll never know what would have happened if I had.
So, while this quote is inspiring after you took a risk and did something stupid, does it ever really help you??
Monday, June 28, 2010
Just as I suspected...
This week is going to be nuts - Steph is moving out (sad) so I'm moving my stuff into her room as it is the biggest with the biggest closet and doing this in between a softball game on Wednesday and packing for Atlanta. This will be my third 4th of July in a row in Hotlanta and this year I decided to brave running the Peachtree rather than just watching it. Although, I haven't gone running in over a month AND it's going to be about 195-degrees down there so it might turn into a slow crawl, but that's fine.
Also, how is it already July? This year has flown by so far. In the beginning of the year I had the cruise to look forward to, then Vegas, Princeton, Memorial Day weekend, now Atlanta. I blinked and the year was half over.
Now I've been sitting here all night trying to come up with a meaningful blog post. Task NOT accomplished. However, I have something in the works that might be far more entertaining.
Also, how is it already July? This year has flown by so far. In the beginning of the year I had the cruise to look forward to, then Vegas, Princeton, Memorial Day weekend, now Atlanta. I blinked and the year was half over.
Now I've been sitting here all night trying to come up with a meaningful blog post. Task NOT accomplished. However, I have something in the works that might be far more entertaining.
Friday, June 25, 2010
The Date
A while back, maybe in March or April, I joined an online dating site, one of the free ones, figuring that if I was going to get rejected, at least I wouldn't be paying to get rejected. And actually I was active for about a week before realizing I didn't care enough to put in that much effort. Well, a week or so ago, I got an email from a guy who seemed perfectly normal, so after trading emails for a bit, he asked me out to dinner and I accepted.
He was not someone I would have approached - his profile said he was a lot shorter than I normally go for and he doesn't drink but it's not like I'm turning down dates on a regular basis and have a reason to be that snobby so I figured, what the hell, it's only dinner.
He sent me links to a few restaurants he'd scoped out on Yelp (yay diligence) and had me pick one. I picked an Italian place by my apartment that I hadn't tried yet and was actually looking forward to the date...until he emailed me the day before:
Hey Reva, just wanted to check in to see how you're doing. I took a look at the menu for Tarantino's, and it is a little on the pricey side.
Now, I don't about you, but that email to me said he wanted me to know we were going Dutch, which I don't have a problem with - if I offer and you take me up on then fine - I'm okay with that. It's the whole email ahead of time thing I have issues with. I mean...really? Maybe he didn't want me to be shocked when he expected me to pay for my half but...
It's hard to go into a date with an open mind after that kind of email - and I figured I was screwed either way. If I say the prices are okay with me and he was planning on paying then I look like a bitch, if I say no then I look like a bitch too (right? I'm not even sure. This is why I hate dating!!!). So I picked a cheaper restaurant to err on the side of caution, and we split a $29 check. He asked me if I wanted to walk around after but I said no and bolted home. Why prolong the inevitable? And if you're wondering, no I haven't heard from him.
The general consensus has been that the person who does the asking should pay for the date. I am not sure I've asked a guy on a date who has actually said yes, but if that ever happened I'd be happy to pay. And I'm not trying to sound superficial either - I am not faulting someone if he doesn't want to buy me dinner at Charlie Trotter's - but I sensed a lack of chivalry there which I think every girl wants, at least for the first few dates.
Also he's 30 and lives with his parents (I think by choice). So there's that.
He was not someone I would have approached - his profile said he was a lot shorter than I normally go for and he doesn't drink but it's not like I'm turning down dates on a regular basis and have a reason to be that snobby so I figured, what the hell, it's only dinner.
He sent me links to a few restaurants he'd scoped out on Yelp (yay diligence) and had me pick one. I picked an Italian place by my apartment that I hadn't tried yet and was actually looking forward to the date...until he emailed me the day before:
Hey Reva, just wanted to check in to see how you're doing. I took a look at the menu for Tarantino's, and it is a little on the pricey side.
This isn't a problem for me, but I just wanted to make sure you're comfortable with those prices. Just say the word if you'd like to change up the locale. :)
Now, I don't about you, but that email to me said he wanted me to know we were going Dutch, which I don't have a problem with - if I offer and you take me up on then fine - I'm okay with that. It's the whole email ahead of time thing I have issues with. I mean...really? Maybe he didn't want me to be shocked when he expected me to pay for my half but...
It's hard to go into a date with an open mind after that kind of email - and I figured I was screwed either way. If I say the prices are okay with me and he was planning on paying then I look like a bitch, if I say no then I look like a bitch too (right? I'm not even sure. This is why I hate dating!!!). So I picked a cheaper restaurant to err on the side of caution, and we split a $29 check. He asked me if I wanted to walk around after but I said no and bolted home. Why prolong the inevitable? And if you're wondering, no I haven't heard from him.
The general consensus has been that the person who does the asking should pay for the date. I am not sure I've asked a guy on a date who has actually said yes, but if that ever happened I'd be happy to pay. And I'm not trying to sound superficial either - I am not faulting someone if he doesn't want to buy me dinner at Charlie Trotter's - but I sensed a lack of chivalry there which I think every girl wants, at least for the first few dates.
Also he's 30 and lives with his parents (I think by choice). So there's that.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tornados, Etc
Yesterday there was a tornado warning for downtown Chicago (I think). After work I took the red line over to US Cellular to meet Sarah and Cassie for the White Sox game. Only when I got there did I realize 1) Sarah was still at work, 2) the sky was a color I'd never seen before 3) maybe this was a bad idea.
So I wound up back on the red line and in the basement of Macy's at some sports bar where we could kill two birds with one stone: be underground should a tornado actually hit and keep an eye on the weather and game status via the news. Well other than getting soaked from the massive sheets of rain coming from every direction, we experienced no other extreme weather. The game started (2hrs late) and when we were on our way back to the ballpark, some random woman on the subway told Sarah she was would have hit her in the face if she weren't so friendly looking. Sarah had accidentally bumped her with her purse and then apologized. I assumed this woman was drunk or high or something because she then immediately tried to be our BFF. She even gave us her card and told her she would upgrade our manicures since we were broke college students.
Once back at the Cell, it was still raining so we went to the Stadium Club where I asked the security guard the best way to meet Mark Buerhle. He then reminded me that Mark Buerhle is married and Cassie then said, "I feel like he's married to someone who could probably kick your ass." Probably true seeing as I bet she has to deal with tons of groupies.
In any case, we actually got to see a game, though we did leave at 11pm at the top of the 8th inning as it was a school night and all.
So there you have it - not even a tornado is enough to deter the White Sox from canceling a game. Keep that in mind!
