Just one of those days... that a girl goes through...

JUST another one of those days... You know, where you're late to work, you show up half make-up and then realize you were in a hurry for no reason at all... And then everyone you can think of is hounding you for more information about this that and the other and you've got to please them all at once?

Yah, well that's today for me. I got up, got in the shower and got dressed all in good time. I left my house (only 4.8 miles from the office) at 9 am. I don't really have a specific time I need to be at work, I just had a meeting scheduled for 9:30. So, on my way, I was stopped at ALL 15 lights between my house and my office. OF COURSE I was cut off a few times and OF COURSE there were a few lights that I could have gunned it and made it... but I didn't.

So I arrive right at 9:30 to find that my 9:30 meeting was rescheduled. Argh. These are the times where a Blackberry would be extremely useful and prove its existence (and couple hundred bucks) to me. BUT, I haven't got one of those yet.

9:30 meeting moved, vendors breathing down my throat to get artwork in for specific projects I'm working on, me trying to catch something before it goes to the printer because there's a mistake...

On top of all that, my landlord is being weird about me moving out. He's going back and forth on the number of days notice he needs. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes an asshole before I leave. Brace yourself.

And everyone seems to be taking everything I say in the wrong way. My sentence "The Marketing codes are still not correct. Please replace with the codes below in Arial 5 pt font somewhere near the bottom of the document" doesn't really seem PC enough for these people. Hand holding and coddling seems more of the pampering they need.

Please. Get real. I know it's just "one of those days" but it's really not that big of a deal. For the other 26 days of this month, I've been absolutely plesant. So they can Fuck Off today :)

Yep. That's really how I feel.

Hrmph.

10 Things I adore (in no particular order)

1. Saffie, my kitty. I hope she can come with us to my new apartment... I love her way too much to let her go. (and I really like this apartment)
2. Michael. He's fabulous.
3. Red nail polish. (and the names that OPI gives them)
4. M. Moon. She moved far far away (San Diego, to be exact) but all for good reason.
5. Solar eclipses. There was one last week. Michael and I saw it in between turns at Scrabble. (I won, of course)
6. Carrie. She also moved far far away (even farther... to Hawaii) but for good reason as well.
7. Express. Hands down, my favorite place to shop. Carrie has gotten me more into boutiques but I still love Express.
8. My car. Oh... lovely, lovely car. Black 2006 Honda Accord V6 coupe 6 spd. Fully loaded. Yep... 260 hp. (that's some fast shizzle.)
9. My family. I have the best mom and siblings that I could ever ask for. ESPECIALLY my little sisters :) They're adorable!
10. Paris. I would say this is borderline obsessed... not just an adoration.

And the phrase of the day...

J'aime Paris!
I love Paris!

140 lb update

I've been really good about eating really healthy and not eating when I'm not hungry. (which, my friends, is the CORRECT way to diet) Either way, it's all paid off. Considering I haven't been able to get the park recently because it's been so increidbly cold, I think I'm doing really well.

My scale fluctuates between 145 and 150. I'm EXTREMELY happy about that. My scale isn't entirely accurate about anything so I can't really tell you the exact weight. The times I've quoted before were done on another, more accurate scale at the house I nanny at.

Sometime mid last week, I put on a pair of my work pants that happened to be an 8 and they were extremely baggy. I was a little bummed because I LOVE those pants, but really happy because I can fit now into some of my old pants that I loved that are 6's. Hell yah!

I went to Michael's on Friday night and the first thing he said to me was "Wow. Did you lose another 20 lbs today?? You look GREAT!" That made me feel really good... and he was being honest. :)

I also received another compliment from someone I work with. She goes out of town a lot so there are sometimes weeks that I don't see her. That happened to be the case for the past few weeks, so we hadn't seen each other. She said that she noticed the weight gone. She's a vegan (more hardcore than I am) too, so she's very happy about it!

