Always Carry the Beat

Let’s get one tiny detail out of the way. Right now. Straight from the start and straight from the heart: It sucks being the only single girl at the table.

Put your hands up, up!

Even worse? Hearing your gal pals talk about guys they know, mostly single guys,  in the hopes of possibly giving me a chance to find someone nice, someone who will treat me like the lady and princess I am, and someone who will fight their battles against me but still like me all the same, and the end result? They’re all too old or not in the same interest fields.

Now if they all possessed the looks, charm, and ambition of Cooper Anderson, maybe I wouldn’t be so picky,

Trust me, I know opposites attract, but these ones just would not mesh with me. One happened to be a vegan. How die-hard a vegan, I can’t be sure, but if a guy can’t stand the thought of me eating a juicy burger or medium-rare cooked steak, it’s a done deal. I like my meat more than any guy any day.

How is your mouth not watering right at this very moment?

It might sound stupid, but it’s the truth. I like to eat, plain and simple.

We had a few beers, but I wasn’t really in the mood to be drinking. Pineapple Habanero salsa and tortilla chips along with a glass of water with lemon sufficed perfectly well for me. And Jeez, we went through three baskets of chips! Damn, they were delicious. The perfect mix of crunchy and salty — my two favorite kinds of food of all time.

Totally delicious and not as spicy as one would think containing the word ‘Habanero’.

Sitting with my water and listening to two other women squawk about how their boyfriends/husbands piss them on the most random things, I’m sitting there, thinking, “Be happy you have someone  to be pissed at about something as stupid as whether he’s standing beside you the entire time you’re shopping at Target.”

“When I think of some of the men I’ve slept with…if they were women I wouldn’t have had lunch with them.”

Carol Siskind, a nightclub nabob, has hit it right on the money. Which is why I have recognized the fact I really don’t get along with that many women. The ones I do, great! There are a handful I tolerate. The rest? Forget about them. I’m not nose diving into your catty, passive-aggressive ways of tearing a person down, and that includes over a meal. If I want a damn platter of onion rings, I’m going to have a damn platter of onion rings!

She sounds like her understands the male mind almost TOO well.

Me? On the guy front? I have no one. Not even a dog to cuddle me to sleep when I’ve had the roughest of rough days. I don’t even have a fish to come home to watch swim around his little bowl and spew my deepest inner thoughts to after everything is said and done. I have Yoda, sitting here patiently on my couch, always watching and always waiting for me to come and sit by him, possibly use him as a pillow. He’s usually the one who sits in the passenger seat when I make a solo trip anywhere, and we talk. Or I should say, I talk and he listens with that calm smile plastered across his face.

How can you not fall in love with that face!

Yoda is an excellent listener. I wouldn’t keep taking him on car rides if he wasn’t. He’s seen me sing so loud, other cars next to mine are surely able to hear me loud and clear. He’s seen me laugh on the phone with my best girlfriends. He’s seen me freak out because I’m lost in the middle of the cities yet again. He’s seen me swear and cuss at idiot drivers and at myself. He’s seen me cry over unexpected break-ups, sad movies, or terrible conversations that should have gone differently.

He’s seen me through a lot, and he will always be my Master in that sense. Why? Whenever I have one of the above explained moments, I talk to him and then the resolution usually dawns upon me just as quickly as the problem settled on my shoulders.

Incredibly wise, this one is.

The radio is always playing  in the car. There are songs for everybody which remind you of someone or a specific moment in the lives we’ve led so far. ‘Gangnam Style‘ takes me to a time my best friend and I were sitting on the couch after months of not seeing each other while watching A New Hope. Faith Hill’s ‘This Kiss‘ takes me back to singing karaoke at the hometown tavern a mile from my home after a successful opening night of the first summer stock show I starred in, leading role and everything. ‘The Joker‘ will always and forever bring me back to my cousin’s wedding when my most recent ex-boyfriend and I were the only ones tearing up the dance floor, and I never smiled so much in my life (and he wasn’t that much of a dancer, either.)

This Kiss…oh yeeeeeeah

These moments are heartbreaking, smile-inducing, and embarrassing. Along with the great dancing moments, there are the songs that played in the background during first kisses, first dances, and innumerable  flirtations. A warning for all: the Rascal Flatts is not the best tunes to be playing when you think things may go beyond kissing. Seriously, heed my words.

The Rascal Flatts are meant for very sentimental and heart-breaking moments…not for heated can’t-keep-my-paws-off-you instances.

We’ve all been there, we’ve all been transported back in time to that one moment specific to the song. Music is a magical thing and speaks to us in way normal words never will.

It brought this family back together (via August Rush!)

Yoda knows this. He gets it.

Maybe I’ve found my dream man after all.

On second thought….THIS is my dream man (and he can sing, too!)

The Wedding of the Year

A week ago, I was waking up blurry eyed, legs hurting, and blissfully happy because I’d left it all on the dance floor in celebration of my sister and her new husbands’ wedding. A week ago, I had the time of my life. A week ago seems so very long ago.

Forever and ever

The post-wedding blues have certainly settled down on my shoulders since last weekend. When you’re looking forward to something like a wedding for about 10 months worth of time, it all comes to a head in 2 days’ worth of time, and just like that its over. It’d leave you depressed, too.

Another dress goes into the closet. Le Sigh…

“Powerlessness corrupts: absolute powerlessness corrupts absolutely.”

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a business-trend tracker, knows how I’m feeling about this wedding being over. I am powerless in making it happen all over again. The annoying part out of all of this? The unending stream of questions concerning when I’m going to be hitched. How about ‘not anytime soon’ for an answer?

Here’s a solution: Get some power behind that punch!

But instead of wallowing in misery and self-pity (which I allowed myself to do the other day), it’s time to look back and remember the awesome times that were had merely a week ago. The newlyweds came back from their honeymoon last night, so it’s once again a bustling house. I am no longer the sole tenant, but I walk around with a little apprehension when I see their cars in the driveway, but don’t her a sound when I walk through the door. I may have to invest in ear plus for instant insertion as soon as I walk through the front door. As a precaution, people. I know when I get married, those first few weeks are going to be absolutely crazy…in the bedroom. HA! Too much?

By remembering, we relive. By reliving,  we remind oneself about all the good times. By reminding ourselves about the good times, I can happily avoid the post-wedding depression constantly knocking on my emotional gate. Plus, Thanksgiving is just around the corner (OMG!), so it’ll be good for the soul to see my family again. And it’s the holidays (almost!)

I’m already starving myself in preparation.

I shan’t lie. I’m very excited for Christmas music to start blaring through my speakers.

In the spirit of remembering the wedding of the year, here are my favorite moments from last weekend:

- Learning the song ‘Marry Me’ by Train from scratch in my sister’s friends hotel room the night prior to the ceremony, and then rocking it in the church the next day.

So pretty and it makes me want to cry. In a good way.

- Slipping on my Katniss Everdeen boots for the infamous Boot Dance around the groom during the wedding dance.

It’s a tradition.

- Towards the end of the night, dancing with one of the honorary ushers and as he tried to dip me in a fancy-manner, ended up dropping me cold in front of everyone on the dance floor. (I still have a bruise on my ankle from this moment!)

He did apologize like 10 times.

- Bustling my sister’s wedding dress and having a few private moments to talk to her in the middle of all the chaos.