So I wound up back on the red line and in the basement of Macy's at some sports bar where we could kill two birds with one stone: be underground should a tornado actually hit and keep an eye on the weather and game status via the news. Well other than getting soaked from the massive sheets of rain coming from every direction, we experienced no other extreme weather. The game started (2hrs late) and when we were on our way back to the ballpark, some random woman on the subway told Sarah she was would have hit her in the face if she weren't so friendly looking. Sarah had accidentally bumped her with her purse and then apologized. I assumed this woman was drunk or high or something because she then immediately tried to be our BFF. She even gave us her card and told her she would upgrade our manicures since we were broke college students.
Once back at the Cell, it was still raining so we went to the Stadium Club where I asked the security guard the best way to meet Mark Buerhle. He then reminded me that Mark Buerhle is married and Cassie then said, "I feel like he's married to someone who could probably kick your ass." Probably true seeing as I bet she has to deal with tons of groupies.
In any case, we actually got to see a game, though we did leave at 11pm at the top of the 8th inning as it was a school night and all.
So there you have it - not even a tornado is enough to deter the White Sox from canceling a game. Keep that in mind!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Anti-Wing Man (or Woman)
One of the inevitable things about dating is sideline interference, if you will. You recruit a friend to help you land the object of your affection and it backfires in some way (on you or them or both of you).
You know where I'm going with this - your friend calls you and says, "hey, come out with my flag football team because there is a dude I like on it and I need a wing woman." So you are a wonderful wing woman but then the dude turns into a total psycho. Well then there's the opposite of that - like for example you go to a wedding with a guy you like but your single friend insists the three of you stay in the same hotel room. Or the dude you're madly in love with asks you to dance at a concert and your three BFF's see this and do not approve so whisk you away to do shots. So pretty much, having the best wing woman ever can still backfire on you, having the opposite of that can backfire on you.
So without further adieu - I give you the five types of anti-wing woman's I've encountered (with help from KPK):
1) The Well Meaning Friend - with your best interests at heart, they actually sabotage you in a variety of ways that will benefit you in the long run because they know the object of your affection is bad news and the sooner you know this the better. The well meaning friends are like mine, who whisked me away from COB that night, which I was mad about at first but am grateful for now.
2) The Really Annoying Bossy Friend - you have a love/hate relationship with her, but when you want to get your mac on make sure she's not around because she'll make sure that she's NOT left out of the group and that you certainly do not get what you came for. She'll get clingy and not let you out of your sight and can be quite the Debbie Downer ("you're not ACTUALLY going to ditch me are you???")
3) Yourself - You are the wing woman and as much as you love PDA, you love it when it's directed at YOU, not when you're watching the PDA attacker and secretly want to vomit all over yourself and the bar. It's awkward for sure, but if you've truly done your job, you can Irish goodbye as you see fit and no one will be the wiser.
4) The Ex-Girlfriend - You befriend her for purely selfish reasons: to get the dirt on your dude. She comes out with you and then spends the whole night talking to him and then you turn into HER wing-woman, trying to figure out how to pass her off on someone else.
5) The Dude - You drag one of your guy friends along thinking, what better way to impress a guy than have him think other guys want to hang out with you? This will likely backfire as the dude you like will think the dude you're with likes YOU and then no one wins. He won't want to interfere with what he thinks is a budding romance, the guy you brought will likely be checking out other girls, and you'll end up leaving early to go home and watch reruns of the Golden Girls.
In theory, the wing-man/wing-woman concept is a good one if the stars are aligned, people do their job correctly, no one falls for the wrong person, etc etc etc. But I think it's easier to just go with the flow. After all, when has mapping out a relationship ever worked??
You know where I'm going with this - your friend calls you and says, "hey, come out with my flag football team because there is a dude I like on it and I need a wing woman." So you are a wonderful wing woman but then the dude turns into a total psycho. Well then there's the opposite of that - like for example you go to a wedding with a guy you like but your single friend insists the three of you stay in the same hotel room. Or the dude you're madly in love with asks you to dance at a concert and your three BFF's see this and do not approve so whisk you away to do shots. So pretty much, having the best wing woman ever can still backfire on you, having the opposite of that can backfire on you.
So without further adieu - I give you the five types of anti-wing woman's I've encountered (with help from KPK):
1) The Well Meaning Friend - with your best interests at heart, they actually sabotage you in a variety of ways that will benefit you in the long run because they know the object of your affection is bad news and the sooner you know this the better. The well meaning friends are like mine, who whisked me away from COB that night, which I was mad about at first but am grateful for now.
2) The Really Annoying Bossy Friend - you have a love/hate relationship with her, but when you want to get your mac on make sure she's not around because she'll make sure that she's NOT left out of the group and that you certainly do not get what you came for. She'll get clingy and not let you out of your sight and can be quite the Debbie Downer ("you're not ACTUALLY going to ditch me are you???")
3) Yourself - You are the wing woman and as much as you love PDA, you love it when it's directed at YOU, not when you're watching the PDA attacker and secretly want to vomit all over yourself and the bar. It's awkward for sure, but if you've truly done your job, you can Irish goodbye as you see fit and no one will be the wiser.
4) The Ex-Girlfriend - You befriend her for purely selfish reasons: to get the dirt on your dude. She comes out with you and then spends the whole night talking to him and then you turn into HER wing-woman, trying to figure out how to pass her off on someone else.
5) The Dude - You drag one of your guy friends along thinking, what better way to impress a guy than have him think other guys want to hang out with you? This will likely backfire as the dude you like will think the dude you're with likes YOU and then no one wins. He won't want to interfere with what he thinks is a budding romance, the guy you brought will likely be checking out other girls, and you'll end up leaving early to go home and watch reruns of the Golden Girls.
In theory, the wing-man/wing-woman concept is a good one if the stars are aligned, people do their job correctly, no one falls for the wrong person, etc etc etc. But I think it's easier to just go with the flow. After all, when has mapping out a relationship ever worked??
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
In which I fail (again)
I was working on a different post for today that I might postpone a couple days so I can put more thought into it - but now I'm left without a topic (again).
So, true to form, I decided to pull something out of my ass. Then, still coming up short (I was going to go on a rant about cryptic Facebook status updates but will save that for another day), I googled "blog topics" and the auto-fill came up with "blog topic generator" so here are some of the ideas it gave me:
-Reasons to not move in with someone: Well, I'm no expert on this one. I assume the topic is moving in with your significant other, not a friend who would be your roommate. I can't argue for OR against this one. I think every couple is different, with a different comfort level. My personal thought is you should live with someone before you marry them because what if you can't stand living with them but you're now stuck? But again, I am not a relationship expert. In fact, I'd argue I know the least amount out of everyone on the planet about them. So basically do the opposite of what I tell you.
-Old Nickelodeon T.V. shows - Um...score! I once did an unofficial poll on my Fbook: Hey Dude vs. Salute Your Shorts. Salute won hands down, even though I always did prefer Hey Dude. I'm not sure why, I think it was the dude who played Ted. The actor who played him was David Lascher, and he's stared in such gems as three episodes of the original 90210 (probably someone with brain damage who dated Donna because yes, that's what it takes), 48 (!!) episodes of Blossom, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Score one for David. Anyway - I liked Hey Dude better because it had less of a New England summer camp feel, since I grew up in NE and the whole point of TV is to escape the real world, am I right?
