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?

How did you get here?

Someone got to my blog after searching "How long does it take for tough love".

Person, I hope you found an answer to your question...if so, PLEASE SHARE.

Bucket List AGAIN.

Not only did I attend my first Bulls game Saturday night, I also crossed some things off my bucket list, things I had no idea were even ON my bucket list. Sometimes I come across situations that are just so fun and unique that I assign them to my bucket list on the fly.  Saturday night, some of these things were:

1. Get hugged, kissed, and slightly fondled by Benny the Bull.

2. Say "Hi Lovie!" to Lovie Smith, head coach of the Chicago Bears, as he brushes past me mere moments after my encounter with Benny.

The third thing was perhaps the favorite lesson of the night.  We learned that "buy me lunch" means "slip money into my usher jacket as a bribe to get you into better seats." We learned this important educational lesson from an usher, one I will not name so as to not get him in trouble (cause the UC randomly started following me on Twitter last week, so who knows!)

We arrived at UC about an hour before the game so we walked around the lower level to soak in all the activities (holy cow - there were a lot.) While doing so, we popped into an aisle to get our picture taken, and in the process I proceeded to tell the usher "This is our first ever Bulls game! We're so excited!!!!!!" (I get gushy when I'm having a fun time. Really gushy.) He said "Where you sitting?" I replied "Oh, up in the 300 level, we're just slowing making our way. We were offered free tickets and couldn't pass them up!" He stated "When the second quarter starts, come see me...maybe if you buy me lunch I can see if I can get you in this section..." My friend and I were a little flabbergasted and squealed "Oooh, okay!" While walking away, my friend said "Lunch? It's nighttime..." I said "Well, maybe since he works different hours he calls it lunch since it's halfway through his work day?" She thought this made perfect sense (and of course I thought it made perfect sense) so we made plans to check back at the second quarter.

We enjoyed the first part of the game in our ticketed seats, while scoping out empty seats in the section that we were hopefully going to be sitting in and worrying about how all this was going to work and whether or not we'd get kicked out of the game (put two girls with high anxiety levels into a situation like this, and you get lots of "what if's..."). When the first quarter ended we quickly made our way out of our aisle and down the stairs and my friend was like "Let's wait to get something to eat when we get down there, since we're getting him lunch..." I was all "Good idea!"  Yes. Yes we really thought we were going to buy him food.

I don't want to make this post pages and pages long, so I'll sum up that we walked up in his aisle, he said "You can put the lunch in my pocket..." to which we were like "What?" with puzzled expressions on our face, followed quickly by an "Oooooohhhhhhhh...LUNCH." Then we scurried out of the aisle when he said "Walk out and walk back in..." and headed straight to the bar for another Guinness. While at the bar we sent texts to about everyone we knew who might be able to give us guidance (including Twitter) "How much do you tip an usher for a seat upgrade?" Answers were varied, perhaps shedding light on the fact that some of the people we sent texts to are incredibly cheap, so my friend and I came to a decision we were comfortable with, walked back in the aisle, I slipped the "lunch" in his pocket, and he took us to some killer seats. During halftime, they celebrated the Bulls 1991 Championship, which meant SCOTTIE PIPPEN AND MICHAEL JORDAN were on the court. Ummmm...worth it.

Lenten Promises.

I am mostly a bad Catholic. I am pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, pro-birth control, have engaged in pre-marital sex, think priests should be able to have sex if they want to, don't believe people who commit suicide will go to hell (I'm glad they've loosened their stance on this), etc. I do not regularly go to church, haven't been to confession since it was required for my confirmation, and cannot remember how to pray the Rosary.  If the Catholic church reads this, they'll probably revoke my membership.

I am, without a doubt, a spiritual person, but I am agnostic in a lot of ways. I always used to get aggravated at people who acted like they were somehow superior because they went to church every week but who were often unkind, lacking compassion, and self-serving. What's that all about? Just because you go to church you think you are better than people who don't, but at the same time you're kind of a horrible person?  That does not fly with me. I think spirituality is a natural and organic thing. Maybe you like to have a moment to reflect on your spirituality when you're exercising, or driving in your car, or on the train. Just because you're not in a labeled "house of worship" doesn't make your worship any less powerful or meaningful as someone who does go to church.

