A Twist on What I'm Loving Wednesday

If you read other blogs (which, I'm sure, you probably do) you might have noticed that many other bloggers participate in "What I'm Loving Wednesday."  I don't think I've ever posted a "What I'm Loving Wednesday" post, but I do enjoy reading them on other blogs.  Today I've decided to do a twist on "WILW" and discuss five things that I really love about myself.

I know on blogs, it seems like every blogger has a near-perfect life.  Blogs, to some extent, are like family holiday letters- you tend to only announce or discuss the good things in your life and you leave the bad out most of the time.  That said, one "bad" thing about myself is that I am extremely self-critical.  I don't know how much I buy into astrology, but at least in this case, I am a "typical" Virgo.  Virgos are said to be very hard on themselves and on others.  I fit this description.  I've also noticed that my younger cousin (also a Virgo) is very critical of himself.  I try to work on this with him whenever I see him and point out all the things that make him such a great kid!  His mom is trying to work on it with him, too, because I told her that I saw this characteristic of myself in him.

Anyway, my self-criticism can be a big problem for me.  I even criticize myself for being overly critical. (I only wish I was exaggerating.)  The self-criticism can be especially difficult for me because when others criticize me, I tend to build it up and make it bigger in my mind, and I only add it to the criticism that I put on myself.  Do you see where this is going?

So in an effort to focus more on the positive, I'm going to list five things that I really do like about myself.  Please feel free to join in via the comments section and tell me the things you like about yourself!

1. I'm a really good gift-giver.  People tell me all the time that I am great at picking out gifts for them and friends often ask me for advice on what would be an appropriate gift for someone else they care about.
2. I'm a great friend (most of the time). Sure, I have my faults as a friend (who doesn't?), but in general, I work very hard at being a good friend. For example, I try to always remember & recognize birthdays with a card in the mail.  Even though I may not be in regular communication with all my friends, I always enjoy catching up with them and value them so much.
3. I enjoy volunteering for volunteering's sake. I really enjoy giving back to my community and to others just for the sake of volunteering.  I enjoy meeting new people in the process and learning about the inspiring things going on around me. 
4. I have very discriminating taste. This could go along with number 1, but it is different in some ways. I would say that I have very good taste (other people have said this, too).  I am usually pretty on-point with picking out things that compliment each other and that are appropriate and functional for the intended purpose.  This applies to decor and also to fashion or ettiquette.
5. I obtain & retain facts easily.  I enjoy learning everything possible about the things around me in my job and in my personal life.  I'm usually pretty good about remembering these things as well.  As a result, people often come to me for "institutional memory" questions or ask me to explain things.  Also as a result, I'm a pretty damn good trivia player.

Please share what you love about yourself with me in the comments or with a friend today! Don't forget to love yourself as much as you love all the important people in your lives!

Paula Deen and Personal Choices

Since announcing her diabetic diagnosis last week, Paula Deen has stirred up a great deal of press and public interest in her condition, her choice to conceal the condition for three years, and her choice to publically disclose the diagnosis whilst announcing a new sponsorship for a diabetes-control pharmaceutical drug.  Apparently, many people have strong opinions about this entire situation.  I first thought about writing a post to comment on this issue last week, but pushed the idea to the side.  Then, I saw this people.com article calling for public opinions on whether or not it's appropriate for Ms. Deen to be seen eating a hamburger in public.  And that's what motivated me to action and writing this post.

It was Ms. Deen's choice to disclose her diagnosis, and honestly, I wish she had kept it private, but it was her decision nonetheless. I understand some of the controversy surrounding her announcement, namely that she decided to announce it while also announcing that she would be endorsing a diabetes-control drug.  I can see the point that she is profiting off of her diagnosis at the same time that she profits off of her calorie, fat-laden recipes (which, in an extreme leap, can be connected forward to diabetes and the drug she is peddling to help control it.) I thought that this blog post from Cap Hill Style was well-written and it helped me see clarity in these arguments.

That said, I understand that diabetes is a very serious disease. Being overweight and therefore at higher risk for the disease, I would say I understand this better than most people. It can complicate any other health condition and lead to serious other conditions all on its own.  But in my opinion, the backlash against Ms. Deen for her choices has been absolutely outrageous.  The woman annouces a diagnosis with diabetes and suddenly, every hamburger she eats is a matter of national news.  It is absurd, frankly.  Diabetes is very serious.  So are alcoholism or drug addition.  Yet, we don't see national news headlines each time a celebrity with alcoholism takes a shot, or everytime a chronic smoker lights up. 

Many people deal with psychological illnesses, heart conditions, high blood pressure, chronic headaches, etc. but choose to take their medications inconsistently or avoid seeing doctors regularly, and this is their choice.  We may not agree with it.  It is not rational at all and in many cases, we cannot explain it, but it happens.  We each should make better choices for our own health, but for some reason, we choose not to sometimes.  And that's our choice, too.

In my opinion, people can criticize Paula Deen all they want for profiting off of her own health condition, but they cannot criticize her for not eating a salad every day for the rest of her life or choosing to eat what she wants. Do you eat a salad every day? Probably not. Me either. Ultimately, it is up to her to make good or poor decisions for her own health.