-Procrastination Methods - Okay, I am the expert here. Instead of thinking of a blog topic earlier, I watched season two of Sex & the City. I mean, there are endless ways to procrastinate. When I was in school and didn't want to do homework, I would do asinine things like try to organize pictures, read my old notes from 7th/8th grade (LD + __ forever, do NOT fill in the blanks, he said hi to me in the hall and I totally think he'll ask me to the dance), play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego until I had it memorized, or call boys and hang up. What? You did it too! Ahh the HOURS we wasted on the phone in middle school/high school with our friends, dissecting someone's smile or head tilt, propagating endless rumors and trying to predict the future. Life was so simple back then.
I can't believe I just wrote that. I MUST be old!
So, true to form, I decided to pull something out of my ass. Then, still coming up short (I was going to go on a rant about cryptic Facebook status updates but will save that for another day), I googled "blog topics" and the auto-fill came up with "blog topic generator" so here are some of the ideas it gave me:
-Reasons to not move in with someone: Well, I'm no expert on this one. I assume the topic is moving in with your significant other, not a friend who would be your roommate. I can't argue for OR against this one. I think every couple is different, with a different comfort level. My personal thought is you should live with someone before you marry them because what if you can't stand living with them but you're now stuck? But again, I am not a relationship expert. In fact, I'd argue I know the least amount out of everyone on the planet about them. So basically do the opposite of what I tell you.
-Old Nickelodeon T.V. shows - Um...score! I once did an unofficial poll on my Fbook: Hey Dude vs. Salute Your Shorts. Salute won hands down, even though I always did prefer Hey Dude. I'm not sure why, I think it was the dude who played Ted. The actor who played him was David Lascher, and he's stared in such gems as three episodes of the original 90210 (probably someone with brain damage who dated Donna because yes, that's what it takes), 48 (!!) episodes of Blossom, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Score one for David. Anyway - I liked Hey Dude better because it had less of a New England summer camp feel, since I grew up in NE and the whole point of TV is to escape the real world, am I right?
-Procrastination Methods - Okay, I am the expert here. Instead of thinking of a blog topic earlier, I watched season two of Sex & the City. I mean, there are endless ways to procrastinate. When I was in school and didn't want to do homework, I would do asinine things like try to organize pictures, read my old notes from 7th/8th grade (LD + __ forever, do NOT fill in the blanks, he said hi to me in the hall and I totally think he'll ask me to the dance), play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego until I had it memorized, or call boys and hang up. What? You did it too! Ahh the HOURS we wasted on the phone in middle school/high school with our friends, dissecting someone's smile or head tilt, propagating endless rumors and trying to predict the future. Life was so simple back then.
I can't believe I just wrote that. I MUST be old!
Monday, June 21, 2010
In Which I Fail Miserably
So my goal was to post every day for the next year and less than a month in I fail - in my defense I was busy (?) because Thursday night between meeting the new roomie and then belting out "On the Wings of Love" at Tuck's with Katie and then packing for Cincinnati I didn't have time - nor did I have time when I was in O-H-I-O (three syllables, not one).
I went to Cincy to visit my friend Liz, who I hadn't seen in about five years. We interned at 'Nova together and since she was an athletic trainer there we got to hang out on all the fun softball road trips (like when we had to go to South Bend for five days even though the team didn't advance past the first round of the tournament so we had nothing to do). Anyway.
Cincy consisted of Tim McGraw, pool time, meeting lots of cool people and visiting UC's campus. I'd elaborate further if I wasn't so flippin' tired. So yes, I failed a month in to this little project - fear not loyal reader (there IS one of you, right?) I will get back on track tomorrow.
I went to Cincy to visit my friend Liz, who I hadn't seen in about five years. We interned at 'Nova together and since she was an athletic trainer there we got to hang out on all the fun softball road trips (like when we had to go to South Bend for five days even though the team didn't advance past the first round of the tournament so we had nothing to do). Anyway.
Cincy consisted of Tim McGraw, pool time, meeting lots of cool people and visiting UC's campus. I'd elaborate further if I wasn't so flippin' tired. So yes, I failed a month in to this little project - fear not loyal reader (there IS one of you, right?) I will get back on track tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Summer
We finally played our first softball game tonight and not only did we win but I had two hits AND a run - that is definitely a first for me. Normally I strike out looking. Our team is pretty cool, everyone is nice, we played well but no one is super competitive so I won't have to feel bad for striking out - which I will. A lot. But, it's a school night, and writing every day is harder than I thought it would be.
But, before I go, I would like to express my disgust at Perez Hilton for tweeting a picture of (as Gawker calls it) Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana." First of all, Perez thinks he is better than everyone else and has BECOME the person he originally started blogging about: a Hollywood Diva. I really hope he faces jail time. He's already losing advertisers, which is good, but it would be unfortunate if he didn't have to suffer the consequences of his actions just because of who he is. I don't even read his blog because I dislike him so much. It's all about DListed baby.
But, before I go, I would like to express my disgust at Perez Hilton for tweeting a picture of (as Gawker calls it) Miley Cyrus' "Hannah Montana." First of all, Perez thinks he is better than everyone else and has BECOME the person he originally started blogging about: a Hollywood Diva. I really hope he faces jail time. He's already losing advertisers, which is good, but it would be unfortunate if he didn't have to suffer the consequences of his actions just because of who he is. I don't even read his blog because I dislike him so much. It's all about DListed baby.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Cruising down memory lane
The other day I was on Facebook looking at photos from the cruise my BFF Lisa and I went on at the end of February. It was my first cruise and I honestly had no idea what to expect, but I can say for sure that Carnival helped exceed my expectations and it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on (tied obviously with my last two trips to Vegas).
First of all, the trip was pretty much going to be awesome regardless because it was February in Chicago /NH and we were going to the Caribbean. So weather alone would have made the trip worthwhile, however we were lucky enough to have a great experience on top of weather.
Between the awesome weather, parasailing in St. Thomas, comedy shows, the R-rated sing along at the piano bar and the cast of characters we met along the way, I can safely say the week was highly successful. First of all - parasailing. You're literally floating above the ocean - what's not to love?? And you're attached to a parachute so a fear of heights should not deter you from trying this. I really wanted to go zip lining thru the rain forest in Puerto Rico but it was like $200 - way out of my price range.
The nice thing about Carnival is they let you bring wine on board (cuts down how much you'll spend on alcohol), as well as bottled water, which trust me you'll need, but since they don't actually check the contents, you can fill a couple bottles with "water" if you get my drift.
There are also tons of activities going on daily where you can socialize with others, such as sports trivia (p.s. people introduce me as someone who knows a lot about sports, which has never actually held up in sports trivia, so I feel like a fraud - why can't they ever ask about the 1985 Final Four? Seriously.), which brings me to the cast of characters:
Kyle: One of the staff members, I think in charge of all activities, we LOVED Kyle and every time we saw him we were like, "WOO KYLE HIGH FIVE!!" And he was like who ARE you?
