Wordless Wednesday: WHO DAT!

It's That Time Again...

I've been blessed with my monthly visitor this week, which I should be happy about because it means I'm not knocked up (side note: I've watched too many episodes of I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant so I am now paranoid that I could be pregnant anyway, but I digress...). I was useless yesterday and had to leave work early. Of course this has to happen on one of the two weeks of the year that it is imperative everyone be there. I went in because I didn't want to screw over my co-workers by being gone on a potentially busy day. By lunchtime I was in hour 18 or so of my migraine, and was fighting to not puke all over my desk. It was fun times. I managed to sleep it off once I got home, and am feeling mostly better today. At least the headache part is gone even if the uterus ache is not. I'm going to go crawl back into my hole of feeling sorry for myself for being a woman now. I'll be back next week....

Girl Talk Thursday: Pet Peeves

I found out about Girl Talk Thursday by reading Miss Grace's Disgrace, and have been meaning to join in for a while. So, here I am taking the leap.

Inconsiderate Driving People driving in the left lane when not passing. Especially when they are going under the speed limit. People who get in to a lane that’s ending in an attempt to cut everyone else off instead of waiting their turn in line.

Uggs with running shorts WHY? I love my Uggs. Yeah, they are a little hideous, but they are so very comfy and warm so I’ve accepted the hideousness and moved past it. Wearing them with running shorts? Not okay. First if you’re running you should be wearing running shoes. Second, if it’s warm enough for shorts then you shouldn’t be wearing Uggs, and if it’s cold enough for Uggs for the love of all that is holy put some freaking pants on.

Bicyclers who don’t obey traffic rules I am all for bicycling. I think its wonderful to do your part for the environment and being healthier in the process, but running a stop sign without hesitation when a car has the right of way is asking to get run over. Just because you’re on a bike doesn’t mean you’re above traffic laws. In fact since you’re in a more vulnerable position I’d think you’d be extra cautious, but apparently I am mistaken.

People who get in the express checkout lane at the store when they clearly have more items than posted. Really, I just think it’s rude. The message it sends to me is that you think your time is more valuable than mine, and it’s not. I don’t think my time is more valuable than your's therefore if I have 15 items and the checkout line says 10 I go to another line. Just being courteous.

Babied College Kids. I may have mentioned before that I work in a higher education setting. I never get used to college kids’ mommies calling instead of making them do it themselves. I have no problem with help and support from parents. I admit my parents supported me (financially) through college, but I never asked them to call the school for me because I couldn’t log into my email or I forgot my password. I’m happy to know that even if I had asked them they would have said no. There’s a fine line between helping someone and rendering them helpless.

Ridiculous Misspelling. This is especially an issue on facebook, and I’m not talking about abbreviations. I mean blatant misspelling. Today I saw a comment where someone said “tawkin” instead of talking. Seriously, what the f*ck is that? Are people really that illiterate or do they think it’s amusing? Either way it worries me. Sometimes there are whole sentences I can’t even read because the spelling makes no sense. Hand in hand with that issue is random capitalization of letters in places where it makes no sense. yU nO LyKe tHs. (Just so you know. It made my skin crawl to type that)

Lack of reading comprehension. When directions or a sign explaining something is in from of someone they pause and appear to have read the information, then turn around ask the question that is answered by the information in front of them. I’ve heard the question “it says I need to reset my password what does that mean?” asked on more than one occasion. I see this done on a nearly daily basis by people on campus. If you’ve made it to higher academia then I think it is reasonable to expect that not only should an individual be able to read, but they should have fairly good comprehension skills as well.

I’m sure I could come up with some more, but I’m going to stop here. It kind of peeves me thinking about these things.

Wordless Wednesday: Wish I was Here...