In diet, moderation is the name of the game. It is fine to enjoy a Paula Deen recipe, from time to time. Not every day or even every week. And as much as Ms. Deen may promote herself, she's not standing in consumers' kitchens forcing them to cook or eat her recipes, they are choosing that all on their own. We live in a world where we can make our own decisions, and we must be accountable to ourselves for those choices. 

Updates & A Request

Greetings, blogland!  I hope if you are reading this, you enjoyed a healthy and restful Thanksgiving holiday.  I had a nice trip to visit family, but I have to say that I was itching to get back to D.C. for once in my life.  I am just ready to get this semester of grad school wrapped up and put away!  Several things have been on my mind, so please excuse the hodgepodge and please jump in to express your opinion if you'd like to!

• I've noticed lately that it really gets under my skin when bloggers repeatedly publish spelling or grammar errors in their blog posts.  I know that I'm not perfect and I do not expect anyone else to be perfect.  I can forgive an occasional mistake. Even though I proofread, I know I will sometimes make mistakes too and hopefully, as my readers, you can forgive me.  That said, I think I may need to unfollow a few blogs based on mistakes made over and over again.  I think this standard applies even more to bloggers whose blogs are monetized.  I do not make money off of this blog but I know that plenty of bloggers rely on their blogs as their secondary or primary sources of income.  I support those blogs by reading them so clearly, I have no problem with this. However, if I made grammar and spelling mistakes all the time at work, I wouldn't have a job.  The fact that some bloggers are so lazy that they admit to completely skipping the proofreading process all the time drives me crazy!  (I'm sure we all skip that process from time to time, but some people make a habit of it.) If you blog and make money from that blog, your blog is a professional activity for you.  As such, you should treat it and your readers with the same professional courtesies as you would treat your "customers" in the workplace- whether those customers are internal to your organization (your boss or coworkers) or external.  I will get off my soapbox now, but I just had to get that off my chest!  For the record, if you ever spot a mistake in my blog posts, let me know! 
• I am gearing up to put together some gift guides for the holidays.  I did this last year, but I'm hoping this year's guides will be even better.  I've decided to focus 100% on gift guides for women as I'm basically worthless when it comes to knowing what a guy might like to receive for the holidays- I buy my dad and brother the same things year after year. 
• For these gift guides, please let me know if you'd like to see gift ideas for a specific person! I've realized that in the past few months, I've provided several people with advice on birthday gifts, holiday gifts and hostess gifts.  I love trying to think of something that the recipient would like and most of the time the ideas I come up with work quite well!  One of my friends likes to joke that I should abandon my professional pursuits and become a personal shopper- haha!  Anyway, if you have a friend or family member who is crazy difficult to buy for (I am in this category myself) let me know about her and some of the things she likes and I'll see what I can come up with!  Feel free to let me know a budget too.
• The SEC Championship Game is this Saturday and boy am I excited to see LSU whoop up on Georgia!  (Yes, "whoop up on" is a technical term...)  I took advantage of the Cyber Monday deals and ordered a new television.  I currently own a 22 inch tv and I will be moving to a 46 inch tv.  It may be far too big for my apartment, but we will see!  We will definitely feel like we are AT the game when we watch it on tv!
• Is anyone else just not really into decorating for Christmas this year? Normally I jump right on it, but since I'm only going to be in DC until mid-December this year, it seems almost pointless to me to decorate.  I do have the decorations taking up prime real estate in my closet though, so I'll be pulling them out sometime this week or weekend.

Hope you have a great week! Thanks for reading this word-filled, pictureless post!

I Am SO Ready!

Tonight in my class I was dreaming of all the things I'm excited to have time to do again after I graduate from grad school.  The end is nigh.  Two-hundred and fifteen days to be exact.  Not that I'm counting or anything.  Out of forty credits to complete, I have completed twenty-nine and after this semester, I will only have three left.  That's one class- my capstone. And then that's it.  The whole shebang. 

I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm really looking forward to graduation.  I am so glad I have the privilege of being in graduate school- of having the intellectual capacity to be there, the means to pay for it (one way or another), and the support I need to get through it.  One of my grandmothers had a tenth-grade education.  It just blows my mind when I think about the opportunities that I've had in my life. I know I'm really lucky.

That said, I'm a bit burnt out after almost eighteen years of school. Twelve years + 4 years of college + 2 years of grad school = I'm pretty sure I've had enough now.

So, here are the things I'm most looking forward to having time for again:

- Happy hours more than once every six weeks.

- Not having to rush home in between work & class to walk Eliza.

- Having time to work on my French again. I was a French major in undergrad and even wrote my thesis in French, but have lost an embarrassing amount of language skills since then.

- Being able to attend workout classes.

- Reading. Oh, I cannot wait to have time to read something other than an article for school.

- Needlepoint.  I dabbled in needlepoint my senior year and really enjoyed it, but just do not have the time (or the funds) for it right now. I'm looking forward to doing it again.

- Learning how to sew. This has long been on my "want to do" list, so I'm excited to really learn and have time to hopefully teach myself. 

- Amping up my blog content with time to tackle DIY projects and recipes.  And having time to do more research and learn more about how to be a better blogger & writer.

- Focusing on my social life. 

- A little more freedom to travel when I want or need to.