Butch: Our cruise director from Minnesota, had a heavy accent, was definitely awesome and made our trip great, though I'm pretty sure that soaking wet he weighed 90lbs...and was over six feet tall.
Stage 5 Clinger: We met him at sports trivia on Sunday and he seemed cool enough, then at karaoke that night encouraged me (and by encouraged I mean wouldn't stop rubbing my back while the karaoke DJ was begging someone to audition so I jumped up and ran on stage to get him to stop touching me) to try out for the Carnival Legends show so I wound up performing as Britney Spears in front of the entire ship on the final night. On Monday he apparently spent a good portion of the day looking for us on the Lido deck (it was our day at sea) and by Monday night I was pretty much done with him - but he has no one to blame but himself. I told him I hated clingy guys and he turned into one.
Latvia: Not his real name, but one of the bar waiters was from Latvia and was the most beautiful man on the planet, essentially. It got to the point where I'd only order drinks from him so by the end of the week he would just come by to wherever we were and talk to us. I made him take a picture with me on the last night so that I would have PROOF.
Behold:
Also - can we discuss my tan? I mean...wow. It's June and I'm not even that tan right now.
Myra & Archie: Fantastic couple (from Chicago!) that we met early on and had dinner with a few times. They were seriously so much fun and it has been nice to stay in touch with them. Since there were lots of families and older couples on the cruise it was nice to meet and hang out with people our age. I would post a group picture that we took but it was right after the Legends show and I'm still in my Britney Spears wig so no.
BradRob: BR was in our parasailing group and was fantastic (hilarious, cute, funny, etc) but for SOME reason I kept calling him Brad. Lisa had to remind me numerous times that his name was Rob so I merged the two names and thus we have BradRob. He was traveling with a larger group and we hung out with them a few nights in the casino and piano bar.
Vitali: Our karaoke DJ from somewhere in Eastern Europe, would shout-out "VACATION!" during all musical breaks.
I think that pretty much sums up the main cast. I would definitely go on another cruise - the only thing I'd change is that I would go on more shore excursions - in St. Thomas they basically dropped us off in a parking lot for people who wanted to shop and in San Juan they dropped us at a warehouse across the street from Sr. Frogs. So if you don't have an excursion planned and don't want to shop or binge drink and there isn't a beach within walking distance, you're basically screwed. Our first and last stops dropped us right at the beach, so that was nice, but the two in between definitely required excursions.
Seeing those pictures again just made me want to go back - so, who's with me???
First of all, the trip was pretty much going to be awesome regardless because it was February in Chicago /NH and we were going to the Caribbean. So weather alone would have made the trip worthwhile, however we were lucky enough to have a great experience on top of weather.
Between the awesome weather, parasailing in St. Thomas, comedy shows, the R-rated sing along at the piano bar and the cast of characters we met along the way, I can safely say the week was highly successful. First of all - parasailing. You're literally floating above the ocean - what's not to love?? And you're attached to a parachute so a fear of heights should not deter you from trying this. I really wanted to go zip lining thru the rain forest in Puerto Rico but it was like $200 - way out of my price range.
The nice thing about Carnival is they let you bring wine on board (cuts down how much you'll spend on alcohol), as well as bottled water, which trust me you'll need, but since they don't actually check the contents, you can fill a couple bottles with "water" if you get my drift.
There are also tons of activities going on daily where you can socialize with others, such as sports trivia (p.s. people introduce me as someone who knows a lot about sports, which has never actually held up in sports trivia, so I feel like a fraud - why can't they ever ask about the 1985 Final Four? Seriously.), which brings me to the cast of characters:
Kyle: One of the staff members, I think in charge of all activities, we LOVED Kyle and every time we saw him we were like, "WOO KYLE HIGH FIVE!!" And he was like who ARE you?
Butch: Our cruise director from Minnesota, had a heavy accent, was definitely awesome and made our trip great, though I'm pretty sure that soaking wet he weighed 90lbs...and was over six feet tall.
Stage 5 Clinger: We met him at sports trivia on Sunday and he seemed cool enough, then at karaoke that night encouraged me (and by encouraged I mean wouldn't stop rubbing my back while the karaoke DJ was begging someone to audition so I jumped up and ran on stage to get him to stop touching me) to try out for the Carnival Legends show so I wound up performing as Britney Spears in front of the entire ship on the final night. On Monday he apparently spent a good portion of the day looking for us on the Lido deck (it was our day at sea) and by Monday night I was pretty much done with him - but he has no one to blame but himself. I told him I hated clingy guys and he turned into one.
Latvia: Not his real name, but one of the bar waiters was from Latvia and was the most beautiful man on the planet, essentially. It got to the point where I'd only order drinks from him so by the end of the week he would just come by to wherever we were and talk to us. I made him take a picture with me on the last night so that I would have PROOF.
Behold:
Also - can we discuss my tan? I mean...wow. It's June and I'm not even that tan right now.
Myra & Archie: Fantastic couple (from Chicago!) that we met early on and had dinner with a few times. They were seriously so much fun and it has been nice to stay in touch with them. Since there were lots of families and older couples on the cruise it was nice to meet and hang out with people our age. I would post a group picture that we took but it was right after the Legends show and I'm still in my Britney Spears wig so no.
BradRob: BR was in our parasailing group and was fantastic (hilarious, cute, funny, etc) but for SOME reason I kept calling him Brad. Lisa had to remind me numerous times that his name was Rob so I merged the two names and thus we have BradRob. He was traveling with a larger group and we hung out with them a few nights in the casino and piano bar.
Vitali: Our karaoke DJ from somewhere in Eastern Europe, would shout-out "VACATION!" during all musical breaks.
I think that pretty much sums up the main cast. I would definitely go on another cruise - the only thing I'd change is that I would go on more shore excursions - in St. Thomas they basically dropped us off in a parking lot for people who wanted to shop and in San Juan they dropped us at a warehouse across the street from Sr. Frogs. So if you don't have an excursion planned and don't want to shop or binge drink and there isn't a beach within walking distance, you're basically screwed. Our first and last stops dropped us right at the beach, so that was nice, but the two in between definitely required excursions.
Seeing those pictures again just made me want to go back - so, who's with me???