Wordless Wednesday: Mike the Tiger

Reasons I Love the South Vol 1: Winter

Or, rather, the lack thereof. Generally speaking we have quite mild winters. I hate the cold so this suits me just fine. We don’t reach freezing temperatures all that often, and rarely stay there for long when we do. I can count the number of times it has snowed here in my lifetime on less than one hand. Just for reference, and to give you northern folks a laugh, this is an example of a major snow for us:

*note there is NO snow on the roads or sidewalks, and there are spots you can see through to the ground*

 Don’t get me wrong I actually like the snow. I think snow is pretty, and besides skiing, is the only reason for cold weather. That said I could never survive living in it all winter, and prefer it in very small doses. When it snows here we (well our businesses, schools etc) shut down. It’s a pretty major event, and if it actually sits on the ground we act like kids in a candy shop. No one here can drive in the stuff, and calamity ensues when driving is attempted. 

Well, this week/end we have been in a deep freeze. Here’s some more fodder for you northern folk, our deep freeze means the temperature has been hovering between 20°F-32°F since Thursday, with a wind-chill in the teens. Here’s the kicker, keep in mind we have had no precipitation, all the schools, and many businesses, SHUT DOWN on Friday because of the cold. Yes, that’s right, they shut down schools for cold weather. Unfortunately, I had to go to work, but since the city basically shut down we were pretty dead. I guess I should mention that we were supposed to have some rain on Thursday afternoon. So the “officials” were worried we would have small amounts of standing water that could turn into the dreaded black ice, and since us southern folk cannot be trusted to drive in ice/snow they felt it necessary to shut everything down. While I think this is a bit of an overreaction it also highlights one of the things I love about the south: we are NOT used to cold weather, and that’s the way I like it!

My Week was Pretty Good, How was Yours?

I've had a pretty good week overall. Went to yoga twice, which really makes a difference in my week. I am pretty high strung, and it forces me to chill out and mentally unwind, even if it is only for an hour. I'd go again tonight, but there isn’t a class at my gym this evening.

I've been ruminating on who I am, what I want out of my life, and who I want to be. I realized I have been focusing on the wrong things. I think I knew this already, somewhere in my subconscious, but have been having a hard time actually accepting it. I am feeling pretty motivated about making changes in my life. I have done more research, and am debating between 2 doula workshops. One is at the last week of February the second is the first week of March. The issue I’m debating now is location. The one in Pensacola is closer, and would be cheaper because I’d be driving instead of flying. But the one in Tampa has a place for me to stay, with a friend who I don’t see enough. I am hoping to finish one of the books I need to read this weekend. I also found a local doula that takes apprentices, so I am pretty excited about that.

I am very seriously considering moving once I am ready to make this career change reality. I’ve been feeling New Orleans pulling on me. I’ve thought for a very long time that I’d be content living in my current city (I use that term loosely, I mean technically this place is a city, but it feels small town-ish at times) for the foreseeable future. I am very close to New Orleans, about an hour away, and can go home whenever I want. But I feel discontent here. I want to be closer so that I can take more advantage of the local music scene and I feel that there are many more cultural opportunities in general there. I feel a magnetic attraction, almost as if I’m being drawn there against my will. I think it’s a place you either love or hate; obviously the former for myself, but I’m biased.

Work was fairly uneventful. The only “exciting” thing that happened this week is freezing cold weather, which really deserves it’s own post. Time for me to get reading, have a good weekend!

 

Wordless Wednesday: Inspiration

Resolutions.

 Its that time of year again, where we set our personal goals for the next year. To be perfectly honest I don’t usually set resolutions. I always figured it’s not like I‘m going to do them anyway, so why bother setting unrealistic expectations of myself. BUT this year I am going to turn over a new leaf and set realistic goals that I will actually work to attain. I realize that we are nearly a week into the new year, so this is a little late (ha! already failing on #5 re: post more often), but I had good intentions. I did actually start writing it prior to the new year it just didn’t get finished and posted. So, without further ado my goals for 2010:
 

1. Go to the gym consistently. 2-3 days of yoga a week and 2-3 days of cardio/weight training per week.
2. Eat less processed foods. Eat more veggies and fruits. And most importantly buy local as much as possible.
3. Attitude. Try to be more positive everyday, and don’t bitch so much at work. This will be my most difficult resolution. 
4. Go to Doula training. I keep putting this one off. I’ve begun the reading I need to do. I may not be able to do a total career shift, but I need to work towards finding a career I care about.
5. Do something with the blog. It is in desperate need of a facelift and a little TLC. I need to learn some html. And post more often.
6. Take more pictures.
   