Who knew there were so many options for bustling?

- Freezing my toes and arms off in the city park in 30 degree weather for outdoors wedding photos

I really hope they look this cute.

- Rocking my cream and black laced dress at the rehearsal dinner (and having one of the groomsmen say, “Day-um, that’s a good-looking girl!”)

Pretty damn close to the actual dress I wore.

-  Seeing my sister walk down the aisle, and bawling my eyes out

Her train wasn’t nearly this long. Thank God.

- Discovering how to do the Gangnam Style dance in a floor-length bridesmaid dress (and bringing everyone out to the dance floor!)

- Seeing how my parents are still very much in love with each other 39 years later from their wedding day

A huge feat for any couple in this day and age.

- Giving the groom “the talk” about how if he ever hurts my sister in any way, he’s got me to deal with.

- Beginning my Maid of Honor speech with ‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…my sister asked me to keep Star Wars references out of my speech…well, I’m breaking the rules.”

It got the crowd laughing that’s for sure.

- Watching my niece and nephews get dolled up in their little mini-man tuxedos and her little fluffy dress

So freaking adorable.

- Talking to the Best Man pretty much all night long (too bad he lives in Arizona.)

We had a few awesome dance moves between us.

- Taking a very large shot of tequila with the same usher that dropped me on the dance floor

Cuz tonight is going to be a good night.

- Hearing the story of how this same usher apologized to my mother for dropping me, and she had no idea what he was talking about

- Jamming to Bohemian Rhapsody with my other brother-in-law while he decked himself out in the longest-nastiest black hair wig I’ve ever seen in my life.

I’m sure Animal was an inspiration. For suuuure!

- Watching the Father-Daughter dance (makes me tear up every single time…especially when I already know the song I want played for my Father-Daughter dance.)

My Pops and I will bust a move at my wedding.

- Being greeted by the entire groomsmen party with a rousing “GOOD MOOOORNING!” at the brunch the morning after the wedding.

They sure know what I liked.

- Dancing like a maniac ALL NIGHT LONG! (and having my legs still  hurt 4 days later.)

Props are a necessity at any and all weddings dances.

Guess what? I’m sure there are at least 100 more I could list, but I’ll spare you from them. I’ll keep them to myself My memories, not yours!

I’m going to go finally unpack from last weekend. Sad, isn’t it? My duffel bag is still sitting on my floor 8 days later…I’m a terrible housekeeper. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! I’m rocking the pigtail and robe look 4 hours after getting up.

What’s the point of putting clothes on for the day of relxation? Coffee tastes better this way, anyway.

This is what Sundays were made for.

Shall we just stay in bed? Okay, you’ve convinced me.

Come Hither, Focus!

It’s just going to be one of those work days.

Punch me in the face and don’t ask any questions.

I have a list packed full of exciting and interesting projects for myself to work on, the air holds a certain buzz to it, I have the office completely to myself so no impending click-clacking of heels interrupting my thoughts every other minute, and I have a cup of Starbucks coffee steaming next to me. (I tend to be a Caribou girl, but it’s good to shake things up a little bit every now and then.)

So beautiful on a lousy day

So what’s my problem? Why can’t I focus on a single thing, other than that the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ score is absolutely amazing?

Do I seriously hate my life this much already? Naw, that can’t be it. I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday, had a great hour of browsing and dreaming and thinking and planning, flirted with the cashier (who my sister insisted I go back and get his number, but I just wasn’t feeling it while still wearing my gym running pants…although my hair looked absolutely beachy-keen), bought my new Book of the Month (have I told you about that?), tried out Noodles and Company for the first time and LOVED it, and then I went home and got myself sorted out in my room to the point where I sat on my bed staring at the movie I was playing, asking myself, “Now what?”

“Perks of Being a Wallflower” is my October choice for Book of the Month.

So many things to do, and I can never nail down an order in which to get them done. When I reach that calm of crossing a dozen things off my list, then I just feel lost. May the heavens above help me whenever I decide to have kids….I’ll be in an absolutely chaotic heaven.

I just need to face it. It’s not going to be a very productive work day. I’ve been here for maybe 4 hours already, and my eyes are glazing over as I stare at this screen. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the work I’m doing, or the things I have staring me down from the yellow memo pad off to my left-hand side. I just don’t feel the burning motivation. Add on top of that the burning, disgusting thought of getting back on that treadmill for another 30 minutes at the end of the day, and I’m ready to crawl under my desk and call out I have the swine flu so everyone should just STAY AWAY.

It’s as if I am Michael Scott and my work is Toby Flinderson.

Happy Thursday, all

“I’m lazy. At work my favorite part of the day is being on hold.”

You have summed up my feelings entirely, Janet Rosen, who is quite the jokesmith. I just want to stare at my computer screen and see if I can cause it to explode instantaneously. Maybe I’m not happy with my job? But how can I say that when I’ve only been working at it for little over a month now. Most say you need to give it a year before you find a foothold in a new place of employment.

And a book agent on top of everything else. Nicely done.

Like yesterday? Totally rocked the office. I wore a great outfit (scoff all you want, but it really does help your mindset for the entire day if you take time to pick out your clothes and then acknowledge how good you look in it.) What’s this outfit I’m raving about? I actually took advice from Cosmo, and kept things simple. I paired a plain, V-neck black T-shirt with a black pencil skirt (you have to be careful with blacks to make sure they match, and in this case, they blended together perfectly.) Over the shirt, I pulled on an olive-green jacket that carried a semi-business vibe to it. Very much an Take-Me-Seriously-But-Also-Sit-Down-And-Talk-With-Me look to it. Put on my fave pair of black pumps with a silver buckle on the front, slip a black and white patterned belt around my waist to highlight my little middle, and a eye-catching pair of dangling earrings, and I was set to go.

So many great ways to make a black shift-ish outfit look amazing!

I know my workouts are working, too, because I caught a side view of myself and my butt is looking a touch perkier than a week ago…Heck yes to progress!

Anyways, the thing is, I came into work primed and ready to see what the heck was up, and within the first two hours of stepping foot into the office, I fired off two really great ideas for our office, my boss loved them both, and before you know it, plans are being set to put them both into motion. I mean, how great does that make me feel? Makes me feel like I’m doing my job above and beyond, that’s for sure. Granted, my morning was then shot to hell when the project I worked on all morning got tossed by 2:00 in the afternoon, and I was told to start over with a new idea. But, eh, what can you do?

Le Sigh…

Shit happens.

As Forrest Gump said.

It’s going to take more than coffee and chocolate to pick me up this afternoon, so maybe a few words of encouragement will help. Here are a few pick-me-ups for us to share:

- You make life better just by being you.

Which is why I will be wearing this costume come Halloween.

- Disappointments pass. Successes last.

Gondor will forever remember this moment.

- Encourage yourself, too.

You are not going to freak out on this date. You’re going to be charming, delightful, and an absolute darling. With a hint of sass, too. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

- Counting blessings makes them multiply.

The Rohirrim came back, even after they were banished. Count your blessings, indeed, Middle Earth.

- All the good things in life are waiting to be claimed by you.

You are worth it. Oh, so worth it.

- Your efforts will pay off.

They were rewarded well. With salted pork, of course.

- Choose happiness!