- Time to focus just on my career without a stipulation of "after I graduate, I'll be able to do XYZ" hanging over my head.

What really amazes me are the people who are managing school + work + a family!  If you are out there reading, I do not know how you do it.  Major snaps to you, friend.

Cheers to great educations, great futures, working hard and playing hard after it's all done! 

In a Funk

This week, I have been in a Funk.  Emphasis on the capital "F." 

I don't know why it has come over me or where it came from.  I had an unusually productive weekend.  I cleaned my entire apartment and got several things accomplished that I've been needing to get accomplished.  I thought I was super prepped for this week of getting back to school with grad school classes.  I only had a one-week break from classes since I took classes all summer, so it's not like this back-to-school thing is some radical shock to my system- it's not at all.  I've been doing this all summer and balancing it with my job since July.  Also, the first week of classes usually isn't back-breaking, if you know what I mean, so it's not like I'm overwhelmed by that.  And work is pretty low-stress this week.  My boss even told me at work the other day that I have a little "reprieve" because I am all caught up on my projects and just waiting for some decisions to be made so we can move forward.

I have all these things going for me, but I'm still in a funk!  Yesterday, I arrived at work a good forty-five minutes after the time I usually arrive.  Couldn't get much worse than that, right?  OH- but wait.  Today, I arrived almost an hour-and-a-half late!! My start time is flexible- I did not get "in trouble" for either one of these occurrances.  I arrive most days at 8:00 sharp.  So, if I happen to not make it in until 8:30 or whenever, I just stay a bit later than my usual 4:30 departure time.  No big deal.  It's not the end of the world, but it has me feeling so behind.  This morning I literally could not bring myself to roll out of bed.  The reason remains a mystery to me.  I didn't go to bed particularly late.  I even took a nap before class yesterday afternoon- so I had a reasonable amount of sleep! What's more, my dog didn't even wake me up in the middle of the night as she has grown accustomed to doing lately.  So, why did I sleep a FULL HOUR later than I normally do???

Need futher evidence of le Funk?

I've become very diligent about eating breakfast before work.  It helps get my day going and just generally keeps me on track with choosing foods that are good for me and making other good health choices throughout the day.  Well, today I skipped breakfast. Yep.  And so far this morning, I've attemtped to boost myself with two Diet Cokes (oh, yes- I am FULLY committed to the DC fan club right now), a package of strawberry Pop Tarts, and two mini York Peppermint Patties.  What the HECK, y'all??  I know I bought Pop Tarts for my hurricane prep, but I left those in the emergency stash. The ones I ate today came from the vending machine at work.  For the record, I'm pretty sure I haven't had a Pop Tart since high school.

I'm even in a blogging funk.  I have about three half-written posts sitting in my drafts right now.  Every time I sit down to write them I just cannot get motivated to finish them. 

The weather is even super incredibly nice in Washington right now.  It is absolutely beautiful outside and the perfect temperature!

My birthday is coming up next week and I need to make some decisions about how I want to celebrate my with my friends in D.C. but I can't think of what I want to do.  I'm even going out of town this weekend to celebrate my birthday with my family. I'm super excited about the trip and I have been looking forward to it for the longest time- but in the back of my mind I secretly wish I were going to lay on a beach by myself for four days with no phone calls, texts, emails, tweets, blogs, or other forms of communication in site.  That's right, it is my birthday time (one of my favorite things of the year!!) and all I want to do is go away by myself and not talk to or hear from anyone.  And it isn't anyone else's fault or doing.  It just is.

More proof: Yesterday, I googled deal flights to St. Thomas.  Right, Katelyn- Get a grip.  As if you are going to take off to St. Thomas by yourself???

This is really starting to affect my mood and my interactions with other people.  My best friend and I have been getting in stupid little tiffs over text message, which is obviously senseless.  She even asked me to tell her why I was in such a mood and I didn't even know where to begin. It's like all these emotions are floating around in my brain but they don't stay the same long enough for me to identify them.  Another one of my oldest friends the other day made some off-the-cuff remarks about me that I know she meant in an endearing way, but have rubbed me super wrong and frankly, pissed me off, nonetheless.

Further proof?? I just googled "in a funk" at work and accidentally replaced the N in "funk" with a C.  Awesome.  So glad that will be in my search history here at work.

I need to SNAP out of it but I'm not quite sure how... All I know is, this is not really the way I want to start of year twenty-three.  Heck, this is not really the way I want to spend a single day or hour of my life! Life is short and I don't want to spend it in a mood.

Has anyone else been feeling the same way lately?

What do you do when you get in a mood? Any advice to snap out of it?

The Perks of Being a Single Girl

Yesterday, Kelly at Kelly's Korner wrote a post about singleness and how difficult it can be as a girl to be single when you dream of having a family of your own.  I am not looking to get married anytime in the near future, but I do look forward to being married & having a family someday. (Like, maybe in 10 years?  Side note: I've been saying "in 10 years" for at least the last three years if not longer...)

Being in a relationship is not easy (from what I hear).  But being single isn't a cake walk either.  Especially if you are from the South and your friends start getting married and having families right after you graduate from college (or in some cases, even before that).  It's easy to feel like you are being left behind, even if you can't imagine yourself being married right now.  It's almost like when your friend gets a super cute hair cut and you get jealous and think that you want a hair cut like that for yourself.  You know it wouldn't fit you and you are happy with your hair as it is, but it still makes you feel a little left out.  Does that make sense? Bueller? Bueller?