   

Merry Christmas Eve

Instead of focusing on the negative (the fact that I woke up to a dog poop explosion all over my apartment & that the weather is truly frightful [tornados and what not]) I am going to make an attempt at merriment.

I am very much looking forward to tomorrow. I will see my aunt, uncle and cousins from Indiana. I don't get to see them very often, and both of my cousins have recently fought cancer. They are both in their 20s but younger than I am (I'm 27) and they take it in stride. They are both very positive, and are truly fighters. They are inspiring. Christmas Day is the "big" holiday celebrated by my dad's family, so I look forward to seeing all the family I only see this time of year. Oh yeah and FRIED TURKEY mmmmmmmmm....

Right now I am getting ready to head to the NO to see my mom, and have Christmas Eve dinner with my mom, step-dad and little brother. Any time spent with them is sure to be interesting. Last Christmas my step-dad told me "The Lord is going to strike you down" so I look forward to his well wishes the crazy that comes out of his mouth. Never a dull moment.

Whatever holiday you celebrate(d) I hope it is/was a good time filled with family, friends and fun!

photo taken at Celebration in the Oaks in City Park, NOLA

Wordless Wednesday: Mr. Bingle Says "Merry Christmas!"

To those unfamiliar: Mr. Bingle it's a nola thing....

Wordless Wednesday: The Holiday Season is upon us...

Wordless Wednesday: Waiting for the return of spring...

Notsowordless Wednesday: I went on down to the Audubon Zoo and they all asked for you...

Apparently I'm Quickly Approaching Old Maid Status

I had a fairly enjoyable Thanksgiving. Enjoyable until the inevitable topic of why is Just Another Southern Girl not married came up. I mean she's getting old (27 O.M.G. I'm quickly passing my prime!) and if she wants to have kids she better start working on that. Every family get together it's there is a different offender, with one exception: my mother. My mother makes sure to bring it up every time I see her.

I guess I should own my role in this game. See I haven't told the family that the ex boyfriend and I broke up. It's complicated. Okay that is kind of a lie. It isn't really complicated, it's that I prefer to keep my private life private. More to the point I don't like discussing my relationship or lack thereof with my family. Especially my mother. So, if i told them we broke up then they would ask, then why are you still hanging out with him etc. Which I really don't have an answer too, but that is a whole post in itself. So, I can't say I don't understand why they ask considering, as far as they know, I have been dating someone for nearly 5 years. Though honestly I don't think its anyone's business what your relationship status is, or why you are or are not getting married no matter how long you've been together.

Well last time I saw my mom I was told "Shouldn't you either be moving on or getting married?" Then Thanksgiving it was:

Uncle I don't see very often "So are you seeing anyone"
Me "well yeah i guess something like that"
U "OH! How long have y'all been together"
Me "Ummmmm four and half years ish"
U "SO when are y'all getting married"
Me "....."
U "Well why aren't you?"
Me "Uhh, well, um, we just aren't sure I guess"
U " Well why not" (looking shocked)
Me tries desperately to change the subject

I have had a version of the above conversation with nearly all of my relatives. Sometimes multiple relatives in one day. My mother mentions marriage in one way or another every time I see her. I've been stewing over this recently. This has begun happening in the past six months, and I just don't like it. It makes me extremely uncomfortable. So, I've been thinking about why this gets to me so much, and I don't like the answer I came up with. The reason it bothers me so much is because I DO want to get married, I DO want to have kids (a small herd like 5 or so), and it pisses me off that I don't have that yet. Them bringing the subject up just reminds me that not only do I not have this, but I feel like I am no where near it.

Then I'm pissed at myself because I have wasted at least a year in a "relationship" with someone that I know isn't headed where I want it to go, and even if he did ask me to marry him tomorrow I would have to say no. Which leaves me where I have been the past 2 months. I HAVE to end this "relationship." I am miserable, but can't seem to find the words. I don't communicate with him well at all. Whenever I try to talk to him the words come out wrong, he tries to talk me out of it, or turn the whole situation into there being something wrong with me. He will lay a guilt trip on me:

"We've put so much time into the relationship, why won't you fight for it?"
"You're just not trying hard enough."
" Is it not worth it? It must mean you don't love me."
"We can go to counseling and work it out."