So there you have it. I'm pretty happy about the current situation. I feel better about myself and people that I care about are noticing as well. I know I'm not completely there yet, but you can't lose 19 lbs overnight!!

Girl Fight!!

Michael and I saw THE most hilarious thing on Saturday while at Oysterfest. We were sitting on some bar chairs pushed to the side wall while some other friends were getting drinks. A really tall girl said something to a short girl. Apparently short girl didn't like whatever it was she said but tall girl was way too drunk and just started laughing in her face. It was quite hilarious.

We started cracking up and Michael kept saying "There's gonna be a girl fight!!!" and was really pumped about it. So tall girl and short girl disperse and short girl is still heated but surrounded by friends trying to calm her down. Here's where it gets good.

Tall girl goes over to her home girl and tells her that short girl got in her face. Home girl happens to be kinda short, too, but she's black... and we all know that you don't mess with a black chick's friends... cause she'll get vicious!

[Disclaimer: this is not a racist remark. It's been my observation and I consider black girls to be very protective over their friends... ready to fight.]

So home girl gets up in short girl's face apparently screaming at her for messing with tall girl. Short girl tells home girl to fuck off, etc. and out comes the finger nails and hair weave. It was priceless!! They were able to fight (sadly enough no one threw a punch) and squirm for about a solid minute before they could pull the girls apart.

Michael and I laughed so hard about it - cause it was hilarious. The best part, though, was when short girl finally got a grip on herself. She pulled her boy (we're not sure of the relationship but we think it was her boyfriend) aside and was yelling at him for not doing anything to stop the other girl. She ended up hitting him on the back of the head with her set of keys. It was a HUGE thump. (and absolutely hilarious)

Girls will be girls!
Les filles seront des filles!

Reviews of a new city. Part 2: New Orleans

New Orleans was alright this time around. I've been there before (for Carrie's wedding last year) but this time it was for Mardi Gras. While I was there for the wedding, I had the absolute worst experience in the airport I think I've ever had. But that's besides the point.

Because of my new-found vegetarianism, I am somewhat limited to what/where I can eat. Most of the places to eat during Mardi Gras are hot dog stands on the side of the street that carry nachos and cheese along with some gumbo or something like that. None of which I could eat.

The parades were awesome, especially the Endymion ball that Carrie's dad was a part of. We got some awesome beads. (including boobs that squeaked!) But I don't think I could live there. Ever. The weather was great - the people were just alright (I understand that most of the people there were tourists) but they shut down every street so you can't move about the city.

Eh. C'est la vie. It was a good Mardi Gras, that's all that mattered!!

Weather: 8
Sites/Stuff to do: 7
People: 4
Location: 5
Food: 2
Overall: 6

Slouching Inspiration

For all of my life, I've been quite tall. I stand 5'7" - 5'8" (without heels)... and normally wear 3 inch heels... so I'm a little taller than most girls. Sometimes I find myself hunching over - but I usually recognize it and straighten back up.

Friday, I had a meeting with a Marketing group I belong to. One of the girls there is about as tall as I am and is even the same build as I am - maybe slightly larger. For the entire meeting I was distracted by her posture.

She sat hunched over and there wasn't even a computer or papers in front of her that she was trying to see. I was somewhat baffled by it because I consider her a very professional person but she looked so unprofessional.

I suppose that's just inspiration for me to have great posture all of the time and to not slouch in my chair (especially during meetings) if I want to look professional.

Please Forgive Me

For whatever reason, I'm slightly obsessed with this song right now. Could be the lovely beat. Could be the words. Could be the sexy David Gray.

Just thought I would share :)

Brave Woman!

Today was quite a blah day outside. The sun is in hiding and it's cold and miserable out there. Lovely, since I just had my car washed on Monday and it poured last night. Either way, today was most definitely a 'soup day' in every sense of the word and since I've been sick recently, it was a wise decision.

I've been avoiding Panera like the plague due to a certain incident that took place there a few months ago. But today, I didn't want to deal with the mall parking and walking just to avoid that particular Panera to get some soup in the cold, rainy weather.