Monday, June 14, 2010
Beverly Hills 90210 Drinking Game
1) Drink every time they are at the Peach Pit or the After Dark
2) Drink every time they drink coffee and they should be drinking beer
3) Drink every time Val whores herself out
4) Drink every time they switch romantic partners in one episode
5) Drink every time they wear a blazer for an everyday activity
6) Chug a beer when they are drinking a beer because it never happens
7) Drink every time Nat shows up when he shouldn't be there
8) Drink every time they mention high school, Andrea Zuckerman or the good old days (only applies seasons 4-10)
9) Drink every time Brandon pulls a self-righteous attitude
10) Drink every time they mention dating someone after an hour of meeting each other
11) Drink every time they mention Donna's virginity
12) Drink every time they wear a midriff
13) Drink every time there is a fight and makeup in the same episode
14) Drink every time you can predict the next line, trust me, it's not hard
15) Drink every time Kelly & Val have an argument
16) Drink every time Val gets a random check for no reason
17) Drink every time Donna agrees w/Kelly (source)
18) Drink every time Donna storms off
19) Drink every time the Peach Pit caters an event or rave
20) Drink every time you want to vomit because the show is gratifyingly cheesy
2) Drink every time they drink coffee and they should be drinking beer
3) Drink every time Val whores herself out
4) Drink every time they switch romantic partners in one episode
5) Drink every time they wear a blazer for an everyday activity
6) Chug a beer when they are drinking a beer because it never happens
7) Drink every time Nat shows up when he shouldn't be there
8) Drink every time they mention high school, Andrea Zuckerman or the good old days (only applies seasons 4-10)
9) Drink every time Brandon pulls a self-righteous attitude
10) Drink every time they mention dating someone after an hour of meeting each other
11) Drink every time they mention Donna's virginity
12) Drink every time they wear a midriff
13) Drink every time there is a fight and makeup in the same episode
14) Drink every time you can predict the next line, trust me, it's not hard
15) Drink every time Kelly & Val have an argument
16) Drink every time Val gets a random check for no reason
17) Drink every time Donna agrees w/Kelly (source)
18) Drink every time Donna storms off
19) Drink every time the Peach Pit caters an event or rave
20) Drink every time you want to vomit because the show is gratifyingly cheesy
Sunday, June 13, 2010
I have a love/hate relationship with Twitter. On the one hand, it's super addictive and not going anywhere and there are so many things you can learn from other people. On the other hand, it reminds me of an AOL chat room. Seriously. It's just one giant conversation going on in front of you, and if you want to take things offline you can't even do that unless the person you're following is also following you.
But then on the third hand, it's a way you can connect with people you'd otherwise never meet - for me specifically I enjoy chatting w/sports writers and the random people I've meet "through" them, so to speak.
But on the fourth hand there are some really fucking creepy people on Twitter, just as there were in AOL chat rooms when those first exploded (hash tags are the new A/S/L, am I right?). But on the fifth hand, creepy people exist regardless of whether or not they are on Twitter.
Gawker had an amazing article about types of people to unfollow and I honestly feel like I fall into at least two of their categories (over-user, in-joker & my own category called the cryptic tweeter) but yet I have no intentions of changing who I am. Follow me or don't.
I already deleted my account once but then wound up rejoining. Ultimately, I think I'm in this for the long haul. There are just too many interesting people with too much insight for me not to be -- but forgive me if at times I'm frustrated with some aspects of it (like TMI tweets or things that make no sense or all the random porn spam I get because let's face it, all these things are inevitable).
But then on the third hand, it's a way you can connect with people you'd otherwise never meet - for me specifically I enjoy chatting w/sports writers and the random people I've meet "through" them, so to speak.
But on the fourth hand there are some really fucking creepy people on Twitter, just as there were in AOL chat rooms when those first exploded (hash tags are the new A/S/L, am I right?). But on the fifth hand, creepy people exist regardless of whether or not they are on Twitter.
Gawker had an amazing article about types of people to unfollow and I honestly feel like I fall into at least two of their categories (over-user, in-joker & my own category called the cryptic tweeter) but yet I have no intentions of changing who I am. Follow me or don't.
I already deleted my account once but then wound up rejoining. Ultimately, I think I'm in this for the long haul. There are just too many interesting people with too much insight for me not to be -- but forgive me if at times I'm frustrated with some aspects of it (like TMI tweets or things that make no sense or all the random porn spam I get because let's face it, all these things are inevitable).
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Whirlwinds
The weather so far this summer has kind of sucked - lots of rain mixed with not 90-degree weather, which I prefer. However, today's bad weather didn't stop me from dropping by John's birthday bar crawl, meeting Courtney for dinner and then Mike for drinks. It was a whirlwind of getting from point A to B on public transit (I'm trying to spend less money on cabs).
Right now, World Cup fever is amongst us and I have to say, I think soccer is kind of boring. I've seen many a 2OT 0-0 tie and that is just not exciting. Yes, I understand the concept of hot men running around a field showing off their athletic skills for two hours is exciting to some, but I'd take football or basketball over soccer any day. I would venture to guess that once the WC is over, most people won't utter the word "soccer" again for four years.
But, I guess it's SOMETHING to distract Chicago from the fact that both baseball teams are awful and the Bulls choked in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, it is great the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup but most of the city, from what I've heard, hardly cares about hockey.
This afternoon I also met someone who went to high school with J.J Reddick, this was of course AFTER I spent a good ten minutes talking about how much I hate Duke. Oops. This happens to me all the time. I'll start talking about how much I hate a team and then ten minutes later find out the person I'm talking to has strong connections to the team I just bashed. It would be nice if they could stop me sooner instead of letting me drone on like an idiot, though I suppose that IS more fun.
Right now, World Cup fever is amongst us and I have to say, I think soccer is kind of boring. I've seen many a 2OT 0-0 tie and that is just not exciting. Yes, I understand the concept of hot men running around a field showing off their athletic skills for two hours is exciting to some, but I'd take football or basketball over soccer any day. I would venture to guess that once the WC is over, most people won't utter the word "soccer" again for four years.
But, I guess it's SOMETHING to distract Chicago from the fact that both baseball teams are awful and the Bulls choked in the first round of the playoffs. Yes, it is great the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup but most of the city, from what I've heard, hardly cares about hockey.
This afternoon I also met someone who went to high school with J.J Reddick, this was of course AFTER I spent a good ten minutes talking about how much I hate Duke. Oops. This happens to me all the time. I'll start talking about how much I hate a team and then ten minutes later find out the person I'm talking to has strong connections to the team I just bashed. It would be nice if they could stop me sooner instead of letting me drone on like an idiot, though I suppose that IS more fun.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Life Lessons for $43.50
Tonight I went to Blues Fest with Sarah and Courtney. In the short time we were in Grant Park, I learned several valuable life lessons.
1- Everyone takes credit/debit cards. It's 2010. The only establishments these days that are cash only are drug dealers. So therefore...
2 - I should not have to pay a $3.50 ATM fee to get cash to buy tickets when the ticket booths take debit cards. But...
3 - This particular festival allows you to bring coolers so you could bring in your own beer for at least half the cost of what you're actually paying.
4 - And also sitting on grass in a light skirt does not end well for anyone.
5 - But it's very exciting when one of you discovers you paid for 24 tickets but got 36 so therefore everyone can get an extra beer for free.
Because it's all about the extra beer. Clearly.