Dmitiri could have run, but he ran back towards the one he loves and ended up saving her life.

As a famous Jack Dawson once said in a little known film called “Titanic” once said, “Life is a gift and I don’t intend on wasting it.” I’m leaning in your direction, Jack, and trying to be optimistic about everything and making every moment count. Working out? I’m not going to stop…I’m going to push and run those extra 5 minutes. Writing? Stop fighting it and jot everything down a little bit a day, and things will work out on paper. Love? Keep the doors open, and be open to possibilities.

However, as a Jedi, duty always comes first, and that may be why I’m putting love on the back burner for the time being. I’m focusing on me, and what I need to do in order to choose happiness and live to smile after the choice has been made.

He made his choice, and dealt with the emotional repercussions for years to come.

So far so good.

That also doesn’t mean I can’t have my fun along the way, too

Come a little closer, and see what you get.

Here’s to the husbands who’ve won you, the losers who’ve lost you, and the lucky bastards who’ve yet to meet you.

Well, what do you know? It’s another Friday, and is it sad to say that I’m sort of dreading it? My work day isn’t going to be all that bad. I have the office all to myself again, and I have an event in the middle of the afternoon where mostly I’ll sit, wave, and clap to those walking through a Welcome Line. The I return to my office to finish up a few things, head out for the day to home and throw a few clothes and my toothbrush into a duffel, jump back into my car to head off to my part-time job. When that is done, I jump back in my car to drive 3 hours down to the cities because tomorrow I am getting my day at the State Fair.

I’ve gone every year since I was 5. How can I even consider missing it?

I can taste that deep-fried candy bar already. Mmmmm-mmmmm good!

Come to momma!

While I know that one food indulgence takes care of my calorie count for the entire week, I don’t care. It’s the State Fair. You’re supposed to consume more than three times your normal food intake, feel terrible about yourself, and then go home and rave about all the things you ate.

Then wait for it to come back around the following year only to stuff yourself like a pig once again.

I don’t feel guilty about it at all. In fact, I’m officially joining a gym on Tuesday, so I’ll be raring to get those extra 2000 calories off my behind and sweating onto the gym floor.

Bring it on!

I do have to share this one little funny story. It’s kind of ironic considering the state of bliss I was in after being swept off my feet by Josh Groban in Dreamland the previous night, but my sister and I stopped at our old apartment for the last time. A desk I inherited from her previous roommate free of charge still remained in my old bedroom and it needed to be moved out to the dumpster yet. After tipping it every which way to find the best carrying position for it, we managed to rip it apart more than a little bit. If you’re thinking about buying a desk, one thing to keep in mind: How hard it is going to be to move? This particular desk was not well-thought out. Awkward, heavier than heavy, and none of the doors stayed shut (maybe why I got it for free?).

Except it wasn’t cheap plastic from Ikea. It was solid wood and twice as big.

Us two girls managed to get it out to the trash and shoved into a dumpster ALL MY OURSELVES! (Hear us roar!!!!) I must not have dusted the thing ever. Once it was in the dumpster and out of our hands, I looked down at my sweatpants and there were streaks of gray and fuzz all over the place. (Not going to lie…dusting furniture is not always a #1 priority with me.) Anyways, we continued to get the last few things moved out and I was carrying the top compartmentalized portion of the desk (which we managed to rip off…YES!) This was no small piece of shelving. Not that it was heavy, just slight cumbersome.

Hear. Us. ROOOOOOAR!

I’m struggling to get the door and miraculously do not lose my footing walking down the steps, and start walking to my car. Suddenly, I look up and a nicely dressed guy is grabbing his bag out of his car. A small buzzer goes off in my head, saying, “You know him! You know him!” He starts walking in my direction, and his face lights up when he sees me. He greets me rather enthusiastically, and I respond in kind. “Hey hows its going?” “Hey there! I’m doing pretty well!” We go out separate directions.

Kinda felt like this, except in the manner of 10 seconds.

The entire trek to my car, I’m asking myself how I know him and from where. Then it dawns on me. He’s the guy I met randomly at a bar about a month back while checking out a band with a work friend of mine. He’s the one who approached me and tried holding a conversation with me when the band was blaring so obnoxiously loud, and I couldn’t hear a word unless he literally stuck his lips on my ear and spoke. So freaking loud! After awhile, he bought me and my friend a couple of rounds of drinks and eventually we left where we were sitting so we could actually talk elsewhere in the bar. I didn’t know at the time if I thought he was attractive because of the tequila I’d been downing or if I genuinely thought he was cute.

These tend to get me in trouble.

Turns out, I genuinely thought he was cute. Because seeing him yesterday….daaaaaaaang! Pretty dang cute.

Anyways, after getting back to the house, I just had to text him to see if it was him. Sure enough, it was and he had recognized me, too. We chatted for a bit, and I brought up the fact he had asked me for drinks about a week or two ago, but I had never heard from him since. If I remember correctly, he was out-of-town one week and then seemed pretty swamped with work the following. But whatever. I never heard from him, and just assumed he lost interest or was really busy. I could deal with that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve also been swamped.

Truth!

But we have a potential date for next week. He’s no Josh Groban, but hey, it’s a date, isn’t it?

“Don’t waste time trying to break a man’s heart; be satisfied if you can just manage to chip it in a new place.”

The tempting words of Helen Rowland, a modern maximist.

I’m pretty sure I know her from somewhere…

I can’t say I left him drooling and dazzled at my charm yesterday enough to make him regret not getting a hold of me sooner. I was covered in dust fuzzballs, gray chalky dust, make-up smeared, and hair half-thrown back hazardously. In my professional opinion, not cute at all. But that’s my opinion.

I was about as attractive as our dear Kate Hudson here.

Another funny thing? Turns out we’ve been living in the same apartment building for the last five months and we’ve never run into each other once.

Sometimes, I tell myself to stop trying to figure out life. The Force will guide me one way or another, but it will not steer me wrong.

Listen to your gut, and not what the liquor is telling you.

Trust in that. Trust in that.

And because I’m now obsessed with this song….Happy Friday!

Hello, My Friends, Hello. It’s Good to Let You Know…

“You’ve got a friend in me.”

Name that song.  If you don’t know it, you are almost pretty much dead to me.

Original and oh-so-good

Nah, I’m just kidding. It’s the theme song from none other but the orignal Toy Story, and the song was written by the wonderful Randy Newman. In case you don’t believe me when I say he’s wonderful, also check out “Strange Things (Are Happening to Me)”, also found in the first Toy Story movie. That is certainly one movie I will love with all my heart until the day I can no longer sit in one place for the duration for the entirely of a 1.5 hour movie (Let’s face it, the bladder is going to lose function at some point during my old age.)

Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear. Whoever thought they could become friends, let alone the best of friends? They come from two entirely different backgrounds, and they live in opposite settings of each other. A ranch versus a space ship. Moon boots versus cowboy boots. Yee-ha versus To Infinity and Beyond!

Two very cool dudes

You get the picture. But when they got past that original sense of hesitancy about each other, they not only had amazing adventures with each other. (The scene I’m thinking of…”Buzz, you’re flying!”, “This isn’t flying. It’s falling with style.”, “To infinity and beyooooond! Hah hah hah!”)

