Holey Hell.

The start of September is a great time of reflection. I start to think about my upcoming birthday and think about what I have (or have not) accomplished since the last one. I reminisce on past birthday's and it is astonishing how little I can remember about most of them. Historically, I've never been a huge "birthday celebrater" and don't normally rally friends for a huge gathering or do anything out of the ordinary.  There have been years when I've whooped it up more than usual, but I feel like I don't automatically remember "For my 26th birthday I remember doing..." Generally I have to spend time counting back, looking at ticket stubs, etc.

When I was on my east coast vacation I met up with a high school classmate. I hadn't seen her in more years than I'd like to type, as typing them would make me truly realize how long ago it was that I graduated from high school, and I had a great time learning what she's been up to (all these years!) and gossiping about life in general.  After brunch we window-shopped and browsed along Newbury Street and for a few minutes we talked earrings. She has multiple piercings (three) in both ears, and seeing them reminded me that I never wear earrings in my second holes.  Why, I'm not sure, because I remember how excited I was to get second holes.

I got my first holes pierced when I was in kindergarten and can't conjure up a memory about the experience. Was I scared? Probably. Did I throw a fit? Not sure. Were there tears? Maybe. I'll have to consult with my mother for the details. I remember the studs from my first piercing: fake sapphires (my birthstone) in gold. I do not remember any troubles with my first holes, other than having to cover them with athletic tape before soccer games.

In high school I told my mom I was going to get second holes, very nonchalantly, and was taken aback when she firmly stated "No you are not. Not until you're 18." I obviously thought this was cruel and unusual, but since my parents were otherwise really chill about a lot of stuff (not tattoos, as we've discussed) I decided "Okay...it'll be an 18th birthday treat to myself!"

In school I was always considerably (a few months feels "considerably" when everyone has their drivers license and you have to wait six more months) younger than the other people in my grade. Because of this, I didn't turn 18 until five weeks after shipping off to college. Consequently, the only time I EVER used someone's ID was to be 18. The people on my floor were going to Uptown, an 18+ dance "bar", and I borrowed an ID so I could get in. I never used someone's ID to be 21, probably because we were masterful at sneaking me into 21+ bars until I was legal.

As my 18th birthday approached, I recall mentioning my desire to get my ears double-pierced as a birthday treat to my roommate and the women who lived in the room next to us. My roommate, a sweet woman who grew up in a town with literally only one streetlight, was supportive of my desire to accomplish my wish but said she was NOT able to accompany me for fear of passing out, because the idea of getting holes put in her ears was apparently one of the most horrible and painful things she'd ever heard. A quick look flip through her Facebook albums and it appears as though she still has not pierced her ears, but she has had four kids (!!!!)

With full support and a cheery farewell from my roommate, the neighbor gals and I headed to Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, the metropolis of Northwest Ohio. I was nervous, but personally the thought of showing pain/weakness in public is worse than the thought of actual pain, so I knew I'd come through all right. I actually can't remember what I picked out as studs. I'm sure if I were to flip through an old jewelry box I would come across a lone earring that might trigger a memory, but at the time I'm drawing a blank. I've lost touch with the two women who were with me for this memorable occasion, but I hope they know that they've made an impact on my life.

I was prompted to write all this because yesterday, on the first day of September, I wore earrings in my second holes.

Never Forget

Today my mom told me that my cousin's daughter, who will be 13 in a week, cried herself to sleep the other night. My mom said when my cousin told her, my mom of course asked "Why...what happened?!"  My cousin informed my mom "Well, some of her friends were going to the Katy Perry concert..." and the moment my mom told me that I BURSTED OUT LAUGHING. Laughter racked my body and I had to physically put my hand over my mouth in order to contain my giggles. Not because of people attending a Katy Perry concert (I love pop music) but because I knew where this story was going.

My mom asks "What? Why are you laughing?"

Me: "Oh, because I soooo know how she feels because I DISTINCTLY recall you forbidding me from attending the Blonde Ambition tour and I can remember the ferocious tantrum I threw. I recall physically throwing myself on the floor in agony." [note, this happened several months before I turned 13]

Mom: "Really? I let you go, didn't I?"