So I braved it.

I went where no woman would have ever dared go!

And I came out quite alright. Yes, the lady who made the comment about my weight was there today - but she most certainly didn't recognize my incognito disguise. Sunglasses, a hat, and a scarf wrapped around my head.

That'll show 'em!

Meanwhile... update on the 140 lb'er... I have lost another lb or so. (let's call it a 152/153 fluctuation!)

And, let's not forget our French phrase of the day, shall we?

Il fait froid!
It's cold!

How do you say "Do your fucking dishes" in a nice way?

I don't think there's a nice way to do it... but by god, i've tried. I understand a few things about myself. Like the fact that a lot of what I try to say doesn't come across the way I want to say it. And the fact that I have a few pet peeves when it comes to living in the same house with someone else (I've worked hard for everything I have and want to take care of it).

So the other night when I came back from New Orleans, the house was a wreck. And not at all the way I left it when I left a few days earlier. Something had clearly blown up in the microwave. Dishes were everywhere. The bathroom was filthy. I wasn't feeling so good so I just went to sleep. I woke up with the full-blown flu and the house still in the same disarray.

Thursday night, I was feeling a little better, so I at least cleaned the kitchen. I'm not one of these people who cleans up after someone and expects them to get that I would have rather them have cleaned up after themself. I ask them to do it so they know that's something they should be doing.

Wait. Isn't that something YOUR MOTHER is supposed to teach you? (again, I agree with the philosophy of parenting licenses) I digress.

So here I am. Thursday night. Just cleaned the kitchen and I'm still sick. Wake up Friday morning to find 2 glasses in the sink. FUCK. Are you fucking kidding me? The dishwasher is practically attached to the sink, it's so close. Is he that fucking lazy that he can't just put it in there?

(woah. Sorry for all the Fuck's. I'm pretty heated over this stupid bullshit)

So I send him a text and watch my words. He's told me before that he's "sensitive" so I've been REALLY cautious about what I say to him.

My text says "Hey, I spent a lot of time cleaning the kitchen last night. Do you think you could help me out by putting your things in the dishwasher? That would really help. Hope you have a great day"

That's a nice text, right? I asked VERY nicely for him to just start putting his dishes in the dishwasher. He responded "sure, I'll help you keep it clean". Great! So last night, he comes home... goes straight to his room. Comes in the kitchen gets something, goes back to his room. etc.

I get up this morning. Dishes are SILL THERE. So I send him a text "Ok well I guess I'll do your dishes because you clearly have passed them by several times."

Ugh. So now he's home and he called me a bitch and said he literally stopped caring about me a month ago. Haha. Wow. There really is no right way to say "do your dishes" or "use the right setting on the washing machine" without a "senistive" (whom I think is gay) person getting upset about it.

Thank GOD he's going to be gone in a few weeks.

So... did I do the right thing? What else was there for me to do?

Appropriately,

Do the dishes!
Faites la vaisselle!

The Flu is not so nice

So I've been sick since my return from New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I don't think I've felt this bad since the end of 2003 when I was in the hospital from Pneumonia. I'm just now able to sit up and eat something (soup is just about it) and actually watch the TV without getting dizzy.

My roommate is moving out in a month (which is nice... but not really because now I have to find a replacement). He told me when he first moved in that he'd only be able to stay until February so I guess the extra month was helpful. He just left a note on the counter with his "i'm moving out in a month" notification - all while I'm sick with the flu. Something I really didn't want to deal with.

People move so slowly when you're sick, too. I had to drag my sick ass to the doctor's office Wednesday morning (nice fever and all) to find out what was wrong with me. Usually, you go in, they call your name once to get your copay and insurance and then call you back and escort you directly to a room. Not this time, my friend. I don't think I've ever looked more sickly walking into that place... and they called me up to the counter at least 4 times (2 of which they mistakenly called my name)... called me back to another holding room... made me go to the "vital signs" section (you know, where they take your weight, blood pressure, etc)... and then back to the holding room... and finally into the room to wait for the doctor.