I know I’m cheering every time when this moment happens

As other holidays rolled around and Andy grew older and older until it was time for him to go to college, Woody and Buzz remained best of friends through all the changes taking place.

Movie #3 and we’re still the best of friends!

I can only hope I can say the same about some of the people I’ve befriended in the past year or so as new changes not only rock my world, but theirs as well.

For instance, I’ll be leaving the job I’ve worked for the past 1.5 years, and I’ve gotten to know pretty much everybody on the staff here. Some are friends, others mere acquaintances where we say ‘hello’ and ‘good-bye’ when appropriate while making other polite small talk. A handful of others I would say have become good friends of mine. Be it a good work friend or an actual We-Talk-About-The-Big-Stuff sort of friend, we’ve connected on a level that goes beyond work mates. We’ve hung out, we’ve called each other to vent, we’ve done lunch/drinks/dinner, we’ve started drinking in the middle of the afternoon and continued well into the night, we’ve seen movies together, and we text more often than we should.

How much do you want to bet most, if not all, of these things will change the day I start my Big Girl Job?

“Friends are just enemies who don’t have enough guts to kill you.”

You’re words ring too true in my current state of being, Judy Tenuta, a lethal lampooner.

Better a lampooner than a Harpooner!

One such friend, upon learning from me that I got the job I’ll be starting next week, she had very specific words for me: “I want to be happy for you.Really, I do. But I’m going to be mad at you and hate you instead.”

Wow….thank you?

Because that all makes perfect sense!

This is also the same friend who bailed on grabbing drinks on my the eve of my birthday because she needed to “go home and bake. Yes, I’m an old person. But I don’t want to be tired in the morning.” I’m sorry, but it was 9:00 pm and you could have had water with lemon, especially after promising me for the entire previous week you’d come out with me. Or, how one night we decided to go out for drinks after work because we wanted to catch up with each other, but then she decided a beer on her porch would taste better. Instead of even doing that, she then agreed to go out with other coworkers for beer instead of going for a drink with me (which could have been a beer. I didn’t care what we got, I was just excited to spend time with her. Guess I was wrong again.)

Frenemies between Disney Princesses? You would have thought it?

From that point on, all I’ve received is attitude from a handful of reasons. When I  voice a concern or make a comment about how I can’t do something because I have a handful of tasks to do, the response I most often get is, “No one cares. You’re leaving, anyways.”

Again….thanks so much. Don’t complain about me then when I never make an effort to call or text to try to get together. If you didn’t care about me in my last days as a coworker, you’re sure as hell not going to care about my well-being if we’re actually friends outside of where we work.

I’m sorry I’m moving on and making changes to my life after complaining about my current situation. Get off your butt, and make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen because you “deserve it.”

I’ve deserved a lot of things in my life, but did I get them? Not every time. Did I take it out on my friends? Maybe at first with a few sarcastic remarks, but if what happened (or didn’t happen) wasn’t related to them in any way, shape, or form, I didn’t bother them by taking it out on them. I’m sorry life isn’t what you wanted it to be like at this point in your life, but I, nor my friends, had any part in that.

Don’t burn the bridges before they’re capably built.

Burn, baby, burn

It doesn’t help that about an hour ago I caught the ‘Friends’ ultimate finale on TV while eating dinner, and watching them all say good-bye to each other on the show (and in real life, as the show was ending its 10th and final season) made me tear up more than once in 10 minutes time. They were all moving on to new chapters in their lives, and now, so am I.

Still one of the best shows ever created. Perfect cast, perfect writing, perfect acting, perfect A LOT of things.

With that in mind, I want to spread a little Vogue-spiration that bears this thought in mind:

Inspirations comes from many places. Vogue being one of them.

“Want to know a secret? Obsessing about your age, and your “flaws,” is never chic. Don’t-give-a-damn is the most fashionable quality ever known. A seventeen-year-old from East L.A. with a strict budget and a stellar sense of self can be just as fabulous as a 36-yeaer-old Parisian style-maker with a charge account at Colette. She knows how to fully embrace this self, this day. She knows what shade of turquoise or amber brings out her eyes.

In this Vogue-spiration, we give you: One thirteen-year-old wise to the ways of the Chanel atelier. One 96-year-old in a leather jacket. Four 20-something cousins with shoulder-high legs and a penchant for Mugler. Mega-sequins and shearling for the under-30s; mega-sequins and shearling with an over-30 spin. Two hundred and twenty-eight pages of inspirations that span the generations.

Age? Sure, it’s just a number. But that doesn’t mean you should pretend you’re a number you’re not. Dressing like a club-hopper when you’re a woman of substance undermines your own power. Being a conformist when you’re in your 20s would be a sin.

When we write about dressing through the decades, we’re advocating that you embrace the individual. Take possession of your unique personal style. Because how many women can be you?”

To sum it all up? Seize the day. I can’t help it if my friends don’t reciprocate when I reach out an invitation to get together. If they deny the chance, I can at least say I’m doing my part in this friendship. See, that’s the tricky thing. Friendships are two-way streets. Don’t complain to me about how I’m going to be the one “too busy” or “too whatever” to have time to hang out or see you.

The more you put the blame on me before it’s even happened, the less I want to put in the effort.

Seize the day. Pick up the phone, and stay in contact. On both ends. Be the woman (or man) you’re meant to be.

Call me back, betch!

As Mufasa would say, “Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember who you are…”

It’s the circle of life!

I’ll always for a sucker for a good Lion King reference.

Taking Care of Moi

It was any ordinary night. The weekend was fully underway as it was a Saturday night, but something that wasn’t so typical was my attitude towards the night.

I was finishing a week where I worked 57 hours between both jobs, and I was just plain tired coming off the 4-day rounds of doubles I put myself through. Not entirely my fault, since I don’t have a say in my schedule at one such job other than to say here is my availability, now please schedule me. I didn’t have to agree to help out when our other part-time evening desk clerk quit, but what can I say? I’m a team player and don’t like leaving people hanging when I can help it.

What are you going to do about it? You gonna be a player? You want be a part of the team? Do ya!?

With that in mind, I walked through the door of my apartment and had nothing on my brain other than wanting to relax with nothing to bother me. The last time I felt super relaxed was when I zoned out (and eventually konked out) in front of the TV was after I allowed myself the luxury of taking a bubble bath. That’s right. A bubble bath, and not just any sort of bubble bath. When it comes to this sort of relaxation (and my body needing to just be for a solid amount of time with no stress whatsoever on it if I could help it), you have to properly set the mood.

And say it with me….Ahhhhhhhhhh. *Smile*

Setting the mood might sound like something you need to do if you’re planning on sharing a bath with your special someone, but guess what people. When you’re taking care of yourself, you need to spend extra time taking care of you as much as if you were trying to impress that certain someone. Don’t sell yourself short, especially after putting yourself through almost 60 hours of work in one week.

So…setting the mood. I grabbed a variety of candles, poured the bubble bath into the running water and let myself inhale the soft lavender scent. Creating the right atmosphere for relaxation should take a little work, but not a ton. Like the candles. They offer enough light so I can read a nonsense magazine while I’m soaking in the bubbles, and they offer a really soft, sexy light to everything in the room. My clothes now laying on the bathroom floor appeared to have a naughtier tale to tell while basking in the glow of candlelight compared to how they looked when bright flourescent overhead lights flood the room.

