100 Things I Learned in 2010 Part 2

This is part two, part one can be found here.

51. Showing a fear of numbers is a sign of OCD.

52. Just because someone else looks good in something, doesn't mean you will.

53. A good recipe that you will actually keep and add to the "rotation" is hard to come by.

54. January Jones has the greatest name ever.

55. Your Barbie's throw parties when you are not around. (Don't pretend like this one isn't totally true.)

56. No one can ever take away your education, but your education means jack and shit in tough economical conditions. Now, go make a fresh pot of coffee.

57. Education about others religions is important. Especially when serving alcohol and pork at a dinner party.

58. An oil change is the best thing you can do to maintain your car. That being said, never pay to have your air filter replaced, that's a ripoff and you can do it yourself.

59. Avoid buying something new at all costs.

60. Making your bed makes the whole room look neater (even if it is not neat.)

61. Baking soda is a miracle.

62. Staying organized and in control really is the key to happiness.

63. Always wear jewelry (this is really more for me, than all of you.)

64. French seams are worth the extra effort.

65. There is a difference between being fake and being nice to someone in spit of not liking them. Always be nice, if it doesn't work out for you, you can always kick their ass later.

66. The most well-adjusted people I have met in life had parents who treated them like adults when they were children (i.e. they get to choose what they wear, haircuts, what they wanted to eat [within reason] etc).

67. Committees can slow you down. Avoid them at all costs.

68. There is absolutely no excuse for having a bad PowerPoint presentation.

69. There is no harm in being prepared.

70. There is nothing wrong with being artistic. Artistic people think up some of the coolest stuff out there.

71. Stuff I Learned About Myself: I subscribe to a whole slew of style blogs. I would link them all, but there aren't enough words in this post to anchor links to. THAT MANY.

72. Eventually everyone runs into their worst fear on the internet. The important thing to remember is not to scream while at work.

73. Never pay retail price, either.

74. Making a list of 100 things you learned when, in actuality, you weren't really paying attention this year is very hard.

75. Christmas kinda sucks.

76. Some thing are worth their weight in gold.

77. Some people can make a living out of being smarmy, but it doesn't mean you should.

78. I might not be cut out for this blogging thing.

80. Direct deposit no longer goes in at midnight (that was a FUN one to learn!)

81. You learn by doing. So go do!

82. Know what you want out of life by making a list.

83. When in doubt, go simple (this applies to choosing food, jewelry, linens, anything really.)

84. A dog really can be your best friend.

85. Always order the bread pudding.

86. It takes the average person seven minutes to fall asleep.

87. Crocs are really comfy, but I have friends who won't hang out with me if I wear them. YA DICKS.

88.  Gin is still disgusting (I keep trying it, year after year, to see if my tastes have changed. They have not.)

89. I am still not cool enough to be a hipster.

90.  You don't have to look hard to find something to waste your time on.

91. Today is the last day of this decade. That's pretty cool.

92.  This list is really hard...

93. I am never going to buy glasses in a store again (but be careful people.)

94.  If you're worried about what other's are thinking about you, you are really worried about what you will think of you.

95. Try not to be around anyone too exacting - every story needs embellishment, and people who wants just the facts have lost the joy in storytelling.

96. No matter what you are good at, there is someone out there who is better at it.

97. Revenge is for the weak, the strong rise above.

98. People really do judge you by your appearance.

99. Everyone thinks they are a good driver.

100. I didn't learn as much as I thought I did.

100 Things I Learned in 2010 Part 1

This is part one. Part two will be posted tomorrow.

1. Nothing feels as good as helping someone. In 2010, I (attempted) to start a charity (I am still attempting this one, so this is a work in progress), I volunteered at a prison, I handed out soup to the homeless (damned good soup, just FYI), and I did a lot to help my fellow man. I am not saying this because I want your praise - I am saying this because I want your money. KIDDING! I am actually saying it because I want you to volunteer too.


2. No matter how much I write, I am not immortal.


3. Eating at home is easy, especially with a good meal planner.


4. In order to lose weight, you need to track what you eat and what you expend.


5. Doing things frugally is usually more fun than buying things from a store. (Exception: Mining for diamonds versus going to Zales.)


6. Cloth napkins have never gone out of style.


7. Homemade bread is the best smell in the world.


8. I really do not need cable.


9. I have been washing my face incorrectly my entire life.


10. There are people I know who do not have any food. Any. At all. And this is horrifying to me.


11. People do not talk about me (or you!) nearly as much as we think they do. (Think about how much you think your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend talks about you. Now think about how much you actually do talk about them. See what I mean?)


12. The rule-breakers are fun to hang out with in school, but eventually they grow up to be mediocre adults like the rest of us. (What? I'm a realist!)


13. The rest of the world also procrastinates. You are not the only one. (This is especially true since the creation of Facebook.)


14. All aging rockers from the 80's now look like, if you licked them, they would taste like bad decisions. (Be thankful I do not have a link for this.) (Actually, wait, I do!)


15. Blogging isn't something to be embarrassed about anymore.


16. Saving money is better than anything I could ever buy.


17. A good pair of comfortable shoes is worth paying extra for.


18. (That being said) Outside of underwear, everything I need to buy for myself clothes-wise can be bought second-hand.


19. I am still afraid of the number nineteen.


20. I am very thankful for all that I have.


21. Sometimes walking away is the best policy. No one is saying you can't walk back at a later date.


22. Not knowing what you don't know is the worst.


23. Some people are into some freaky stuff (SFW). However, if it isn't hurting anyone, no one should judge them.


24. Some stereotypes exist for a reason, though it is very rare to find a true one.


25. Sometimes your past is your past for a reason.


26. Some people achieve their dreams faster than me, and some slower than me. And that's ok - I can be happy for them no matter what.