Me: "Oh you did no such thing!"

Mom: "Oh my...you won't be happy to hear what I told your cousin then..."

Me: "Did you tell her to let her go?!"

Mom: "Yes...I did...I said 'Come on...lighten up!' Oh no...do you hate me? I don't remember you throwing a tantrum..."

Me: "Of course you don't remember. To you it was just a blip on your parenting radar. To me, and at that time in my life, it was LIFE-ALTERING with enormous implications."

Several years after this "life-altering" experience, I recall seeing a video of the Blonde Ambition tour and thinking "Whoooaaaa, my parents were totally right to not let me go...I would have been so confused." I'm not sure whether or not my cousin watched YouTube videos of Katy Perry's tour or not, but I'm secretly glad I'm not the only 13 year old who was banned from going to a concert.

Prompt

Do you prefer big crowds or small groups?

While rap songs encourage you to "roll deep" i.e. - show up with a lot of people, I find large groups really difficult to manage. You'll be at one bar, getting ready to go to the next, and someone will say "Just let me finish this drink..." which is REASONABLE and UNDERSTANDABLE, but then other people will think "Oh, I can get another drink..." and then 45 minutes later you'll have to forcibly stand up and say "I'M GOING TO THE NEXT BAR." or else you'll be there for another 45 minutes.

So...yes. Small groups are a little better. Also: you look less intimidating!

You down with OCD?

I've heard great things about Fish Bar, but I'm having difficulty with the sign on their building.

WHY are the "F" and "I" next to each other?! It looks so...wrong. 


*for some reason I couldn't upload photos so I had to link. Hmpf!

Cha-cha-cha-channnggeeeeessss.

One would think with how internet savvy I am that I'd have all the latest technology gadgets. That is not the case. Up until this morning, I rocked a flip phone, with PRIDE. I am of the belief that you use something until it breaks/no longer works and try to be a conscious consumer (watch the Story of Stuff - Electronics for an overview of how destructive discarded technology products can be.)  My flip phone worked ya'll! No, I couldn't check my email on it, but that's OKAY! I don't want to be plugged in all the time!

For over a year, I've only been able to charge my phone in my car, because I left my wall charger plugged into the wall in New Orleans when I was there last year for Jazz Fest.  This was funny to me, but other people, I believe, found it quite sad.  I received non-stop harrassment about my flip phone, ranging from comments such as "Whoa...who you calling, Zack Morris?" to "Oh COME ON. That's pathetic." Judgers be damned, I love my flip phone.

In February or March, a friend of mine sent me her old smart phone when she upgraded to the Verizon iPhone. Yes...I've had a smartphone since at least March and am just TODAY getting around to activating it.  Please reference earlier posts on my procrastination problem (as well as my stinginess...I'm not thrilled about paying for a data plan!) if you are wondering why it took so long.

I'm on my way to go pick up my phone, so I'm sure I won't be able to call, text, email, or tweet for days until I figure the confounded gadget out. Send help if you haven't heard from me in 48 hours!!

Same ole, same ole.

Classes started last week and I'm already behind! I had grand plans to get AHEAD this weekend, but they were not successful. Not because I was out raging/hungover, but because I got slapped in the face with a cold/laryngitis and an accompanying sense of restlessness/discomfort/crabbiness, making it difficult for me to concentrate and throwing any sense of discipline out the window.

I did finally go to the Laundromat to wash my "summer comforter" (can't fit in my apartment's washing machine), something I'd been meaning to do for about two months (still had my down comforter on my bed...not really necessary considering I don't have central air!) I also filled a bag for Salvation Army with clothes that are no longer needed in my life, so I'm considering those accomplishments my small victories.

Cinema

Name one famous movie you've never seen. Why not?

I've never seen Titantic, for several reasons.

1. I don't like to cry. When I cry with intensity, it takes about two to three days for my face to recover. I'm very fair and crying makes my face puff up and makes blood vessels around my eyes break (true story.) It's not pretty, so the idea of "having a good cry" as a form of alternative therapy is foreign to me.