Much softer and forgiving to curvy women.

I don’t usually take baths, so it’s a fun little experience every time I run myself one. While the tub fills with the hot, sudsy water, I like to take the time to put my hair up in a bun or ponytail, just something that gets the hair off my neck. I recently found this really super soft headband at Pier 1 I like to use whenever I take a bath. It’s tight enough to keep those pesky loose hairs off my neck and shoulders (I have a shorter hair-do, so when the hair goes up, it doesn’t necessarily all stay in the hair binder unless it has a little help via bobby pins or a lot of hairspray), but not so tight it gives me a headache in 5 minutes after putting it on. After putting my hair up, I’ll find a soothing movie score to put into my music player (funny enough, the Amelie soundtrack is really great to listen to while soaking in the tub) or I’ll just turn on the radio and listen to the random conversations DJs always have with their listening audience.

Except I don’t wear a flower in my hair while I soak away my miseries.

Once the bath is ready, I’m in heaven. I’ve modified the process for now, but when I put a bath tub in the house I’m eventually going to grow old in, there is going to be a padded section at one end of the tub for when I take bubble baths like these. My head and neck need a place to lean against and the hard, porcelain rim of the tub is not the ideal place.

Or I need to have a servant and one of these installed in my bedroom. (Did you notice my bedroom also has a fireplace?)

If I’m not reading a magazine or a book while in the tub, I’m probably closing my eyes and letting the music take over the thoughts consuming my mind. Let’s just say that’s not always a good thing…OR you coul say its a very good thing.

“Just because I don’t do bad things doesn’t mean I don’t have bad thoughts.”

I’m taking your words for a sexier spin, Ms. Kristin Kreuk, a small screen starlet.

What are you thinking about, Ms. Kreuk?

Like I said, there’s just something about candlelight and the glow it casts about the room…or the people in the room. Plainly put, candlelight is sexy. Maybe there’s a reason ‘sexy photos’ always have a ton of candles adorning the room where the action happens. Certainly doesn’t help when certain men are on the mind, either…Oh, Ryan Lochte, you’ll never be far from my mind whenever I immerse myself in water.

Come on, people! I was dreaming of this with Ryan Lochte. Nothing else!

It also helps with the sexy feeling when you step out of the bathtub and rinse yourself off with a quick shot of cold water to get any leftover bubbles off your skin. Immediately after that? Slip into a silky robe, and maybe have a glass of wine (or water, whatever your fancy) and continue to lounge. No worries, no cares…and if you’re feeling like getting a little saucy with that special someone, be sure to do it while the sexy mood continues.

The silk feels oh-so-nice against your skin.

Otherwise you’ll just fall asleep on the couch like I do every other time I’ve let myself enjoy a bubble bath.

Probably drooling on said book.

But if self-therapy isn’t enough of a way to cause you to relax, maybe a little retail therapy would help with that. Cue up your laptop, top off that glass of wine, and let the online shopping spree begin! Here a few things to watch for during the rest of August if the shopping bug has bitten you:

- Computers

Since mine died in May, it’s about time I invest in a new one.

- Mattresses

Accompanied by new bed linens and comforters, of course!

- School Supplies

Everybody needs a Star Wars lunch box before heading out to classes or to work.

- School Clothes

Sign me up RIGHT NOW!

- Summer Clothing (specifically bathing suit and sandals!)

Say yes to the sundress!

- Linens and Towels

- Lawn and Garden Equipment

What a creepy Jawa…I love it.

This week has joined itself with the previous weekend, and I am just stuck on trying to remember what day it is.

This is what happens when you work too much. Get some relaxation in and…I dont  know…let the sexy reign.

Just don’t frighten away the guy with a stare as intense at this.

You know you want to

Zen-ing Out

When your tummy is rumbling there isn’t a single thing that can get your brain to stop thinking about it. The world could be ending, meteors raining down upon the earth at this very second!…and I still would be worried about how I can find some food to make the journey from my hand, into my mouth, and down in the realms of my stomach.

No, I am not calling myself a hippo.

Yes, I am hungry. Yes, I know a single cup of coffee is not a healthy breakfast. Yes, I know I should get up 20 minutes earlier so I have time to throw a bagel into the toaster and smear some cream cheese on it before running out the door (with said cup of coffee). Yes, I should know by now that I ate this feeling of my stomach eating itself as it look for morsels of food to digest.

Literally, 2 minutes. I could brush my teeth and push the lever down at the same time.

I should know a lot of things. All of thee above? Not among them.

I continue to live by a simple rule of life: I’m young, dumb, and don’t know any better. I wonder how long I can keep that one up…

Or I’ll continue to call myself a thug and move on with my day.

“I sort of sympathize with them looking for weapons of mass destruction, because I’m like that with scissors. Honestly, I just turn the house upside down. Of course the difference is, I know I have got some scissors.”

Replace the word ‘scissors’ with food, and you have my world problem right now, Linda Smith, a small objective observer. Don’t even get me started on the Bush administration and their hunt for WMD’s. You’ll get an earful, probably not agree with me, and it’ll just upset this beautifully calm morning I’m having.

Your expression sums of the the WMD topic perfectly.

It’s one of those blissful days where a lot needs to be done, but I feel incredibly relaxed about it. My continuous To-Do list only seems to grow more and more with each day. I awake each morning remembering something new to add to the list, be it professional, personal, or merely creative. I don’t think it will ever be finished. I’ll be laying on my deathbed, thinking, “I never did XYZ.” (I really hope not, but at this rate, it’s a losing battle.)

Cute! A project about a project!

It’s what happens with the creative soul. You start three projects at the same time, only to add another four when those original three are about halfway complete, and when those are nearly finished and the second round of projects has barely begun, then you find round three, and those take all precedence. Oh, and look at the original projects. So close to being done, and yet, there they lay, incomplete.

I may just have ADD. Get me some Ritalin stat!

It’s all things I enjoy however. So…that’s a good thing, right?

I find a quiet happiness in the world when I open my eyes in the morning  to find the pavement outside my window soaked in rain, and to discover it is still raining. I have no large impending deadlines, but I’m working like everything is due tomorrow (a plus considering the workload I need to complete in the next 7-9 days.) Watched an equestrian event of the Olympics as I readied myself this morning.

Even though I was raised on a dairy farm, I still love horses just as much.

My biggest problem of the day thus far? Discovering I need to relearn how to walk in this particular pair of high heels. I’m walking along…do-da-do-da-dooooo…singing a little tune in my head and I’m walking at a pretty good pace. A woman in heels must walk with purpose, otherwise what’s the point? So, I’m crusin”, feeling really good about the morning, when I encounter a corner I must turn. It’s just a corner. No big deal, right?

Wrong.

I make my move to turn the corner like a normal person does, but my feet and shoes have two different ideas entirely. Thank goodness for an empty hallway, otherwise bystanders would have seen quite the balancing act. Hot coffee, an umbrella, regaining my footing, and saving myself from what would have been a very painful butt plant on the ground.

Look at me, I’ve got my new shoes on.

In epic wipe-outs, Olympic judges would have scored me a 9.8.

Gathering myself back together in as quick a manner as I could, I made sure I didn’t absent-mindedly roll my ankle. Then, very carefully, I reoriented myself by picking up my feet and pointed both foot and shoe in the direction I needed to go. When once again sure-footed, I took off at my walking pace of chicness.