All that aside, I firmly embrace Lenten sacrifice every year. I'm generally on a continual quest for self-improvement and I find the spirit of the season a great motivator. That, coupled with my own spiritual development over the past year, has encouraged me to blog about my experiences during Lent this year.  I am going to attempt to sacrifice something that is really at the root of both my personality and, regrettably, my problems, so this could be a lot more challenging than say, giving up chocolate or Facebook or cheese (things I've successfully accomplished in the past.)

My friends, I'm giving up procrastination for Lent.

Yes, I know it's vague and I know the best goals are S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely.)  I teach small group communication, I could recite that bidness in my sleep.  Saying I'm "giving up procrastination" is hard because everyone might have a different definition of what constitutes "procrastination" (for instance, am I procrastinating on cleaning through my papers or do I legitimately not have time to get to them yet?) I understand there will be things that I consider procrastination (thinking "I should take out my trash..." but not taking out the trash until the next day) that other people will be like "Dude, lighten up!" and I'm okay with that gray area. But let's be real: we know when we are truly procrastinating. We are all wise and thoughtful enough to know when we are wasting time on meaningless tasks because the other shit that is more important is usually more difficult/labor intensive/hard to accomplish.  Procrastination is, at times, a blessing or protective measure, but there are far too many times in my life when my natural inclination toward procrastination is just getting in my own damn way. This Lenten "sacrifice" (I am sacrificing comfort, since this could, at times, be a painful, eye-opening endeavor) will hopefully allow me the opportunity to identify barriers that are preventing me from being the best I can be, both socially, professionally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  I can't think of anything more spiritual than that.

Officially over my break.

I knew it wouldn't last. During my month of blogging in February, I discovered how cool Google Analytics was, and really enjoyed seeing if people were reading my blog or not. Well, the only way to get people to look at your blog is to post new content, so therefore I think my self-imposed vacation from blogging is over! I am not going to commit to an every day thing, but I do think I'll aim for 3 - 5 times a week.

I posted the new NaBloPoMo badge for their March theme, but think I might follow a theme of my own. Stay tuned for details!

"Here I Go Again..."

I got an email today from NaBloPoMo regarding blogging everyday in February. Initially, I was skeptical.  I know February is the shortest day of the month, coming in at a measly 28 days, so if any month is the right month to accept a daily commitment, it's February.  At the same time, February is a shit month.  I love black history and am a big fan of groundhogs, but otherwise the month is full of angst (with or without a partner, Valentine's Day is annoying ya'll), dark days, and usually some really frightful winter weather.

After opening the email and seeing that the topic for the month is "Character", my interest level increased.  Here is some topic suggestions:

The theme for February blogging is CHARACTER. It's a flexible theme, allowing you to blog about all sorts of things:
1. The people in your life who stand out in regard to their outstanding (or lack of) character -- the use of pseudonyms might be prudent here;
2. Experiences in your life that have helped you build moral character, and the work you might still need to do;
3. It's a chance to try writing in character -- try on different personas and voices for fun, or to address things you might not normally talk about;
4. Character is another word for a letter or symbol, if you feel like it's finally time to indulge in some font nerdery.

If my increasingly random encounters have brought me anything, it's a cast of pretty colorful characters who have provided a lot of potential material. Secondly, if there is anything I can claim to have, it's character.

And clearly, a love for Whitesnake.
 


Join me?

DEEP.

I was sifting through my Google Reader and came upon this post by Parvin.

This video is amazing. This poem is kick-ass and eloquent and OMG YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE WHOLE THING. I will quiz you on this.