Anyway, as I was saying, being single is not easy.  But there are some great things about being single.  Sometimes it is easier to focus on what you don't have in life than it is to focus on what you do have.  Despite my complaining about singledom, there are tons of things that are awesome about being single.  Here's a little list of the things I like best about being single.  Chime in in the comments with what you love about being single!

You get lots of alone time.

And truth be told, I love alone time.  I'm an introvert and just as extroverts feel energized by being around other people, I feel energized by getting some time to myself.  I absolutely need down time in order to function.

You can eat whatever you want for dinner.

Kelly mentioned in her post yesterday that this is a plus of singlehood and I wholeheartedly agree.  Nobody else depends on me for dinner.  Last night I had hummus and pita chips.  And it was delicious. A couple weeks ago I literally ate salsa for dinner (with chips- ya heard?). Again completely awesome.

You can pick up and move without drama.

It's true.  I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with possibly breaking up a relationship when I left Louisiana for DC.  I decided on what I wanted to do and I did it. 

(Caveat: I know long distance relationships can work and I think that is great- I'm not saying that I wouldn't move if I were in a serious relationship, I'm saying this is a perk of being single- you don't have to really consider someone else's emotions.)

You can indulge in your S.S.B.

Remember the Sex and the City episode where the girls talk about their S.S.B.?  It stands for "secret single behavior" and it's basically the things you would never feel comfortable doing in front of the opposite sex.  In the episode, Miranda says her S.S.B. is sitting with her hands in those heated hand softening gloves and watching infomercials.  Carrie says hers is making a stack of saltine crackers with jelly and eating them in the kitchen standing up and reading fashion magazines.  I think mine might have to do with wearing really bad (but soooo comfortable) pajamas and watching bad reality television while indulging in a brownie or something else I should not be eating. I'll have to observe myself a little more to figure out my true S.S.B. I guess.  Since I live alone it's kind of hard to spot!

 You can go out for dinner or drinks with your girlfriends on a moment's notice.

You can pretty much do this when you have a boyfriend, too, but its not as easy when you become a wife or especially when you become a mom. If I'm in the mood, I can just call or text a friend and go out for drinks without giving it a second thought.  That is awesome.

Your money is your money.

I'm not even going to pretend to know what it's like to have combined finances or financial responsibilities with someone else.  Just the thought makes me sweat.  All I know is that right now, I can do basically whatever I want with my money and I do not have to explain myself to anyone else. It rules.

You can go on vacation with your friends.

I just booked a ticket to go to Louisiana in October and see my friends and go to an LSU football game.  I didn't have to ask anyone or think about anyone else.  I'm free? I have the money for the ticket? I can go.  Simple as that and I love it.

You can spend hours- yes hours- on the phone or skype talking to your friends.

I'm kind of scared of the day when I won't really have time to stay caught up with my friends.  It is hard now with work & school, but I can only imagine how difficult it will be if I have a family competing for my attention someday.  Yikes!

So, what do you love (or miss) about being single?

Interns of the World: Listen Up!

I have spent my fair share of summers as an intern- an unpaid intern in most cases.  

I was a liberal arts major in undergrad. In case you haven't noticed, most of the internships in that arena are not compensated, in money at least.  Were it not for my father's support, trust and encouragement, I would not have been able to afford those opportunities. And I can tell you that the reason I've been able to land most of my internships is because I could market the skills gained in those previous internships.  They have paid off. Undoubtedly.

The District of Columbia is notorious for morphing into a city full of interns in the summer.  And "interns" do not have a great reputation.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease, or the attention in this case.  In other words, the loud and obnoxious interns that flood the city in the summer make a bad name for all interns. In fact, there is even a blog where you can read tons of stories about all the incompetent, overly confident interns in this city and their many (overheard) adventures. When the truth is, many interns provide great help to their offices and get great experiences in return. 

Let me tell you- I have had some incredible opportunities as an intern.  Not only have I had the opportunity to learn new skills, but I've been able to attend some amazing events and meet some wonderful people- well-known and otherwise.  Many of the people from my office last summer have become my closest D.C. friends.  I see them regularly for dinner or coffee and I am so thankful they are friends to me. 

I say all that to say this:

A month ago, I started a new job. And I am an intern.  But this time, I'm a paid intern.  And the work is much different than other internships I've had so far.  Yes, I am an intern- but I have a bit more responsibility than I've had in other internships and this is a great opportunity for me to really gain some new skills that will hopefully serve me well now and wherever I may go next. I am so thankful for this internship.

But, this also isn't my first time at the rodeo, if you know what I mean.  I'm a little more seasoned than many interns.  I've been around the block a few times.  And here are some of my key take-aways from my internships and from observing others.

Be Humble.

Yes, you are an intern at XYZ Agency or Company.  And that is great! It is a big deal! Your parents are proud of you and they should be! You should be proud of yourself. I sincerely hope you are.