2. I can't sit still for a long time and that's a LONG MOVIE. Yes, I know you can pause DVDs, but I generally don't do that because it messes up the flow of the movie. If I pause a movie, I'm likely to get so into what I paused the movie for that I don't actually end up watching the movie.

3. I know what happens. Why do I need to sit there and watch two people fall in love when I know their love is doomed?

Note: I might see this movie when it's re-released in 2012. Haha, just kidding. I probably won't.

Weekend plans?

What are you doing tonight? If you live in Chicago and don't have plans, you should show up at the MCA for this awesome event. See you there!

All apologies

I'm feeling bad about it, but I'm lacking topic ideas for this month's challenge of blogging every day. I'm not sure if it's the longer time of sunshine, my business, a general case of writer's block, or the fact that I'm trying to follow a low-carb diet for the next two weeks and it's making me want a candy bar with the passion of a thousand suns. 

Regardless of the "why", I'm feeling relatively "ho hum" about this month's challenge. I did, however, commit to it, so I'll trudge along and when I can't think of anything to write about I'll just randomly select a past prompt and respond to it. YOU ARE BESIDE YOURSELF WITH EXCITEMENT. Yes. Yes you are.

Follow up

Remember this post?

Here's another reason why Rachel McAdam's is one of my favorite actresses.

Woman's Best Friend

Today's prompt asks "Who is your greatest fan?"  Initially this question made me uncomfortable, because I wish I could say "my devoted boyfriend/husband/life partner who knows all the good and bad of me and loves me anyway!" but alas, I cannot. I spent about .007 seconds wallowing in my pity (cause really, there's nothing fun or productive about that) and then thought "Well, obviously my mom and dad..." and then remembered how TOTALLY, UNBELIEVABLY, UNDENIABLY excited my brother's dog gets when she sees me.  We are talking JUMPS UP AND DOWN on all four legs, cries, jumps all over me, runs a circle around me, and has even been known to pee because she completely loses her mind. She is a lovable dog in general, but I've been told she saves the best greeting for me.

So yes, my parents and friends seem to like me quite a bit, and I do have an undeniable amount of charm, but no one gets as excited to see me as this lady:

Limits

Do you have a limit as to how many errands/household tasks you can accomplish in a day? Today I got up and out the door and had hit four stores (attempted a fifth but I forgot about the street festival taking place in front of it) and done four loads of laundry before 11 :30 am. Granted, that's not really THAT impressive, but I avoided crowds and crazy Sunday traffic, so I was feeling pretty good. Problem was, I still had about eleventy-hundred more things to do. I sort of got so busy being proud of myself that I putzed for about 1.5 hours. FAIL. Is it just me, or does this happen to you too?

Still Haven't Found...

On Wednesday, June 8, someone found my blog after searching "2 pac and his story how did he get to sing and where he came from."

Anonymous reader, I like your curiosity, and will give you a pass on your grammar since it was probably for search purposes.

It Will Move You

As you know, I love music. One of my favorite artists is Anya Marina and you can now download some of her songs for free (although you should really buy all her records because they are fun and full of insightful/snarky lyrics, my favorite kind.)



After you download these awesome songs (Move You is one of my all time favorite running jams) make sure you tweet/Facebook/share the link so we can spread the word about her awesomeness. I highly recommend you see her show when she comes to a town near you!  She'll drop a good number of f-bombs and talk in Russian. Guaranteed entertainment!

Word by word

One of the prompts last week was "Which author made you want to be a writer (or blogger)?"

Initially, I thought of all the great books that have tickled my senses, moved me, changed my life, etc., but then I thought "...those books were so good...what really made me think I could write were the Twilight books..."

You're probably thinking "This girl is crazy...those tween books can't hold a candle to fine pieces of literature!" and YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT (mostly about the second part of that sentence.) Although I read all the books and think they are fun (I've also seen all the movies to date), I thought they were poorly written and I would have THE BEST TIME if you asked me to edit them.  Reading her overly-wordy, passive writing made me think "Huh...if she can do it, maybe I can too?"

The things standing between me and writing anything of substance are a lack of motivation, time, and discipline. Hence, I blog. Whoooo!