Poem text:
If you are at first lonely, be patient.
If you’ve not been alone much, or if when you were you weren't okay with it, then just wait.
You’ll find it's fine to be alone once you’re embracing it.
We can start with the acceptable places; the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library,
where you can stall and read the paper, where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there.
Where you can browse the stacks and smell the books,
you're not supposed to talk much anyway so it's safe there.
There's also the gym, if you're shy, you can hang out with yourself in mirrors,
you can put headphones in.
There’s public transportation, because we all gotta go places.
And there’s prayer and mediation,
no one will think less if you are hanging with your breath seeking peace and salvation.
Start simple.
Things you may have previously avoided based on your "avoid being alone" principles.
The lunch counter, where you will be surrounded by “chow downers”;
employees who only have an hour and their spouses work across town,
and they, like you, will be alone.
Resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone.
When you are comfortable with “eat lunch and run”,
take yourself out to dinner to a restaurant with linen and silverware.
You’re no less intriguing a person when you're eating solo dessert and
cleaning the whipped cream from the dish with your finger.
In fact, some people at full tables will wish they were where you were.
Go to the movies.
Where it’s dark and soothing, alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community.
And then take yourself out dancing, to a club where no one knows you,
stand on the outside of the floor until the lights convince you more and more and the music shows you.
Dance like no ones watching because they are probably not.
And if they are, assume it is with best and human intentions.
The way bodies move genuinely to beats, after-all, is gorgeous and affecting.
Dance till you’re sweating.
And beads of perspiration remind you of life’s best things,
down your back, like a book of blessings.
Go to the woods alone, and the trees and squirrels will watch for you.
Go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets, there are always statues to talk to,
and benches made for sitting gives strangers a shared existence if only for a minute,
these moments can be so uplifting and the conversation you get in by sitting alone on benches,
might of never happened had you not been there by yourself.
Society is afraid of alone though.
Like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements.
Like people must have problems if after awhile nobody is dating them.
But lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless, and lonely is healing if you make it.
You can stand swathed by groups and mobs and hold hands with your partner, look both further and farther in the endless quest for company.
But no one is in your head.
And by the time you translate your thoughts an essence of them maybe lost or perhaps it is just kept.
Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those sappy slogans from pre-school over to high school's groaning, were tokens for holding the lonely at bay.
Cause if you’re happy in your head, then solitude is blessed, and alone is okay.
It's okay if no one believes like you, all experience is unique,
no one has the same synapses, can’t think like you, for this be relieved.
Keeps things interesting, life’s magic brings much, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t connected,
that community is not present,
just take the perspective you get from being one person in one head and feel the effects of it.
Take silence and respect it, if you have an art that needs practice stop neglecting it,
if your family doesn’t get you or a religious sect is not meant for you, don’t obsess about it.
You could be, in an instant, surrounded if you need it.
If your heart is bleeding, make the best of it. 
There is heat and freezing, be a testament.

Thanks Parvin!

All or nothing.

I have to admit that I am always really fascinated by people who live on the extreme end of something. For instance people who are extreme athletes, people who leave a minimal impact on the environment, people who go a year without buying anything made in China, people who eat only raw foods, people who live REALLY minimally, people who hunt rare fruits, people who follow every rule in the Bible...I could go on and on, because there are a lot of people who are super extreme about one thing or another.  Sometimes it's for life, sometimes it's just for a month or year, but regardless, it fascinates me.

The most recent fascination has been with people who took the "Six Items or Less" challenge.  I heard about this challenge on the news, then saw the New York Times bit, so I had to check out the website.

Wow. Six items for 30 days. I am afraid I do not have the confidence or the gumption to pull this off. I know this study claims people don't notice, but the people I know totally notice. I agree with a lot of what they have to say, especially about quality over quantity (how many things from Old Navy have you thrown out in the past two years? Probably everything you've bought more than eight months ago from Old Navy), but I just do not think there is one iota of a chance that I could ever follow this.

Do you think you could?

This is inspiring.

Thanks to Jason Mraz's blog for alerting me to this:



Good deal...four years GO!  NOW!

Google me.

On a regular basis, I never use the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on Google.  I figure I'm a quick enough web surfer and savvy enough to find what I am looking for.

Last night, while trying to think of a new blog address and trying to kill an unwelcome flying creature that found it's way into my apartment (a mosquito?) I decided to try the "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature while googling my name.

I know this is really conceited, but I'm kind of annoyed that it takes you to the Facebook page of the girl who lives in Canada with my same name.  Personally, I have my Facebook privacy on lock, meaning you can't access my page unless you know seventeen passwords and my secret handshake (or unless I've friended you) but I kind of feel like she's stealing my identity.

Minimalism Update

In my head, I'm living my life in an apartment that looks like it was torn from the pages of Dwell magazine or Design Sponge online, but in reality, I'm totally not.