But you know what? You are still an intern- and any way you slice the pie, you are at the bottom of the totem pole.  It is not easy to hear, but it is true.  It is not your place to pass judgement openly on your workplace and its organization or lack thereof.  Especially when you've been around for approximately three weeks. You are there to learn.  And it is difficult to learn if you are constantly running your mouth.  I bet your second grade teacher tried to teach you that and it still applies. If you have negative thoughts and opinions of people you work with, I recommend that you save them for happy hour discussions with your buddies. Do not bring them up with your co-workers or fellow interns unless you know that they share your same negative feelings.  Bad-mouthing your employers or co-workers makes you look rude, snobbish and unprofessional. And it makes me think, if anyone ever asked me about you, that I would not recommend you as a good intern or team player.

Observe.

Observe the behavior of people in your office.  Try to model your behavior after them. (Obviously do not mock or copy, but model yourself after them.) Do not be the first to jump in the discussion in a staff meeting. Let others speak for a few moments before throwing your ideas out there.  Do not clam up and be a wallflower, but have respect for people who have been around the organization longer than you have. You will probably learn something from them. If you are in a situation and you are unsure of how to act, follow your boss's lead.  I was invited to a reception last summer with my boss and I had no clue what I was walking into, so I followed her lead.  Chances are, you can't do something too wrong or embarrassing if your boss is doing it too. 

Be nice.

You will probably be spending a lot of time in your new office.  When I moved to D.C. last summer, I easily imagined myself becoming friends with my fellow interns and I did. What I did not anticipate was becoming friends with people who were technically my supervisors beyond an office friendship.  But I did.  Some of my best friends in D.C. now were my bosses last summer. And you know what? It is a lot more comfortable to call your friend and ask for a letter of recommendation than it is to call a boss that you half-heartedly had a relationship with.  If you do good work for someone, they will help you out with future pursuits in most cases.  But if you did good work for someone and they like you on a personal level, they will be even more excited to help you. So be nice. You never know when the next stranger you meet in the office might become your closest friend. 

At minimum, follow the dress code.

I mean this is just self-explanatory. I doubt there are any guys reading this blog, but if there are (possible shout-out to my friend Kori if he still reads?), you should own at least one suit. When you get an invitation to an event that calls for professional dress, you should wear it.  I am no expert on menswear and I do not pretend to be- but I think things are a little more straight-forward for guys in this department.

For ladies, I highly recommend this blog post from Capitol Hill Style titled, "Intern Style: 15 Easy Pieces." When an event calls for professional dress, a cardigan will not cut it.  If you will be meeting the CEO of your company or some other high-up official or principal, please wear a jacket with a collar- otherwise known as a blazer.  Even The Gap is selling them these days. I promise people may not notice if your blazer is super expensive or chic, but they will notice that you are wearing something borderline business casual when everyone else is in a suit. 

For those who want to pump it up a notch in the dressing department, I highly recommend paying attention to what your supervisor wears and dressing in a similar style (or as similar as possible without breaking the bank).  If your supervisor typically wears a jacket, you should consider wearing them too.  If your supervisor is more casual, it is okay for you to go with business casual too. 

Be Punctual.

If you are not early, you are late. Especially being an intern, you will likely be unfamiliar with where you are going a lot of the time. This morning, I spent 30 minutes walking around a complex looking for a room that I didn't have access to without an escort. Did anyone tell me this? No. But I was on time even after walking around for a while in the wrong direction because I was early to begin with. Plan ahead and plan carefully with time.

Be Honest.

You are an intern.  At some point, your boss or someone high-up in the "food chain" will ask what your goals are.  Make sure you are prepared for this question and be honest about your goals.  These people are likely taking an interest in you because you have made a good impression on them.  They want to help you because you have been a help to them in some way. But they can only help you if you are honest about your future goals and next moves.  You are an intern- so it is okay to let them know that this job was not the best fit for you and that, through the learning process of your internship, you think you may want to try something different.  If you are at the point of looking for a paid job, it is okay to tell them that if you have a good relationship with each other! They may not be able to hire you, but they may be able to recommend you to someone else. 

One last thing...

Watch your mouth.  Cursing does not make the best first impression on most people and is not appropriate in most workplaces.  Once you have made friends with a coworker, it is okay to curse if you feel comfortable.  Otherwise, don't use even borderline "bad words" around complete strangers.  It is just not a great idea.

I hope this post is maybe helpful to someone out there.  I hope I do not sound all high and mighty.  I am not the greatest intern ever and I make plenty of mistakes- trust me!  But I have had experience as an intern and I feel like these are pretty common pitfalls. 

4 Dresses and Counting...

Is anyone else out there a fan of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC? I am a big fan! When there is a marathon- that's golden to me!  If you are unfamiliar, the show follows brides on their quests to find the perfect dress.

Well, now, TLC has introduced Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids. 

HELLO: Genius.  What took them so long to branch out in this direction? 

Source

This new show basically follows brides as they and their bridesmaids look for bridesmaid's dresses.  It is endlessly entertaining.  The brides are hyped up on hormones. The bridesmaids are pretty bitchy.  The dresses range from pretty to no-way-in-hell-I-am-putting-that-thing-on. It is awesome. 

I've now seen 4 episodes {#sorryimnotsorry} and they've got me thinking.