I crumble under guilt trips. My mother groomed me well in that regard. It's infuriating.

Gobble Gobble

Things I'm thanful for:

Good family & friends

Good health

My pup

Job security

The Saints 10-0!!! Who Dat!

Turkey

That I'm going to see my grandparents today

Now it's time to go take my shower and prepare for the drive home and dinner. I hope everyone one has a great day, and at least one thing to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Insert Witty Title Here

Had a fairly good weekend. A friend of mine came in from Austin, TX, on her way to Florida, so I got to hang out with her. Which made me realize how much I miss my girlfriends. After graduating they all moved away, and I don't see them very often. I haven't laughed like that in quite a while, Saturday was fabulous. I met up with her and a couple of other guys I used to hang out with in college. We went to a couple of bars to watch some football. Then we went and had sushi for dinner. I really need to make more of an effort to keep in touch and go see her more often because seriously FUN TIMES. Relaxed and hung out with some other friends on Sunday (note to self need to hang out with them more).

The ant issue in my apartment persists. I called last week to see if they can come spray (that was Thursday) and hadn't heard back from them. So, I called back today because the bastards have migrated from being in my kitchen/living room area to my bathroom, which is were my pup stays when I am gone. While I was on the phone the office person told me that they are having a hard time getting the bug company to come out and spray because they are so busy, but they have a list of apartments that need to be sprayed. I got off the phone thought about the conversation for a moment then I was like "What the F*ck?" You have a whole list of people who are having ant problems, not the kind of ants that don't bite these are fire ants, and you can't find someone to come out and spray? Are you f*cking kidding me? I'm thinking that you need to call that company and say either come out and spray or loose our business. I can guarantee they could find someone to come out because seeing how it is an apartment complex that would be a fairly large contract for a company to obtain, meaning $$$. I just think its ridiculous to have what must be an infestation of ants and let it go for days, oh yeah and they don't know if they can even get them to come out this week, it may not be till next, so actually letting the problem go for weeks. I am a generally non-confrontational person, but I kinda wanna go to the office and get confrontational with these people. I'm not throwing money down the drain paying rent each month to hire my own exterminator thankyouverymuch.

Still haven't decided what I'm doing for Turkey Day, but am leaning towards going to my BF's (best friend) house to have dinner with her family. I have also decided to give in and read Twilight. I'm sick of being told "OMG YOU HAVE TO READ IT!!!" so I am. Not that I have anything against it. I just didn't have any desire to read it. I already know what happens in the end but I like reading so I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyway. Now to make it through the next two and half days of work then I will make it to my looong weekend!

Most Random Phone Call I've Ever Received*

This occurred at approximately 6pm CST yesterday.
Phone rings.

Enter weird robotized lady voice "This is Insurance Co. calling for Just Another Southern Girl. Is this she?"

"Yes"

"We want to make sure you're taking full advantage of your heath benefits and heath tips at your fingertips. For more information see our website www.insuranceco.com. Or, you can call 1-800-???-????. Would you like me to repeat this information?"

"No"

"Before I go we would like to share a health care tip with you. Make an effort stand up while talking on the phone. Standing for just 25 minutes while on the phone burns 50 calories! People may give you strange looks, but <cannot remember what was said, laughing too hard to pay attention>. Would you like to continue this call to receive additional information?"
"No"
CLICK

*written from memory, probably not verbatim, but close enough.

Notsowordless Wednesday: I went all the way to Europe to find the general lee...

Wordless Wednesday: Veterans Day

Take time to thank a soldier today for defending the freedoms we enjoy. Today I am thinking of my family and friends who have or are currenty serving our country. My great-grandfather, 3 grandfathers, an uncle, 3 cousins and 2 friends. Especially thinking of a Marine who is, at this moment, on his way to Afghanistan...