1- Everyone takes credit/debit cards. It's 2010. The only establishments these days that are cash only are drug dealers. So therefore...
2 - I should not have to pay a $3.50 ATM fee to get cash to buy tickets when the ticket booths take debit cards. But...
3 - This particular festival allows you to bring coolers so you could bring in your own beer for at least half the cost of what you're actually paying.
4 - And also sitting on grass in a light skirt does not end well for anyone.
5 - But it's very exciting when one of you discovers you paid for 24 tickets but got 36 so therefore everyone can get an extra beer for free.
Because it's all about the extra beer. Clearly.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Stage 5 Clingers
Anyone who has seen Wedding Crashers remembers the part when Vince Vaughn refers to Isla Fisher as a stage five clinger.
If you don't remember that part, here is a refresher:
But don't go giving girls the reputation of being the only stage five clingers. My friends and I have run into our fair share of boys who fit the description and they do some of the following:
-Reference you meeting his grandmother...on the first date.
-Insist he be with you at all times, attending 100% of the same social events as you.
-Get mad at you when you get food poisoning as he considers that an unacceptable excuse for canceling a date.
-Latch on to you, literally, so that you have to literally RUN off the Lido deck of a cruise ship and into a dark corner so he can't find you because if he does you know he won't leave you alone and then when your amazing cruise director leads a Mardi Gras themed conga line into the casino it happens to be the only thing separating you and Stage 5 who is obviously looking for you so now you're ducking behind people wearing beads while a band plays "When the Saints Go Marching In."
-Assume you're dating after one date which may then include the following conclusions: ask what's going on with "us" (there IS no us), assume he can spend the night (negative, ghost rider), thinking you're then obligated to not date anyone else.
I wonder why it's always so hard to find the happy medium. Either I'm at a bar at 3am forcing myself to drink beer when I barely was able to keep down solid foods the day before due to food poisoning just so I could spend time with someone or completely dodging calls, texts and emails so I'd never to see a dude again. This elusive happy medium escapes me. In fact, I believe I found it on aforementioned cruise and then totally blew it but that's fine. You only live twice, right?
If you don't remember that part, here is a refresher:
But don't go giving girls the reputation of being the only stage five clingers. My friends and I have run into our fair share of boys who fit the description and they do some of the following:
-Reference you meeting his grandmother...on the first date.
-Insist he be with you at all times, attending 100% of the same social events as you.
-Get mad at you when you get food poisoning as he considers that an unacceptable excuse for canceling a date.
-Latch on to you, literally, so that you have to literally RUN off the Lido deck of a cruise ship and into a dark corner so he can't find you because if he does you know he won't leave you alone and then when your amazing cruise director leads a Mardi Gras themed conga line into the casino it happens to be the only thing separating you and Stage 5 who is obviously looking for you so now you're ducking behind people wearing beads while a band plays "When the Saints Go Marching In."
-Assume you're dating after one date which may then include the following conclusions: ask what's going on with "us" (there IS no us), assume he can spend the night (negative, ghost rider), thinking you're then obligated to not date anyone else.
I wonder why it's always so hard to find the happy medium. Either I'm at a bar at 3am forcing myself to drink beer when I barely was able to keep down solid foods the day before due to food poisoning just so I could spend time with someone or completely dodging calls, texts and emails so I'd never to see a dude again. This elusive happy medium escapes me. In fact, I believe I found it on aforementioned cruise and then totally blew it but that's fine. You only live twice, right?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Yes, I'm a horrible person
Tonight the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup and it is the first championship for Chicago since I've lived here. I was super happy and excited until I got home and read that USC will probably receive a two year postseason ban and have to forfeit wins from at least 2004.
Why do I hate USC so much? Great question! When Miami was undefeated during 2001-02, they were overrated. When USC did it, according to the media, they were the greatest football team since ever. And it turns out it was because they cheated. And spare me your "everybody cheats" lecture. If my schools cheat and aren't dumb enough to get caught, that's not my fault.
So, my hatred for USC goes above and beyond my status as a bandwagon fan for the Blackhawks. People yell at you for being on the bandwagon anyway, so isn't this better?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Let's Talk About Text Baby
Technology today has afforded us many privileges we never dreamed possible. We used to have to plan things down to the exact date, time, and location, because no one had cell phones to call and say we were running late or GPS to prevent us from getting lost. We had pay phones and bad hair. Now we have cell phones and, well, my hair is still bad but yours probably isn't.
Now, I can comment on your Facebook status while texting someone else about meeting up in ten minutes at a location four miles west from where we previously decided and then Twitter about how I don't know how we survived before smart phones (or cell phones in general).
But, with all this fabulous technology comes the risks associated. One of the things I cannot stand about texting is how you don't REALLY know who is texting you back. You might think you're texting the guy you're dating but then you find out the next day he was passed out and his roommate was just fucking with you. I mean, I don't think that's actually happened to me but I've heard stories.
And it's also really hard to detect sarcasm over text. Take the following conversation for example:
me: the golden girls are more important than the hawks game (not sarcasm, but you wouldn't know that without knowing me)
response: wow umm no stop it now (obviously sarcasm, because everyone knows the above statement is correct).
So you see, sometimes it is hard to decipher the tone of text messages, even if you know the person really, really well.
Another thing that bothers me:
The attempted flirt. For example, Katie told me the following earlier today:
"He like WONT ask me out. He goes 'miss me?' And I said 'sure' and he said 'well?' and I said 'well what?' And he said 'what are you going to do about it?' I said 'No, what are YOU going to do about it?"
This dude was obviously flirting with her but wanted her to do all the heavy lifting. And she has it right. HE should do something about it and take her on a date. Seriously. Enough with the coy texting. Pick up the phone, call me, and ASK ME OUT ON A DATE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!
And finally, the thing that bothers me the most is when dudes ask us to send them pictures of our lady business. The answer is always NO. Don't you people read Gawker? Stuff like this gets leaked all the time. I don't care if you swear on your dead cat's grave, it's not happening. And further more, don't ask repeatedly as the answer is unlikely to change. I know it's great we can send pictures via text and all, but some things were just not meant to be seen. So stop asking.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Error, Error!
Blogger was not accessible last night so I was unable to post, therefore my streak of daily posting was broken less than two weeks into this project (fail).
Speaking of fails...
This morning, I had to drop off some dry cleaning and the place I normally use is across the street from the Armitage L stop. I figured I could take the brown line to Quincy and just walk to work, as Quincy is where you'd get off to go to Union Station and I work about half a mile west of Union Station. Normally I just take the bus but I was thinking, "hey, it's nice out, I could use the walk, I'll switch up my routine." This turned out to be a mistake for the following reasons:
1) I got on the first train that came, which was a purple line express and not a brown line. I didn't realize my error until we left Merchandise Mart and I realized the purple line was going in the opposite direction around the loop (counter clock-wise, if you will) than the brown line does, therefore increasing my time on the train by at least 15 minutes.