So far, I've purchased three bridesmaids dresses, and I recently found out that I will soon be the owner of a fourth.  (One of my longest-known friends, Rebecca, just got engaged.) So far: one black full-length gown, one bright pink short silk taffeta number, and one pale pink never-worn-cause-there-was-no-wedding dress.

Now, before I get into this, I want to say that being in someone's wedding is an honor- it really is.  Even my overly-cynical self can recognize that. You get to spend the day with one of your closest friends (or let's face it, your hardly known soon-to-be sister-in-law) and be by her side as she gets ready for what is sure to big one of the biggest days of her life.  Then you get to party afterwords.  Its a pretty fun time.  

But sometimes, yall. The dress. The DRESS.

Sometimes, the dress is bad.

Luckily, I've yet to be subjected to a 27 Dresses type dress.

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And truth be told, none of the dresses that I've worn have been bad at all, although I would say that the two pink ones definitely were not my "style"- I am just not a pink dress girl.  But I also have not ever worn one of them again.  

The bridesmaids on Say Yes to the Dress have been awfully vocal about what they do or do not want to wear.  And usually it ends up hurting the bride's feelings.  Well I am here to say, I am on the bridesmaids' side! I am!  If you are shelling out at least $100 for a dress (likely more) I think you get an opinion on it.  There. I said it.  Now, if the bride is paying for the dress, then I think you have to shut up and wear a bright orange tulle ball gown if she wants you to.  But usually, the bridesmaid is paying.  It is understood when you are asked to be a bridesmaid. And let's face it, saying "no" to that is kind of difficult to do.  I would also like to point out that the dress is often just the beginning of the wedding-associated costs for a bridesmaid.  There are also other big-ticket expenses including: travel, shoes, wedding gifts, and traveling to/ hosting pre-wedding events.

I do have to say, the bridesmaids on Say Yes to the Dress have been mean about their opinions- I definitely think there are ways to politely suggest an alternative if you dislike the style the bride is leaning towards.  And the girls on that show are not polite.  But that said, I think you can still express an opinion.  For the record, I thought my friend Elise was very judicious when she decided on dresses for her bridesmaids.  There were nine girls in her party, and we got to choose one of three dress styles for the wedding.  My dress was only $99.  That, I can totally live with. Even if I don't wear the dress again, I won't feel like I threw away my money.  I also got to pick the style that was most comfortable and flattering to me- that is a big WIN in my opinion.  

So, what do you think?  Do the bridesmaids get to voice their opinions? Or, like the manager on the show says, should they just "shut up and pay up?"

Thoughts

I do not care for linen fabric. I absolutely love the look of it- but for clothing, it makes me crazy how it wrinkles so quickly. I know it is "supposed" to wrinkle, but I don't like it. I just don't. And I don't like that I don't like it, because I love the look of it when it is all pristine.  Oh yeah, it also is hard to get stains out of- at least in my experience. 

My friend Emily sent me a link to this awesome website: I Can't Find My Phone. Perfect for single gals when your phone goes missing. Just hope & pray it isn't on silent. 

Did anyone else watch the Miss USA pageant on Sunday? I was severely underwhelmed. Sure, the girls are pretty. But anytime they had to talk, I literally cringed and changed the channel.  I'm not saying Miss USA- of all organizations- has ever been a beacon of good decorum, but these ladies were not impressive.

I'm still loving Pippa and her sis, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Sorry I'm not sorry. 

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A couple of weeks ago my friend Emily sent me a really depressing article about the dating scene in Washington, DC.  [In her defense, she said she didn't read the article before she sent it to me...]  The article basically said women in DC are really uptight and career-driven and uninterested in making time for dating. And, the article said... therefore, DC has the highest number of fertility specialists per capita of any other American city. You know... since people wait until they are in their late 30s to make time to settle down and have families.  Great stuff, huh?  (I'm being sarcastic in case it didn't come across well...)

Emily also sent me another article about how DC was named the best city to raise children in. I don't know if I agree with that... but her email subject line was amazing. She said: if you ever find a man at least you'll be in a good town to raise kids.  Fair point, Emily. 


I recently found this great blog called Can You Stay for Dinner? What a great title for a food blog, huh? The "hostess" aka author, Andie, has a great and I think truly inspirational weight loss story.  You should definitely check out her blog. 


My dog has started licking the sides of her paws incessantly!!!! And, by association, she also licks the fabric in my house.  It is driving me crazy and she is no longer allowed on my sofa because of this. Does anyone have tips to make her STOP it right now??? Or like, even soon would be good. 

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Speaking of dogs, Marley & Me was on television last night. Man do I love that movie. Even if it does make me cry like a baby.  The movie is just so great at capturing the love that you can have for a dog and how a dog can become such an important part of your family.  

Expectations

Optimistic. Pessimistic. Realistic.

It is incredibly easy to box people and thoughts into these categories. But in reality, isn't it hard to decipher what you are? Aren't we all a mix of all these words, depending on the situation? 

I would love to think that I'm an optimist, although I will freely admit that I'm probably more of a realist. 

But here's the thing. 

My friend Kathryn would argue that I am a pessimist. (But she's my good friend anyway.) Well, nobody wants to admit that they are a pessimist. It's negative. 