27. I am not afraid of public speaking. Spiders, however, still make me piss my pants.


28. I really enjoy making desserts that are shaped like real-life things.


29. Playboy's articles are fabulous. (Link NSFW - not a link to Playboy)


30. Everyone thinks their parents are weird. It's not just you.


31. Everyone has a jealous streak in them, it just comes down to whether or not you listen to the little green monster.


32. Quitting drinking soda isn't that hard.


33. Be bold, especially when it comes to writing a cover letter. You are trying to stand out amongst everyone else. But remember - spellcheck is important.


34. When in doubt, give a bottle of wine as a gift. But keep a backup giftcard in your trunk just in case.


35. No one should eat fast food. Ever.


36. Keep your friends close, and never lose touch with them.


37. Getting married is pretty awesome, but thankfully I only have to do this once.


38. If anyone says you should respect them, and can't give you a reason other than they are an authority - don't.


39. With respect to #38, if the answer is because they are a good person - do. Never lose respect for good people, even if they are an authority.


40. Joining freecycle.org was the second best decision I have made this year (see #37 for the best decision.)


41. Indian food rocks.


42. No one likes sarcasm, they do like genuine niceness however.


43. This blogging thing is a very expensive hobby.


44. Roadtrips are still thrilling.


45. Wikileaks has been the most interesting reading I have done all year (No, I am not stupid enough to link to it.)


46. I discovered a love of mid-century design, and now refuse to decorate in any other way.


47. I am not as tied down to living in Illinois as I previously thought.


48. Eventually, all of my Chicago friends will live in Colorado - I probably never will.


49. Lutefisk isn't a taste issue, it's a texture issue.


50. Homemade marshmallows are 1000 times better than store bought ones.

World's Oldest Profession

I had an art teacher once who though the world's oldest profession was pottery. When she was a little girl, she heard someone mention the phrase "world's oldest profession" and asked her mother what that meant. Her mother told her it was people who did ceramics. This made sense to her as a little girl.

For those of you who don't know, "the world's oldest profession" is prostitution. Just FYI. This story makes so much more sense once you know that little fact.

Anyhoo, this art teacher goes to this conference and the keynote speaker gives a speech about how there is a rise in the "world's oldest profession" among high school girls.  My art teacher gets all up in arms and stands up and says that there is nothing wrong with this, and frankly more girls should be involved in these kinds of arts. And the room collectively gasps. One of her friends pulls her back into her seat and explains that everyone else is talking about prostitution.

So, if you ever feel like you have embarrassed yourself - remember at least you didn't say that more teenage girls should be involved in prostitution in front of a room full of peers.

Ya'll...

It's foggy out, and I am tired but cannot sleep. So here I am, updating my blog.
And I totally have nothing to write about.
EXPERT BLOGGING RIGHT HERE YA'LL. I AM A REAL PROFESSIONAL.
I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and that you all don't kill that one great aunt who is a total bitch but everyone has to put up with anyhow because it's Christmas. Don't act like you don't have one, we all know you do.

Expert blogging. Right here.

I went back and forth about whether or not share this with the world. I actually made a plus/minus list, and the minuses were greater, meaning I wasn't going to post about this.

But then I ran out of things to write about, so screw the list, here's what's going on in my life:

I went to the doctor because my back hurt. A lot. A whole lot. Like "can I please have some morpheme or epidural now, please?" hurt. And the doctor told me that my blood pressure was through the roof, and that the last time I was at the doctor, my blood pressure was high, but not THAT high. It was REALLY high, ya'll.

So, she put me on a restrictive diet (so I can lose weight, and not die young) and reamed me out (in a loving, I-don't-want-to-see-you-die-young kinda way) and sent me home.

Let me tell you people how much I miss carbs, salt, and fat:
SO F*&^$g MUCH. There have been times where I have wanted to kill myself via eating fried foods. That's right - my idea of a great death is EATING MYSELF TO DEATH.

And changing my diet is only half of the battle - apparently I just swallow anger and stress. She gave me coping mechanisms to deal with the stress in my life. I now do Yoga, I dance (Just Dance! for the Wii is fabulous,) and I meditate. Yup. I am becoming a new age hippy.

If you would like to become a new age hippy with me, there are a MILLION resources out there for meditation - here are a couple of my favorites:
I think I have posted about this site before, but if not, here are some sounds for you to relax to (also good for baby to fall asleep to, if that's the reason you are stressed out.)
This site will help you out with the actual practice of meditation. So will this site.

The last thing she told me to try doing was to stop worrying so much about everything. I am one of those people who try to be one step ahead, and view themselves from an outside perspective, and look at the worst case scenario. I need to stop doing those things for every little thing in my life. Some things it's ok to do - job interviews, fighting parking tickets in court, when dealing with any financial institution - but for every day life - it isn't vital. Which is why I posted this - I needed to stop worrying about what I would post and just POST SOMETHING ALREADY. So here ya go.

(PS The old me is trying to crawl her way back out and tell me I should delete this post because I am literally showing the world my kryptonite. You all now know what could potentially destroy me. Yikes. Ah well, now I need to do some deep breathing...)

(PPS No, my back was never treated. I know, I know, but I took some aspirin and it got better on its own, which means it was probably a stressed muscle or something. Just in the event you were wondering about that little cliffhanger.)

First Snow of the Season

I was driving the other day, and it occurred to me that I was seeing the first snow of the season, so I decided to film it (sorry about the shaky camera work)



I had this magical moment filming the snow, and then the radio told me that there will be 7-9 inches pouring down over the weekend. Something tells me all the warm fuzzies I felt from the first snow will be gone as soon as I have to shovel 400 pounds of snow off of my car. Just a thought.