2) When I got off at Quincy, I didn't see the McDonald's I usually look for to indicate I should turn left and head straight towards Union Station. So instead I walked to the first street I saw, Jackson, and thought, "HEY, I WORK on Jackson, I will just walk west until I get to my office."
3) I then started walking east.
4) And had to ask someone where Union Station was.
5) Then got back to the Quincy stop and found the aforementioned McDonald's.
6) This would be less embarrassing if I hadn't lived here for three years.
I guess this is where the saying "stick with what you know," comes from.
Speaking of fails...
This morning, I had to drop off some dry cleaning and the place I normally use is across the street from the Armitage L stop. I figured I could take the brown line to Quincy and just walk to work, as Quincy is where you'd get off to go to Union Station and I work about half a mile west of Union Station. Normally I just take the bus but I was thinking, "hey, it's nice out, I could use the walk, I'll switch up my routine." This turned out to be a mistake for the following reasons:
1) I got on the first train that came, which was a purple line express and not a brown line. I didn't realize my error until we left Merchandise Mart and I realized the purple line was going in the opposite direction around the loop (counter clock-wise, if you will) than the brown line does, therefore increasing my time on the train by at least 15 minutes.
2) When I got off at Quincy, I didn't see the McDonald's I usually look for to indicate I should turn left and head straight towards Union Station. So instead I walked to the first street I saw, Jackson, and thought, "HEY, I WORK on Jackson, I will just walk west until I get to my office."
3) I then started walking east.
4) And had to ask someone where Union Station was.
5) Then got back to the Quincy stop and found the aforementioned McDonald's.
6) This would be less embarrassing if I hadn't lived here for three years.
I guess this is where the saying "stick with what you know," comes from.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Cheating
It turns out you can change the date/time of a post so even though it is Monday @ 4, I have this posted for Sun @ 4. Yes, that's cheating, but I don't want a lapse in posting!!
Sunday was our first attempted beach outing that failed miserably when it started to downpour. So instead, Sarah and I finished season 6 of 90210.
Sunday was our first attempted beach outing that failed miserably when it started to downpour. So instead, Sarah and I finished season 6 of 90210.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Conn-victed
So, for some reason, every bridal party in existence descended on Howl at the Moon tonight and one girl even had t-shirts made: something about flirting with danger and now she's being Conn-victed, which is a clever use of her husband's last name (assuming it is in fact Conn). Now unfortunately, with bridal parties also comes the barrage of cliche songs:
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Well, yes, of course they do, and I'm sure standing on the stage at a piano bar belting this out is fun for you, not so fun for me.
I will Survive: Dear, you're getting married, not breaking up, so singing about how you at one point survived a break up and are now getting married is just rubbing it in.
Crazy in Love: You'd have to be to wear a penis-themed tiara.
Like A Virgin: This one is my favorite. You're getting married. The jig is up.
Friday, June 4, 2010
In General
Writing every day is not easy (i.e. I don't feel like writing).
I am exhausted after meeting Jim for drinks, Matthew and Elizabeth for dinner and then Katie for a GG marathon that didn't last very long. All I really want is to go to bed. But I came home to discover Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead on HBO and well, everyone loves that movie.
I am exhausted after meeting Jim for drinks, Matthew and Elizabeth for dinner and then Katie for a GG marathon that didn't last very long. All I really want is to go to bed. But I came home to discover Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead on HBO and well, everyone loves that movie.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
So Long Sheena Queen of the Slut People
Today was a very said day as we bid a "see y'all" to Blanche Deveraux as she sailed off to the big lanai in the sky. As a huge Golden Girls fan, this is indeed a sad day for me. However, my mourning period will truly start tomorrow night when Katie and I partake in a mini GG marathon as a tribute.
As a belated celebration for my friend Heather's birthday, a group of us went and saw Sex and the City 2 this evening. Yes, it's as bad as it looks. There were approximately three real moments in the two-and-a-half hour fiasco.
Real Moment #1: Carrie is bitching to Stanford about how all Mr. Big wants to do is sit in the apartment and order takeout and watch black and white movies. (Really? I don't see the problem). Stanford responds, "Count your blessings, don't you remember when you couldn't even get him to spend the night?" Seriously, for six seasons all we did was listen to her whine about how Big wouldn't commit. Now he's committing. What's the issue?
Real Moment #2: Charlotte and Miranda get drunk and talk about how hard it is to be a mother. Now, of course I'm not one, but I can imagine how hard it is to be one and how frustrating it can be and them admitting they didn't love it all the time was a very honest moment.
Real Moment #3 (and spoiler): After Carrie kisses Aiden and subsequently tells Big who is subsequently upset she is crying to Charlotte about it and says something along the lines of, "Aiden reminds me of who I used to be, and that was a girl running all over NYC trying to make the love of her life love her back." Girl, I've been there. And that was probably the only moment that struck a chord with me.
Okay, fine, and Liza Minnelli singing "Single Ladies" at Stanford and Anthony's wedding (no, I don't get it either) was also pretty awesome.
After the movie, we went down the street for $5 martinis. I ordered mine dirty, which turned out to basically be straight vodka, so I couldn't really drink it.
I'm glad I saw the movie just because my curiosity got the better of me but I truly hope that this is where it ends. I mean...enough already. Nothing has changed. All the characters are the same and I think the actresses are probably so sick of the people they play that they stopped acting - seriously, the acting was also horrible.
Since we have HBO on Demand in our apartment, I'm currently watching the series finale to remind myself that it wasn't always this bad.
And I will leave you with this final thought: we all know Blanche was the original Samantha Jones.
As a belated celebration for my friend Heather's birthday, a group of us went and saw Sex and the City 2 this evening. Yes, it's as bad as it looks. There were approximately three real moments in the two-and-a-half hour fiasco.
Real Moment #1: Carrie is bitching to Stanford about how all Mr. Big wants to do is sit in the apartment and order takeout and watch black and white movies. (Really? I don't see the problem). Stanford responds, "Count your blessings, don't you remember when you couldn't even get him to spend the night?" Seriously, for six seasons all we did was listen to her whine about how Big wouldn't commit. Now he's committing. What's the issue?
Real Moment #2: Charlotte and Miranda get drunk and talk about how hard it is to be a mother. Now, of course I'm not one, but I can imagine how hard it is to be one and how frustrating it can be and them admitting they didn't love it all the time was a very honest moment.
Real Moment #3 (and spoiler): After Carrie kisses Aiden and subsequently tells Big who is subsequently upset she is crying to Charlotte about it and says something along the lines of, "Aiden reminds me of who I used to be, and that was a girl running all over NYC trying to make the love of her life love her back." Girl, I've been there. And that was probably the only moment that struck a chord with me.
Okay, fine, and Liza Minnelli singing "Single Ladies" at Stanford and Anthony's wedding (no, I don't get it either) was also pretty awesome.
After the movie, we went down the street for $5 martinis. I ordered mine dirty, which turned out to basically be straight vodka, so I couldn't really drink it.