And I would argue that I am more of a realist than anything else because I do try to be positive, but situations in life constantly let me down. Negative situations. And they keep me from seeing everything in the best light all the time. But I want to see things in the best light. I really do. And it's difficult.  Perhaps I just give in to negativity too easily?

In my view, there are plenty of heartbreaks to be had in this life even when people treat each other well. Accidents, death, loss of health/ jobs/ homes. All these things are incredibly disappointing and heartbreaking. And more often than not, nobody causes them. It is truly nobody's fault. Given that, why do some people have to treat others with disrespect? As if life wasn't already hard enough... 

It's all so confusing sometimes.  In a world where a new political sex scandal surfaces every other week and it seems like people are constantly letting you down, how do you deal?  Should you just learn to manage your expectations better? Maybe if you stop expecting so much from people they won't let you down as often. Maybe not. 

In this day and age, is it really too much to expect people to be honest? To have integrity? To be who they say they are? To do the right damn thing? It just doesn't seem that hard to me. But then again, maybe I expect too much.

[What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments if you'd like to.]

Sound Off

I try to be a level-headed person, I really do.  But some things just get me angry.  I'm feeling particularly ornery today, so I thought I would sound off here to get it out of my system.  Here goes.

1. Pantyhose are torture. Apparently (according to wikipedia) pantyhose became more popular in the 1960s when a new production method made them much cheaper.  COME ON, women of the 60s- I'm looking at YOU. When you burned bras you couldn't have burned pantyhose along with them?! At least it would've made a statement that they are AWFUL. 
2. If you are a cab driver, you are supposed to know where you are going. That is your job. In fact, I'm probably getting in a cab because I need to get somewhere quickly and I don't know where I'm going, so when you ask me for directions, it is endlessly frustrating.
3. Seat recliners on planes are the worst. Ever.  Unless you are on a redeye, you have some physiological reason for needing to recline your seat, or you are on an overnight (thus likely international) flight, there is no reason in the world to recline your seat.  Especially if you aren't even going to sleep.  It is the rudest thing ever.  And you know what? It is even more rude to help your 7-year old to recline his seat. (You see, he needs help because his body is not strong enough to recline the seat himself!)  There should be a rule: if your feet don't touch the floor of the plane when you are seated, you don't get to recline your seat. 
4. Tourists in DC- take note. The left side of the escalator on the metro is for walking. The right side is for standing.
5. Bikers: in a city, you bike on the street. NOT THE SIDEWALK. And if you are going to be on the sidewalk, you shouldn't HIT people as you pass them. And you shouldn't look at my dog with a vengeance- she has a reason to be on the sidewalk. You do not.  This is why they made a bike lane.

What gets you riled up? Sound off in the comments! You will feel better, I promise. I already feel better. 

The Internets

Most of the time, I am completely grateful for the internet. When I try to imagine how people did simple things like, say, find a veterinarian in a new city, or plan a vacation or business trip without the internet, it sort of blows my mind. 

Check out this clip from the Today Show in 1994. The hosts are talking about what "internet" is and how it works. And exactly what does that "@" symbol mean? At? About? Around?

Anyway, as much as I love the internet I think I allow it to cloud my thoughts too much. I get distracted so easily when I'm surfing the net. And as a result, my productivity levels can be quite low. (That's kind of another story for another day...)

I also sort of have an internal battle sometimes where I feel obligated (by myself, of course) to read blogs, check all the daily deals sites, check twitter 1,409 times a day, etc. Do any of you deal with this? It's so hard to stay focused on what really matters sometimes!

But just when I'm ready to curse the internet and try to break my addiction to blogs, I find beautiful images and cool things that keep me coming back.  Here are some of my latest infatuations.

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These are pineberrys. Apparently they are strawberries and pineapples combined. whoa. Does that not blow your mind?

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In my older days, I've become more cynical. So much so that weddings (especially cookie-cutter ones) kind of send me over the edge. I just feel sometimes like nothing in a wedding is really original anymore. Plus the amount of money that people spend on weddings... it just makes me crazy sometimes.  

Anyway, just look at this picture. It kind of makes me want to have a wedding that I actually invite people to one day.  I think the mason jars hanging from the tree are so charming. 

And then, there are furniture makeovers, like this one from Carolina Country Living. 

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Seriously. If I lived anywhere near this beauty, I would rent a truck and plop down my cash and buy it right up. Even if I didn't have a place to put it. 

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Check out that linen closet from Martha Stewart. Now, that could actually inspire me to clean out the overflowing linen closet in the bathroom of the house I grew up in. The sheets are stored inside the pillow cases. How have I not seen this before?

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Ya'll know how much I love yellow. Although I wouldn't design a kitchen exactly like this one, it's pretty darn good inspiration if you ask me.

Valentine's Day Brain Dump

Valentine's Day.  Blegh.

There is nothing I really like about Valentine's Day.  Beyond elementary school, it just becomes a huge pain the the you-know-what.

First of all, I don't really care for the color red. Not in clothing and not in décor.  I don't have anything against red, I just don't gravitate towards it at all.  That said, I'm not a huge fan of pink either. Don't get me wrong, I like it and will not necessarily avoid it, but I've just grown out of it.