I am EXTREMELY proud of myself for not cursing at anyone during the entire process.

Speaking of the whole vital signs room.... I'm now down to 154. ;) That's a total of 5 lbs gone... and 14 more to go to get to my 140 lb goal.

J'apprends à parler français.
I am learning to speak French!

[oh... and to update... My little sister won the pageant last weekend :) I'm a VERY proud big sister!!!]

France-bound?

Life comes at you fast. Ideas come at you even faster.

The other night I was thinking (as I was having trouble falling asleep) about my life... when I could start back school, what direction I might want to take with that, what city I really want to live in... you know, all the grand life questions we have to answer in our early 20's.

I have a passion that runs as deep as my love for France - the entire French culture, at that. So here's my great idea...

Ready for it?

I can get an International Marketing degree from a school in Paris... all the while working for the same company I work for now because we have a French partner.

Well hot damn.

Entertaining this thought only in my head didn't do any of it justice, so I've done a little research.

School - There are several programs the French Consulate offers in this respect. You can take an English taught course and learn French before/during your stay and be just fine. The requirements are pretty easy... 2.5 gpa, some college. I'm not quite sure how it translate with the courses I've already completed. In reality, I've already got my associate's degree in Business and am a semester in on the Marketing program here.

Cost - Since the French government values education so much, they put a lot of money towards it. It's only about 600 euros a year. Yep. That's less than $1000 a year for school. They offer housing for International students so it's only about 600-800 euros a month in living expenses. (including food, rent, travel expenses, etc) The French Consulate also grants a ton of scholarships each year.

I've pretty much no boyfriend, no "best friends" that i'd be leaving for the next 2 years... and I could literally keep my job (probably have different responsibilities at our French partner) and would be able to come back and see my family.

I talked with a few coworkers that I count upon for advice and mentoring... before I could pose the question... they both said "GO" (and I wasn't even talking with them at the same time). Any work/school overseas looks INCREDIBLE on your resume, not to mention the life experiences you gain from all of it.

The last step is to talk to my mom about it all. Logistically, when it could happen (i'm assuming not until AT LEAST Fall semester starts), what I would do with my stuff here (storage?) and my car (sell it? ohh... that's soooo :( sad) and my cat (maybe someone can keep her for just a little while). It most certainly won't be permanent... but it's something I really want to do.

And when I really want to do something, I make it happen. So we'll see how this all unfolds in the next few weeks or so. I'm brushing up on my French skills as we speak!

C'est la vie!
That's life!!

[clarification: by no "best friends" that i'd be leaving... meaning they've both moved cross country and I only get to talk to them by phone/email anyway, so it wouldn't be like I'm leaving them here.]

Surprise letter from the past.

I checked the mail as I was coming home the other night and found a hand written address on one of the letters. Usually, everything is pre-printed with my address and the contents of my mailbox literally consist of magazines, bills, junk, and the occasional card from someone far away.

I had a best friend in High School named Julie. She and I went our separate ways when she got married just out of 11th grade and had a baby shortly after. We'd kept in touch for a while, but over the past year or two haven't really communicated much. There's no real reason - she's just busy with life and her two young sons... and me, I'm busy with work and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

As you guessed it, the letter was from her. It was a nice little update on things going on in her world. Quite refreshing, actually, since I have felt overwhelmed with all of my friends leaving me in the past few months.

Just tonight I had the chance to write her back and tell her the things going on in my world. One of those things deserves a post of its own, so I'll save it for then (which will probably be immediately following this one - I'm a now or never kind of person when it comes to getting stuff done).

I'm glad she wrote to me... it was great hearing from her!

Oh... and you can credit her with the nickname Chicksta. She gave it to me when we first became friends in 8th grade. :)

French phrase of the day:

Life is great!
la vie est grande