I'm glad I saw the movie just because my curiosity got the better of me but I truly hope that this is where it ends. I mean...enough already. Nothing has changed. All the characters are the same and I think the actresses are probably so sick of the people they play that they stopped acting - seriously, the acting was also horrible.
Since we have HBO on Demand in our apartment, I'm currently watching the series finale to remind myself that it wasn't always this bad.
And I will leave you with this final thought: we all know Blanche was the original Samantha Jones.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Straight No Chaser
This evening I volunteered at WTTW (public TV here in Chicago) for a pledge drive. Yes, I was one of those people you see in the background while the host implores you to donate for a good cause. Well tonight the in-studio guest was Straight No Chaser, which is the whole reason I chose this particular night. The "gift with purchase" so to speak was tickets to their Dec 11th concert.
First of all, the three guys from SNC who came out could not have been nicer. And also, since I was apparently in a prime location, a couple of times one of them came over to speak to the person making a contribution, mostly to thank them for their support (although Dan Ponce kept asking for the Blackhawks score, which sadly nobody had). As a result I got to see myself on TV (helloooo double chin) and also, thank goodness I had the foresight to wear black. Truly hides everything.
The evening actually exceeded my expectations. I was afraid I was going to get a bunch of crazy callers accusing me of being personally responsible for the BP oil spill but everyone I spoke with was incredibly nice. I also met two other volunteers who were really nice, one of whom gave me a ride to the brown line - a nice gesture considering we were PAST the end of it in a neighborhood I would venture to guess is not all that safe at night, the other whom spent the majority of the night subtly staring at DR's ass with me because it was RIGHT THERE and all the SNC boys are SO cute and charming.
Anyway, considering I had to go to 5400N/3400W, the neighborhood alone was a new adventure. But, I enjoyed my experience and would certainly volunteer again.
First of all, the three guys from SNC who came out could not have been nicer. And also, since I was apparently in a prime location, a couple of times one of them came over to speak to the person making a contribution, mostly to thank them for their support (although Dan Ponce kept asking for the Blackhawks score, which sadly nobody had). As a result I got to see myself on TV (helloooo double chin) and also, thank goodness I had the foresight to wear black. Truly hides everything.
The evening actually exceeded my expectations. I was afraid I was going to get a bunch of crazy callers accusing me of being personally responsible for the BP oil spill but everyone I spoke with was incredibly nice. I also met two other volunteers who were really nice, one of whom gave me a ride to the brown line - a nice gesture considering we were PAST the end of it in a neighborhood I would venture to guess is not all that safe at night, the other whom spent the majority of the night subtly staring at DR's ass with me because it was RIGHT THERE and all the SNC boys are SO cute and charming.
Anyway, considering I had to go to 5400N/3400W, the neighborhood alone was a new adventure. But, I enjoyed my experience and would certainly volunteer again.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
You Can't Fit Three on a Love Seat
Sarah and I have this ritual of watching DVDs of the original 90210 (yay Netflix!!!) and we're currently watching Season 6, Disc 6 as I write this. So far this season has included Dylan getting married and his wife being murdered the next day (by her own father who was hoping to kill Dylan), Kelly's coke habit, Susan & Brandon almost dying, Joe's botched football career, Donna's Rose Court appearance, David's mother attempting suicide, etc etc.
Now, Kelly's seemingly sweet roommate from rehab is going all Single White Female on her. Also, Kelly is dating the med student who was on rotation in her rehab center. Does that seem wrong to anyone else? Also, why are they always at the goddamn Peach Pit and why does Nat cater ALL of their events? Doesn't this dude have a life? Why do they drink so much coffee? How do they all fall in love and break up with each other while remaining friends? Why is Valerie only nice to dudes? There are so many unanswered questions the series never resolves.
We're getting a barrage of horrible early-90's fashion, painful cliches and life lessons in underage drinking, suicide, drug addiction, abortion, nymphomania, domestic violence, stalking, infidelity, friendship, nightclub ownership, mind games, gun control, how to key a car, blackmail, cheesy pickup lines, art (is for the people), parental relations, mafia hits and Tori Spelling being the most hideous creature alive (minus Claire) yet always having a boyfriend, all tied in a pretty little bow.
I was really upset when the WB came out with a remake of 90210 - completely pathetic and 95% worse than the original. You can't top Dylan McKay no matter how hard you try.
AND WHY DO THEY ALWAYS WEAR BUSINESS SUITS FOR EVERY DAY LIFE?? THEY
ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS. I USUALLY WALKED AROUND IN MY PAJAMAS!!!
And can someone please explain why David is producing music videos for campus bands?? And they want Donna as the female in their music video? And she looks hideous but everyone tells her how great she is? And what is with the leather pants?
Kelly is finally kicking SWF out of her apartment and she's begging to stay. Quote of the night from Sarah: "Get a fucking grip."
Correction. Quote of the night: (Sarah on Tori Spelling): "Does she have a Y chromosome?"
We didn't start at season one; we started at season five. But we're going to cry when we get to the end. Although, at this rate it will be in 2020.
Life lessons from 90210: just don't be a stalker.
Now, Kelly's seemingly sweet roommate from rehab is going all Single White Female on her. Also, Kelly is dating the med student who was on rotation in her rehab center. Does that seem wrong to anyone else? Also, why are they always at the goddamn Peach Pit and why does Nat cater ALL of their events? Doesn't this dude have a life? Why do they drink so much coffee? How do they all fall in love and break up with each other while remaining friends? Why is Valerie only nice to dudes? There are so many unanswered questions the series never resolves.
We're getting a barrage of horrible early-90's fashion, painful cliches and life lessons in underage drinking, suicide, drug addiction, abortion, nymphomania, domestic violence, stalking, infidelity, friendship, nightclub ownership, mind games, gun control, how to key a car, blackmail, cheesy pickup lines, art (is for the people), parental relations, mafia hits and Tori Spelling being the most hideous creature alive (minus Claire) yet always having a boyfriend, all tied in a pretty little bow.
I was really upset when the WB came out with a remake of 90210 - completely pathetic and 95% worse than the original. You can't top Dylan McKay no matter how hard you try.
AND WHY DO THEY ALWAYS WEAR BUSINESS SUITS FOR EVERY DAY LIFE?? THEY
ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS. I USUALLY WALKED AROUND IN MY PAJAMAS!!!
And can someone please explain why David is producing music videos for campus bands?? And they want Donna as the female in their music video? And she looks hideous but everyone tells her how great she is? And what is with the leather pants?
Kelly is finally kicking SWF out of her apartment and she's begging to stay. Quote of the night from Sarah: "Get a fucking grip."
Correction. Quote of the night: (Sarah on Tori Spelling): "Does she have a Y chromosome?"
We didn't start at season one; we started at season five. But we're going to cry when we get to the end. Although, at this rate it will be in 2020.
Life lessons from 90210: just don't be a stalker.
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