April is a crazy month with visits home (Opening day!), trips to Cincinnati (academic conferences!), and a trip to New Orleans (Jazz Fest! Beignets! Alligators! Snakes!).  We are only eleven days deep into April but I can tell you this...things are not looking very minimal in these parts (these parts being my apartment).  These parts are looking like the result of a major forest massacre, with piles of annoying papers on too many spaces (living room table, bedroom desk, kitchen table).  I find it all annoying and unpleasant and find the way I deal with this annoyance and unpleasantness is to look at it disdainfully.  As you may guess, this has little to no effect on piles of paper (I say "little to no" because c'mon...I don't know if they have feelings) and ALAS they are still there, even after hateful looks of contempt.

Seriously though, I'm into this idea of living minimally.  When I get around to putting away my winter clothes (Chicago weather, how about a little cooperation?) I am really going to try to not put away things I didn't wear this past winter, and instead put them in a pile to donate.  I will update you as the story develops.

Living on less.

As an admitted pack-rat, I've probably spent at least one to two years of my 32-year-old life "gleaning", which is my family's word for "getting rid of shit". Every time I set in for the task, I would wonder "Didn't I just do this?!" and moan and groan throughout the process.

I was fortunate to get an advance copy of Simplify by Joshua Becker.

The book is encouraging and inspiring in many ways, but most importantly in the sense that "Living Minimal" does not have to look the same for everyone.  I really found chapter three "Jump Right In!" especially motivating, because I often get paralyzed when I think "where do I start?!" when taking on a new project.  I like the idea of starting with something on the smaller side and then moving on to the bigger things.  The "small victories" approach is really motivating.

A couple weeks ago, I went through my bathroom and got rid of some old, beat-up makeup bags, threw out some practically empty bottles, and committed to using up what I have before I'm allowed to buy anything new.  As far as body lotion goes, that might take a while, as I have no fewer than nine (9!) bottles of body lotion in varying sizes and scents. Ri-dic-u-lous!  I definitely didn't buy all those, I always seem to accumulate body lotions from my mom, events, etc.  But honestly...enough is enough!  I live in about a 600 square foot apartment, and about 10 square feet of that was taken up by body lotion (slight exaggeration, perhaps?)

Next up?  I plan to go through my CDs (I probably have about 75?) and whittle that down to about 25.  I have all my music on my computer (and backed up) but know that I will not be able to get rid of all of the CDs.  I intend to keep the CDs of my favorite artists, and you'd better believe it'd practically have to take an act of God to separate me from my personalized, autographed copy of Debbie Gibson's Greatest Hits.

If you are looking for a pretty quick but enlightening read, order a copy!  In keeping with the idea of living simple, it's an e-book, not a hard copy, so no need to make room on your bookshelf!

Fun with Oscar.

As part of my pledge to blog every day in February, I am going to give my reviews/thoughts on the ten movies nominated for Best Picture.  Not only could this potentially open up great dialogue with you, my devoted readers, but it will also guarantee I have at least ten things to blog about.

Two birds.

One stone.

Dead!

I'll give you a fair warning that I'm very much an "in the moment" movie watcher.  For instance, there are maybe only four movies in the world that I can quote off the cuff, and none of those movies are considered cinematic masterpieces.  They are Heathers ("Did you eat a brain tumor for breakfast?", "F**k me gently with a chainsaw"), Grease ("Sloppy seconds ain't my style...", as well as pretty much all the words to every song), The Cutting Edge ("TOE PICK!"), and Clueless ("You're a virgin who can't drive", "It doesn't say RSVP on the Statue of Liberty!", along with many random expressions).  I am not one who catches on to movie references very quickly, as I tend to see them, process them for a period lasting anywhere from ten minutes to two hours, and then kinda forget about them.  I am more likely to become obsessed with the location, clothes, or general attitude of a story more than what the characters actually said, or maybe even the plot/point of the movie.

For instance (this isn't a spoiler since it wasn't nominated for Best Picture), I saw Nine with my parents when I was home for Christmas.  Upon getting up out of my seat at the conclusion of the movie, I said to my mom "Let's pretend like we are really fluid, sensual, 'poetry in motion'-type women as we walk out of the theater", which then prompted me basically pretend like I was a burlesque dancer as we walked out to the car.  My mother was laughing, and my dad, per usual, was a bit oblivious to the whole "social experiment".  I'm positive some people were looking, probably in wonderment and amazement at the uber-sexy creature (me, duh) walking out of a seemingly ordinary movie theater in Downriver, but since they were all either under 21 or over 60, it didn't really matter.