So I’m not full of grace and poise when it comes to high heels. So what? I’ll be the first to tell you I’m more comfortable in a pair of mucking boots than heels any day. But when heels look this cute and make my butt look this good, how can you say no?

Sometimes, I do feel like the It Girl. In the right pair of shoes, anyways.

Other than my near falling mishap in the middle of a major campus hallway, my Hump Day has been going rather well and I hope it stays that way. If I remember correctly, the books didn’t look too busy this evening at Job #2, so I’m hoping its a slow night. I’m really digging this zen feeling I have engulfing me at the moment.

Along with that in mind, I’ve been listening to nothing but major action movie soundtracks all morning. Am I trying to tell myself something? Like, “Stop feeling so mellow. There’s evil to be defeated out in the world! Remember? Now go fight it to Track #7 of Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. Go go GOOOOOOO!”

Optimus Prime may or may not be a personal role model of mine.

I smile at my own insanity sometimes. It makes me giggle.

I hope your day is going as pleasantly as mine, but just in case you need that extra boost, here’s my Midweek Smiles heading your way in 3…2…1…GO!

- Today is always new.

Something beautiful can be made each day, even if it is a dress for a chameleon.

- Positive is powerful.

Anya remained positive about having a family out there, and look. She became a Duchess instead.

- Shrug off your mistakes. Celebrate your success.

He may have been dirt poor, but he met the love of his life and slept on the grandest ship in the world (until it sank to the bottom of the ocean, that is.)

- You’re the best kind of wonderful.

One of the most romantic moments in film ever.

- Happy surprises can happen anytime.

My happy surprise? Finding this picture.

- You have far more strengths than flaws.

Yes, acting dorky is one such strength.

- Stuck? Let your inner GPS map a new way to your dreams!

Luke listened to his inner GPS aka the Force.

I especially like that last one. I like thinking I have an inner GPS of sorts, making sure I get to where I need to. Some would call it fate, others destiny. Some wouldn’t call it anything. I don’t know what I’d call it.

Oh, wait. Yes I do. I’d call it the Force.

The Force, I sense in you. Strong, it is. To the Dark Side, you are lost, you are.

Once a Jedi, always a Jedi through and through.

Jedi Forever

I Have a Healer, and His Name is Josh Groban

It’s still early in the day, and already I’m yelling a myself to focus. Why, you ask? I’ve been staring at my split ends for the last 10 minutes. If that doesn’t scream I need to focus, I don’t know what does.

So ready to just hack everything off…split ends and all!

It doesn’t help that I woke up this morning with a twist of anxiety ripping through my stomach like it’s never going to end. It feels like a bad shot of caffeine thrown into my coffee this morning. Instead of a single, it’s a double and I’m already feeling the consequences.

I didn’t even have coffee this morning…you know it’s bad when…

Honestly? I feel like I need to burst out of my own skin. Is this what a snake feels like when he’s molting? Just ready to shed his own skin and burst out and become something new? Not that I want to compare myself to a snake. Ugh, I hate snake. Thinking about them has made my blood pressure rise another 12 degrees.

“I pray that I may be all that [my mother] would have been had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve and daughters were cherished as much as sons.”

It amazes me how these quotes inspire me to think about my own life. The words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Supreme Court Justice, make me wonder why certain feelings women have are considered taboo when they riddle us with stress like I am feeling now.

You go, girl. Oppression sucks.

If a guy felt like this, his brotherhood would take him out, grab him a beer or two (or simply get him drunk) and they would talk about what he’s feeling, why he’s feeling that way, and give him advice. Women?First, we sit and talk about how stupid we are for feeling this way, then we cry, then we gorge ourselves on ice cream or chocolate or Taco Bell, and then we start to think rationally.

Two men a girl can always rely on to be there through the awful times, yell at them for her hips in the morning, and then be back on good terms in less than 24 hours.

Okay, so not all women are like this, but I know a good share are and I relate to them for that reason.

Seriously, I’m riddled with anxiety right now, and it’s quite frankly pissing me off. I know the source of anxiety, and it’s so, so stupid. Why can’t things just work out the way they’re supposed to? On the one hand, I could be overreacting. I’ve been known to do that. Hello, I’m a theater major! Sometimes we tend to be a bit melodramatic, myself wholly included.

The one thing keeping me calm and stopping me from grabbing my phone and chucking it at the nearest wall? Josh Groban. He has this magical power with his buttery voice to put me at ease simply.

Hello. May I call you Adorable?

My favorite melt-down avoidance story concerning Josh Groban will always come down to a car trip I took with my boyfriend at the time. Six hours one way in a car in nerve-wracking enough. Taking the 6-hour trip back in less than 24 hours from the original 6-hour arrival trip, and you’re barking up the wrong tree. Every little thing about each other got on our nerves, and it was just that…annoying.

Stupid thing is, we weren’t even fighting over directions or getting lost.

So, what else is there to do, but pick fights with each other. Finally, I’m to the end of my nerves and I just start crying, and telling him that if he wants to get out, he can. I’m not dealing with him anymore because of yadda-yadda-ya reasons (Like I already said, I’m a bit dramatic sometimes.) But, after about 20 minutes of silence and whatever was playing on the radio at that time, he asked if he could change the music. Clearly, I was still fuming. I said,”Sure,” and he reached for my cd binder and paged through it for a few minutes. Without telling me, he selected a CD and put it into the player.

No more than two moments later, Josh Groban’s sweet voice filled the cockpit of my car and he was all I could hear for the first 6 songs.

It works as good as a room full of aromatherapy candles.

By song 7, I was not only feeling much calmer, but was also singing along to the words as if nothing had happened. My then-boyfriend decided to try talking to me at that point, and all was well.

The point of the story…Josh Groban is a miracle worker. I can spend hours youtubing his music, his video blog, his website, and any TV show he has appeared on in the last 5 years. I love this man. Not just because he’s rich, famous and massively talented, but he presents himself like a genuine person. Without meeting him, I know he’s an absolute sweetheart and just a goofy guy.

It’sa Josh-a Groban-a!

You need to have a great sense of humor and self-confidence if you’re brave enough to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show wearing a full Avatar Na’vi costume (I have never laughed so hard in my life, by the way.)

So many wonderful things about this happenstance.

He’s also an incredibly charitable man, and that’s something I greatly respect. He shops for toys for tots so kids can have a happy Christmas. He wants kids to embrace the arts and everything about them, so he teams up with different arts-based groups around the United States (and beyond, I’m sure) so the arts will not be lost in children’s lives anytime soon.

Look at him and the youngsters! Again, just adorable.

Plus, he’s a Twitter-tweeter!  Thanks to following him on Twitter, I have discovered he has quite the quirky sense of humor, too, and it just makes me want to hug him.

Scruffy and adorable. Yes, please. Over and over again.

Literally.

I want to find a life-size cardboard cut-out of him so I can hug him every morning when I get up, and every night before I go to bed. He’ll also have a little button on the back of his hand or something, so when I press it, he speaks whatever I want him to say in the real Josh Groban voice. OOo, or he’ll sing to me.

Can you blame a guy for trying to ask a Jedi out on a date? Honey, I am open to any possibilities.