Second of all. Hearts. Double blegh. Some things just should not be heart shaped in my opinion. Paper decorations? Okay- fine.  Sugar decorations? For Valentine's Day, yes they are appropriate. Diamonds or other jewelry? Ummm... no. Just no. 

The way I feel about Valentine's Day is sort of the way I feel about New Year's Eve and Thanksgiving.  With both Valentine's and New Year's Eve, there is so much pressure. Pressure to do something fun, to have a better night than everyone else, to spend money and to feel bad about yourself if you don't accomplish those things.  

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And with Valentine's and Thanksgiving, I honestly think it is a little bit pathetic that we need reminders to tell someone we love them or to express out loud what we are thankful for.  Have we really gotten that busy? The answer, I'm sure, is no.  We aren't that busy.  But a lot of us are that lazy. And a lot of us have learned how to take the things we love or are grateful for, for granted.  I think the sentiment is really nice, but people shouldn't need a pre-scheduled reminder for these things.

Let's face it. Valentine's Day can also be super awkward for the population of people not in committed relationships.  I mean, if you are "sort-of" dating someone, it can be a disaster of worrying about whether or not you should celebrate the day.  And for other singles, well let's just say that I think some people dwell on the fact that they don't have a valentine much too much. It can just be one more reason to feel bad about yourself.  But let's be honest.  It is a completely dumb reason to feel bad about yourself.

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Yep, I think I will just ignore the holiday all together. 

A Few (Very) Random Observations

Well, I've made a few observations recently.  I'm just gonna put it all out there.

1.  I prefer talk radio over music when I'm driving long distances. 

When did I become a 65 year old?  But seriously, it holds my attention better than music most of the time. Weird.

2.  I'm officially not a "young person" anymore.

Proof?  The other day a family friend told me that her daughter asked for an Eminem t-shirt for Christmas. And I literally thought she meant M&M's... as in "melt in your mouth, not in your hand..."

Yeah.  That actually happened.  And I felt about a million years old when I realized what she was talking about.

3. I saw a few friends when I was in Louisiana for the holidays.  

And I've missed them.  A lot. 

4.  I am so glad I was a member of a sorority in college.  

The girls I met there are truly some of my best friends and I know I will be able to count on them for the rest of my life to be there in good times and bad.

5.  Even though I feel old, I really am young.

Everyone says that college days are the best days of your life, but I don't think that's true.  I had a great time in college but I know there are many more happy times ahead of me as I enter the period of life when my friends are starting to get married and have families.

6. I really can't believe Tennessee lost their bowl game tonight.

And in such poor form.  It was just like the LSU game all over again.  Even though that game ended in my favor, I still felt a little bad for Tennessee fans- not really for the coach since he apparently can't count correctly.  But I know how it feels to lose badly.  And it doesn't feel good.  

7.  I'm going back to Tennessee tomorrow for a few days.

I'm supposed to finally get to meet my best friend's boyfriend.  I'm pretty excited about this considering they've been together like 2 years (I think??) and I still haven't met him!

8. I saw Black Swan.

And it was odd.  But mostly because I think I actually followed/ got it. I think this because it really didn't blow my mind as much as I thought it would. Hmm...

9.  I know I said this recently, but I really do love you people out there who read this blog.

Especially random (pictureless) posts like this one.  You guys rock.

10. I like even numbers.

So I am ending this post with a tenth observation.  Haha! 

Season's Greetings

So, today while I was out shopping, the lady in line in front of me was wearing a t-shirt from Southern Belle. I first noticed these shirts when I was in Alabama over Thanksgiving and now I've seen them everywhere.  They have designs that talk about different "southern" things and some designs that highlight different colleges.  They are pretty fun overall and I think they are cute for some people.  Basically- I have nothing against them.

Until today.  And now I don't have anything against the company, but I am bothered by one of their designs.

I saw a lady wearing a shirt similar in design to this one:

(unfortunately, I couldn't find a design exactly like the one I saw today)

But her shirt read:

"Real Southern Belles still say Merry Christmas"

I mean I don't really consider myself a "southern belle," even if I was raised in the South, but I guess if I did consider myself one, this shirt would be telling me that I should reconsider that.

Seeing this lady's shirt just really bothered me.  She seemed like a perfectly nice lady and I recognize that she has every right to express her opinions, whatever they may be.  But I have to respectfully disagree with the notion that it is wrong to say "Happy Holidays."  I've seen several rants on blogs & twitter lately about how awful it is that so many people say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" and I just really disagree with that. 

To me, saying "Happy Holidays" is not about cutting Jesus or God out of the equation, it is about being accepting and inclusive.  In my opinion, you should say "Happy Holidays" to someone if you do not know which holiday (if any) they celebrate.  If you know someone celebrates Christmas, then you can say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Chanukah" or whatever.  Otherwise, why would you want someone to feel disenfranchised because of the greeting you use?  I get that most people who celebrate other holidays don't take it that seriously or offensively when people say "Merry Christmas," but why wouldn't you want to be overly inclusive rather than being so uptight about Christmas?  

I just wish people were not so enraged about the "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" thing.  If you are sincerely wishing someone a happy or merry anything and you have love in your heart for that person, why should the exact semantics matter?  Isn't the holiday season about love and gratefulness, anyway? 

Happy Holidays to you & yours this holiday season! 

I love and am grateful for all of my readers!