That being said, expect these movie reviews to be completely devoid of any cinematic analysis or really, any intelligence, but more about what the movie made me want to do, read, buy, wear, eat, save, visit, etc.  If you want a reputable movie review, go visit one of my favorite tweeps, Roger Ebert.

Heading to a reunion?

Wouldn't this be a fun shirt to wear if you were waltzing in, looking all hot and fine?

And I totally need to wear this around men I find attractive:

Below the belt.

I firmly believe that one of the worst things you can ever call a man is "bitch".  I know bitch is a loaded word, like "Bitch in charge" = powerful, "Evil bitch" = cruel, "psycho bitch" = most really hot girls, "crazy bitch" = Buckcherry, "bitch" = lover/child/mother/sinner/saint, or "Bitch" = a really great magazine.

Something about hearing someone call a grown man a "bitch" just makes me so uncomfortable.  I personally am not horribly insulted if someone calls ME a bitch, because I know I am not a bitch, but I know I can act like a bitch, so I'll totally own that one.  I used the term "bitched up" interchangeably with "sassed up"/"dolled up", and fondly refer to my closest female friends as "my bitches".  I'm not fearful of the word in general, but hate when it's directed at men.

Does this make you feel uncomfortable?  Is there any swear word/slang word that you find horribly offensive?  I don't mean words that are racially-charged (I like to pretend like those don't exist), those are a given, but words that can really sting.  Keep the comments clean, ya'll. ;)

YESvember

A friend and I have decided we are going to come up with positive themes for each month, in an effort to try to steer our life in positive directions.  The theme for NOvember, which just sounds negative, is YESvember.  This isn't anything like "We have to say yes to all invitations/propositions" (I'm totally wishing I got propositioned), but more about reframing things to be positive, not negative.  It's so easy, especially when the weather gets a little chillier and the days get shorter (dark at 5 p.m.? SOB!), to be a negative Nancy.

In an effort to be more positive, I've decided that I'm going to try to trick myself into thinking that everyone I meet is going to be totally enamored with me.  This does not have to be in a romantic sense, but can be in a "you're so cool" or "you're so interesting" sense.  Obviously I wouldn't turn away from a romantic sense, but I wanted to be a bit more general.  People always say that confidence is sexy, so I'm going to try to put that to the test.

Positive results thus far = this is difficult to measure, since sometimes people can be fake (not very YESvember of me), but I think at least two.  One was a grad student at a school I'm looking into for a PhD program, the other was a group of guys when I was at work one night.
Days left in YESvember = 15.

Here's to hoping the end of YESvember is more fruitful than the beginning.  Any ideas for a December theme?

The Customer Service Challenge

One of my strengths, if you were to ask me in an interview, is my dedication to superior levels of customer service.  At every job I've ever had, I have always gone above and beyond the norm in order to provide a great experience for a customer (please, keep it clean).  Because of my own standards, I expect a pretty good level of customer service from places I frequent.  I am rarely disappointed, and if I am, I usually let them know pretty quickly (i.e. - I once told a cashier who was on the phone that I would "wait until she finished her conversation" before paying because I "didn't want to interrupt." I know...totally passive-aggressive, but that is how I roll.)

Since I'm so intuned to good customer service, if I get good service, I am very likely to tell someone/write about it.  Whether it be pulling a manager aside to let them know that someone did a great job, or sending a quick email, I do it on the regular.  What's happened recently though, is that I am getting FREE SHIT for BEING NICE.  Can you believe it?!  I wrote the customer service department at The Limited to let them know how awesome their employees at the Water Tower store are, and guess what?  I got a gift certificate.  Later I wrote into Anthropologie's website to ask if they had an artist list of the music they play, and although they don't have anything official, the customer service rep typed out a bunch of the artists they play on Anthro satellite radio and sent me TWO FREE CD's.  WTF?!  Who knew being nice was so lucrative?

Well, keeping in mind my recent successes, I decided to put it to the test to see if Potbelly would care that I got mugged less than 10 minutes after buying one of their delicious Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies.