Do I sound like a nut job or what? If the actual Josh Groban ever reads this, he’s going to immediately write me off. GAH!

But seriously, who doesn’t want that man to sing a song meant just for them?

As I’m struggling with a few things this morning, I do have one thing that’s an attempt at lifting my spirits, and little by little, it does seem to be working. Thank you, Josh Groban, for your beautiful music that speaks directly to my soul.

Thank you, also, for tweets like this accompanied by these sorts of pictures: “Happy Independence Day. May we all remember how and why we celebrate the fateful events that shaped our nation.”

In case Josh Groban isn’t your cup of tea, here are a few other words of inspiration I hope  help you make it through the week. Tomorrow is Friday! Yahoooooooo! For me, that means Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party time. For others, it’s the weekend and it means freedom! (What a screwed up week to being with, right?)

- You’re better than you think!

See the lion inside your soul.

- Hope sets success in motion.

The White Wizard approaches.

- Times don’t stay tough. Easier days are ahead.

You’re never too old, you’re never beaten. You gotta believe something better is ahead. It’s waiting for you. Put in the work, the time, and the sweat, and victory shall be yours.

- You’re more important than your to-do list.

Toss it out. I mean it!

- Things can turn out even better than you’ve dreamed.

This scene took my breath away. So much better than I could have hoped.

- You shine brighter than the sun, moon and stars.

Step forth, and claim your title.

- Believe in the power of today!

Happy Independence Day….Welcome to Earth!

Happy almost weekend! If you have never listened to the man, please YouTube Josh Groban and just listen to one of his songs. His voice is simply beautiful. I hate it when people compare him to Michael Buble. I really do. They are both great singers, but they have their own styles and sass.

If I had to compare Groban to Buble, it would go something like this. Groban = the real deal with butter. Buble = it ‘almost tastes like butter’ spray

Josh Groban always comes out the winner in my mind.

Even with the scarf

My personal, all-time favorite of his? In Her Eyes, and I’m posting the song below. See? I just saved you a trip to YouTube You’re welcome!

AND Happy 4th of July!

Talk Like a Dude for Maximum Results

Here’s a premise for a new movie. It’s not an entirely original idea, but it sure would give those directors who love visual effects and explosions a task they could really sink their fingers into.( …Cough, cough, Michael Bay, cough, cough….)

Nine times out of ten, if you see an explosion, it’s because Michael Bay is around.

Ready for this?

I saw The Avengers for the second time last night with a very good friend of mine who hadn’t seen it yet. He had an amazing deal on movie tickets, and he wanted someone who enjoys movies more than a normal human being to go with him, so naturally I’m a perfect choice.

Get ready to rumble.

Going to the movies is as close as I can get to a religious experience without being in a church or place of holy admiration. Especially if I’m seeing  said film for the first time. If it’s a repeat viewing, I’m a little less strict, but you get the picture. I’m going to laugh and cry on a whim because of an emotional connection to what’s happening on the screen. I may gasp, cringe, and even scoff at what’s being said. Much like hearing a bad homily during a church service, and yes, I’ve heard a few doozies in my day. On the flip side, I’ve also heard words spoken that have shaken me to the core.

Be a great speaker….it’s better than being the strongest warrior. How’s that for some Friday Jedi wisdom?

A little off track, but here we go. Back on to my great movie idea. Why not find a way to dissolve this whole Marvel and DC comic book character madness, and bring our favorite super heroes all together? Going along that same train of thought, why not expand the super hero universe to include others not bound to the pages of comic books? Bring in Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, the Hulk, Tomb Raider (she’s a debatable super hero…but she is pretty kick ass) and other popular names to the super human strength.We could add in the Fantastic Four and X-Men’s Wolverine.

Would you want to mess with those metal claws? I surely wouldn’t.

To get the male-female dynamic evened out, we’ll throw Electra and Wonder Woman into the mix. Black Widow can stick around, but let’s get a decent Cat Woman finally, along with She-Ra and Super Girl.

This time, we’ll give her a real struggle.

How about someone a little more human, such as the man behind the black mask, Zorro?

The masked bandit who stole my childhood heart.

While we’re at it, let’s add to the mix a certain Force sensitive figure, such as a Jedi. They have powers unlike a normal human. Why shouldn’t they be thrown into the mix? They’d be a powerful ally.

Either way, it’ll be a tough fight.

Or, for the sake of plot, also a very dangerous enemy.

Regardless, throw all these bad boys and girls into the mix because the worst tragedy of all mankind is about to descend upon earth. Most likely another alien invasion of a living society we had no idea about (yet again), but they must team up together in order to save Earth. What could make it interesting is that not only are they warring with this invading force, but also against each other. Jedi versus Dark Jedi. Superman versus Super Girl. The Fantastic Four suddenly split teams. Iron Man versus Lara Croft.

The billionaire philanthropist…

OR

….tha lady raider.

I’m just spitting out ideas here, but think about all the explosions and fight scenes that would need to happen to make this script become a visual spectacle? If you’re reading this Michael Bay, you need to acknowledge it was spoken here first, and I get full credit for the idea and must be brought into the movie-making process from Step 1. Do you hear me?!

I’ll be awaiting a call from his agent any moment now.

This brings me to another thought I had last night. I’m a special type of girl, and I’ve known this for quite some time. I nerd out about things people don’t suspect. Star Wars being the main area of interest there. I can talk about Star Wars for hours and never be bored. I could have the same conversation day after day, and not be any less bored with the topic. In fact, I’d probably have researched the thing discussed so when we started talking again, I would have new things to say the sixth time around.

I can get behind superhero movies, I like playing in the mud and getting dirty, and I’m not afraid to do something considered ‘a man’s thing’. I’m a pretty big tom boy, and can give any guy out there a good run for their money in most areas.

Many find these aspects about myself attractive. On the same thought, I’m also discovering it can be a huge turn off. Why, I ask? I honestly have no clue. Men say they want women to be nothing other than themselves. So, then why, when I am being myself, do you find me “intimidating”, “rash”, and possible “a touch crazy”?

Beats me.

“Who were the judges and critics? I would like to ask them, ‘What exactly is it that you personally find not sexy about me? Is it my figure? Is it my brain that bothers you?’”

I often have to ask myself and lately a few blithering idiots the same thing, Sarah Jessica Parker, the Sex and the City actress named Unsexiest Woman Alive by Maximmagazine.

Guys were pretty harsh towards Ms. Parker. They compared her to that of a neighing horse.

Could it be the fact I don’t put up with a guy’s bullshit, much like a guy does with his buddies? If you lie about something, I’m going to call you out on it. I’ve seen my guy friends do this to each other. Why should I be any different? Because I have boobs? Not the greatest of reasons why I shouldn’t call you out on your crap when I’ve caught you red-handed. Actually, if I was a guy and I caught you lying red-handed to my face, I’d probably just punch you square in the face, and be over everything in the following 15 seconds.

These boys yelled and punched the each other over being in love with the same girl. Guess what? They’re still friends.

I may have my answer as to what separates the boys from the men right there.

Despite the rant, I have found a few good men out there, and one such good man will have the pleasure of being in my company this evening once I’m free from the shackles of work. I’m not letting this bog me down, however, because it is a beautiful, sunshine-filled Friday! Here are a few Fabulous things making my Friday absolutely wonderful:

Fabulous Cover:

One of my favorite movie posters of all time. It’s just ridiculous, but so amazingly awesome.