I'm not really smart enough (that's not true, let's say I'm not patient enough) to figure out how to make my tweets show in this post, so let's do it the old-fashioned way. Read this, then this, this, this, this, and this and this.


They've been emailed!  I wonder if I'll get a cookie? ;)

Family Affair.

In the final leg of the "spoil Kristen" tour of November 2009, my dad took me grocery shopping today.  I'm a pretty savvy grocery shopper, as I find clipping coupons to be great fun and like to shop for deals, but I'm also a relatively selective shopper.  I say "selective", and not "picky" because I would, in theory, probably eat just about anything, but I try to keep my home food supply on the healthy side.  For instance, I try to stay away from anything with high fructose corn syrup, which means my choice of crackers immediately goes from 1,239,046 options to about 14.  It's like a domestic scavenger hunt that makes grocery shopping fun for me.  Also, my dad noticed that our grocery store plays way better music than his.  Jewel - 1, Kroger - 0.

I normally stay as far away as possible from the grocery stores on the weekends, as I know they are a hot bed of activity.  Not only will you find hungover 20- and 30- (and maybe up?) somethings, but you'll also be forced to jockey your cart around happy couples holding hands and mothers (and fathers) keeping an eye on their kids.  Today's grocery store experience left me thinking the following:

1.  Since when does going to the grocery store have to be like going to a fucking amusement park?  Why are kids not satisfied with sitting in the cart like this, but now have to drive the cart (this is not exactly what I saw, but close)?  It's no wonder that these children have to be constantly entertained, we are leaving them no opportunity to develop their imagination.
2.  When you were growing up, was grocery shopping a family outing?  I saw several families shopping together.  While I understand it's nice to spend time as a family, having four or more people trying to do something that one person can easily handle on their own makes the entire process take longer than necessary, not to mention clogs the aisles with people.  If I ever get married and/or have children, I think I'd kind of look at grocery shopping as a private affair.  I understand that single parents do not have the luxury of leaving their kid at home with a spouse, but if you can, why wouldn't you?  If I were a single parent living in Chicago, I'm pretty sure I'd use Peapod, so I could avoid the process all together.
3.  Why are there so many varieties of bread?  And why are half-loaves not readily available?  7-11 has them, why can't Jewel?
4.  Have you seen these?  HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?

Post-retirement job idea

I think once I'm old and can fashionably pass for a bitter old woman (as opposed to prematurely pass as one now), I'm going to situate myself outside the polar bear exhibits at the zoo on the regular.  That way, when snot-nosed elementary school kids with their bratty and bored parents walk by and ask "Why are they endangered Mom...what's that mean?" I'm going to say "They are endangered because you don't shut the water off when you brush your teeth, and because your mom doesn't recycle the jars of Spaghetti-O's that she serves you for dinner..IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Too harsh?

Two classes.

I sometimes think of the world, and the people in it, as belonging to one of two classifications.  I know this might sound slightly narrow-minded, but it's usually about things that there is either one way or the other, so it's not like I apply it to every aspect of life.  And although I might say you're in option A, not option B, I don't think that means you ONLY ALWAYS do A.  Sometimes B might be the right choice in the moment.

For instance, I belong to the group of people who ALWAYS AND FOREVER YES EVEN IT'S RAINING return grocery carts (called buggy's in the south) to the cart corral.  Always.  Sure, I'm sure there has been a time I haven't, perhaps due to time constraints or the ability to find a cart corral, but if I don't return my cart to the corral, I get The Guilt.  You know the kind...the "If you weren't such a lazy ass, you would have returned that cart to the corral.  DAMMIT, this is why you have a hard time finding someone to love" or something like that.  I feel like returning the cart to the corral is something people generally always do or never do.  I doubt there are many people who are firmly in the "sometimes" category.

I am not, however, a person who puts plates out on the dining room table unless there are people sitting at said table.  Do you know what I mean?  My train of thought is "Why would I put plates out if there's no food?" or "If you leave those out, doesn't that mean you'd have to wash them BEFORE you serve food on them?"  To me, this makes absolutely no sense, although I can agree that cute plates are definitely good pieces of decoration.  I wonder if it has something to do with whether or not someone grew up in a house with anciliary plates on tables, or if it's something they picked up from a Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel catalog.

So blog readers...which groups do you belong to?