Fabulous Thoughts on Any Relationship:

Fabulous Sweet Breakfast:

Crepes, bananas and Nutella. Yummy yum yum.

Fabulous Spread:

OMG…sushi is simply delicious.

Fabulous Detail:

I may be a tom boy, but lace always brings out a little bit of sexy and naughty in everyone.

Fabulous Reminder:

Get it straight, and no one gets hurt.

Fabulous Movie-Watching Nerd Move:

Fabulous Furry Friend:

How do you not want to cuddle this little guy?

Fabulous Farm Memory:

There is nothing more rewarding than waking up before the sun has risen to take care of your animals, be it horse or cow.

Fabulous Dessert:

Fabulous Future Destination:

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy

Fabulous View From an Office:

I probably wouldn’t get any work done. Honestly.

Fabulous Parenting:

Fabulous Dress Move:

You’ve never known the true joy of a dress until you’ve taken a nice little spin with it.

Fabulous 90s Kid Flashback:

Fabulous Song I’m Currently in Love With:

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a fantastic weekend in more ways than one. It’s my birthday on Sunday, and how I love birthdays (especially my own!) Keeping my hopes up for beautiful weather, too. After the flooding and rain, all I want is warm rays on my back. Skin cancer threats be damned. I love my sunshine, and as all the celebrities are saying these days: YOLO.

Until I get that dreadful phone call, right?

Bad thoughts aside, I hope you head into your weekend with lots of happiness and smiles. The weekend is upon us!

My birthday is a mere 48 hours away!

Embrace it.

May the Fourth Remain With You

I know, I know, I know….I’m the author of a blog dedicated to learning the ways of being a Jedi in this day and age. Yet…I neglected to make a post on my Jedi-based site on the most important day of the year for Jedi: Star Wars Day!

It’s belated, but still relevant.

Of course I was out celebrating. I embraced the night of the Force and let it take me where it would. Believe me, it took me to a few good and unsuspected places, and I ran into a few people I met randomly and thought I would never meet again. The Force works in mysterious ways, and will continue to work in mysterious ways. Keep listening to the gut is what I say. It took good care of me last night, and it’s a wonderful thing to tune into, but I’ll discuss that more in later postings to see what other things develop over the next couple of days.

5 bars, 3 hours, and 5 bands…we were on fire!

What a night! We hit five different bars in less than 3 hours, and I have never felt so connected to a city or to its wide array of strangers. At the same time, I ran into quite a few people who could be labeled as a freak. However, I’m not going to judge them on anything. New philosophy? No Judgment on anyone whatsoever! I’m serious. It’s so much better to embrace them for who and what they are instead.

This looks super nummy right now.

Anyways, I hit a milestone last night. I decided I didn’t want to worry about whether I looked beautiful or not every second I stood breathing and watching others in a corner. I especially didn’t want to have to worry about how I looked while eating my pizza I was ravenous for last night when we hit the fourth bar of the night. Pizza never tasted so delicious. Or water…when you’ve been drinking nothing but Blue Moons for the past 3 hours, all you want to do is drink some quality H2O, and boy, it tasted really, really good.

I really didn’t care about what I looked like, either. I actually simply wore a T-shirt, a zip-up hoodie, and jeans out. I didn’t need to look sexy while I was out gallivanting across the city in the wee hours of the night. I wanted my stable, trusty boots to get me from Point A to Point B. The night sky also decided to drizzle on us the entire evening, so I wanted a good to keep my head, for the most part, dry. My bangs did get wet, however, and they ended up curling like the stupid cowlick that it is, but I didn’t care. I was surrounded by homegrown, music loving city folk and I enjoyed every moment of it.

One day.

“Being a sex symbol is a lot of hard work, and requires a Spartan discipline. I work out, I don’t go to parties, I do not smoke or drink alcohol, I am vegetarian, and I am asleep by 10 p.m.”

The hardcore beauty’s life advice of Mallika Sherawat, a Bollywood beauty.

Beautiful, yes. But her description of beauty doesn’t necessarily produce great memories down the road.

Delicious on a hard day.

Honestly, I believe every single word she is speaking. In order to look well rested all the time, you actually have to be well rested all of the time. Half of beauty is not looking like a walking zombie every other hour of your waking life. It also means not having some of the greatest experiences of my life. I don’t condone massive amounts of drinking, but the occasional drink with your girl friends, the beer and the game with your guy friends, or even the I-Had-A-Shit-Day-And-Need-A-Buzz moments…if you never let alcohol be a part of your social life, you’ll never have those moments. As embarrassing as they are sometimes, everyone should have those too drunk moments that make them blush three or forty years down the road. If they make you laugh, they are worth noting.

Smoking is something I wouldn’t recommend. I was a smoker for a short time in my life, and I don’t ever want to return to that. It’s icky. You smell like smoke all the time, your teeth are yellow, and you’re cooking your lungs from the inside out. Um…not okay. Id rather cook my steaks than my own set of lungs.

Do your abs look like this?

Working out is admirable, but I don’t do it enough. I’d be even more of a babe and even more of a badass Jedi if I did work out more. My body is in good shape now, but it could be better than it is.

Parties….it all depends on the party and who is going to be there. Not every party is a rave, but not every party is tea time, either. Some of my best memories from the Academy will be the parties I went to and danced my ass off. Or drank so much I hated everything about the world the next morning, but you live and you learn.

The truth is every woman is beautiful, and what makes them this beautiful? The Force! (You had to suspect it was coming!) In honor of Star Wars Day, our Fabulous Friday (if a bit belated, excuse me for celebrating the Force yet again), is going to be dedicated to none other than the Star Wars theme itself. Here is what continues to inspire me about Star Wars each and every day of my Jedi life:

Fabulous Dress:

Flowy, colorful, loose, and beautiful.

Fabulous Easy Party Treat:

Stormtrooper Cheese Ball with Crackers!

Fabulous Polish Look:

I’m all over the green color.

Fabulous DIY:

Cute for summer and that Comic-Con Convention I want to go to.

Fabulous Fantasy:

Looking for me? I’m all ready for you.

Fabulous Underappreciated Female Lead:

Fabulous Kicks:

Naturally, they go with everything.

Fabulous Music for an Introduction:

Fabulous Inner Thought:

You’ve had this moment, too.

Fabulous Gift for a Jedi’s Dad:

Best children’s book ever written.

Fabulous Reality TV Show:

Fabulous Pick-Up Line:

Fabulous All-Time Movie Poster:

It doesn’t get much better than this.

I could go on and on with this Fabulous Friday, but I won’t. Star Wars is something that has been a part of my life since I can remember. ‘Empire’ was the first movie I can remember my mom putting into the VCR for me when I was a little kid when I couldn’t go run around outside on a rainy day. I was sunk from that moment on. In fact, all of my nerdy endeavors can be traced back to my mom. Whether this was her plan all along or not, I’m not too sure…but it worked regardless.

Here they come!

There is more music to be heard this evening, so I will catch up with you cool cats later.

Be safe out there, and groove to the beat pounding in your own chest from all that bass.

And yes, it literally does rock you.

The Mighty Ducks felt it. Do you?