Where have I been?
In a word? Busy.
Planning my wedding. Busy with work. Catching up on naps and a large stack of summer reading.
As a girl who can talk and talk and talk, sometimes I don’t have a lot to say. Or write down, really. It’s a “summer slump,” I tell ya!
I’ll be back soon, I promise!
Image via
Happy Friday, Folks! I’m off to spend the last day of the work week behind my trusty computer and will be spending my Friday evening at the Columbus Food Truck Fest. Hopefully, MG and I get to sample some delicious eats and won’t have to wait forever in line like we did last year! Ah well, let’s be positive, so it will be awesome, I’m sure of it!
On to my high five!
1.) My red Everlane tote bag. This bag has replaced all my other bags in the rotation because of it’s durability, and let’s face it, the pretty red color. I love tote bags for the functionality and that I’m able to schlep all my crap around in it and don’t have to rummage around for my stuff. The inner pocket is perfect as well, with space for my keys & cell phone. If you don’t already have one, go buy one! It’s $30 (wait, what?! Oh yeahhh) and much better made than anything you’d find at Forever 21/H&M/etc.
2.) Kate Spade iPad case. I have an original iPad, which is considered a dinosaur by Apple standards. It does all the same things as the other iPads incarnations, but sadly doesn’t have a camera. That’s not a big deal to me because it’s weird trying to take pictures with a small platter sized item. Hold on while I get this frisbee fired up! Anyways…I found a case at the Kate Spade Outlet and I’m in love. It keeps the iPad from getting mangled by my dog who has a weird habit of wanting to stand on it. He’s pushy and demanding, so I had to find a case to keep the goods from becoming a stepping stone.
3.) This video from the “Ask Amy” series for Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party. It’s a very honest approach to a young girl’s question about wearing makeup and having a Dad who says “no.” Wish I had this video when I was 14. I also wish I used a lighter hand at applying eyeliner. Would’ve avoided raccoon eyes in at least one middle school photo. Memories…
4.) Thursday night Zumba classes! I’m thinking on adding a Monday night class, it’s that enjoyable. Except any of the toning/lunging songs. Those are the best/worst thing ever.
5.) Summer Reading! Need a little literary pick-me-up? Need a new beach read?
Here’s this week’s suggestion: I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. Her books are wonderful and can be devoured in one sitting, which is what I did with the aid of a cup of green tea. Sometimes you want to read a little bit, but don’t want to slog through an epic novel. This is the perfect one-sitting read.
Life, Lately…
The past few weeks have flown by in a bit of a blur! I haven’t written much, but a lot has gone on worthy of note. We were affected by the June 29 land hurricane (derecho!) and ended up a little battered but okay. Our patio furniture ended up cartwheeling through our yard and our new grill was body slammed on our patio by the wind, but that stuff is replaceable. MG is a little angry that we can’t seem to keep a grill alive for more than a few months, so our latest model is now housed in the garage.
I have managed to spend all my money at the outlet mall. Funny how that works…
Stylewise, I have nothing much else to report. It’s been far to hot to care what my hair looks like, so it’s in a ponytail and I’ve been sporting either a bathing suit or the lightest layers possible (with a cardigan to balance out the frosty air of the office).
* I was thouroughly stumped when an intern asked me the other day if I could read cursive. Read cursive? He wasn’t able to because they no longer taught it or emphasized it at his school when he was growing up. Oh my! (I’m not a hundred years old, by the way. There’s a seven year difference between us, but still!! Ah!)
* I bought a pair of cropped khaki pants from the JCrew outlet that I love and adore. Also, $12.00! What a deal! The only problem is that while they are cropped and tapered from below knee to ankle, it is a looser fit from kneecap up. I’m not totally in the Newsie/Old-Timey Director camp, but I’m definitely hovering on that line. They’re comfortable, so I’m letting that trump the need to call quiet on the set. We’re makin’ a pitchah, see! Yah, see! ( <– Poor interpretation of ’20′s director. I don’t even…I’ll see myself out.)
* Guys, I don’t feel bad for you at all if you are dating a moron. Don’t give me a shrug here in this Walgreens checkout line and try to share a commiserating look with me because your girlfriend doesn’t understand dimes. You’re the idiot that chose to date her.
(The instance I’m referring was about a guy with a dumb girl. I’ve also seen it the other way around, so it goes both ways.)
Three years ago, I got rid of my Blackberry. Most people upgrade to the latest thing with all the bells and whistles, but I gravitated towards a phone where the main features were phone calls and texts. No internet. No picture messaging. Nothing else.
Why?
Was I writing an anti-technology manifesto in the woods somewhere? Did I finish my rumspringa? Did I like printing out Google Maps directions everywhere I went?
No.
I was sick of being easily found all the time. Does that sound weird? It feels odd to type out, especially here on a computer. The best way to explain it was that I was frustrated with the ease at which I could be contacted, whether it was via call, text, Facebook, or email. I volunteered with several groups that send mass emails daily and I always had to respond and be available at all times to answer questions, forward on information, you name it. It is so draining to have to be “on” all the time, so even after I was done with the day, I wasn’t totally done working.
I couldn’t unplug and was sick of being attached to my phone all the time. I’m sure my friends and family were tired of it as well. Craving a little less mental clutter and in need of more quiet, I ditched the Blackberry when my contract was up. Yeah, I can’t respond to you right now now now, but I’ll get to it soon. In return, you’ll get a more measured, thought out response and my full attention. Sometimes, you have to take a step backwards in order to fully live in the present.
When we moved into our house, it was one of five that were fully finished in our neighborhood. In the span of a year and a half, we gained 15 new homes and about as many families. MG and I are an anomaly–a couple, unmarried and without kids. We don’t exactly fit in with the 3-year-old and under crowd, but that’s okay with us. Most of our neighbors are friendly and a great mix of people, and eventually we’ll grow our family too.
The other couple without children live across the street from us. And for the entire eight months they’ve lived there, we have had virtually no contact with them. No waves or “hellos” returned and the briefest (if any) eye contact. This is weird. We went for the longest time thinking, “Is it us? What did we do? We were here first…”
Thankfully (if you can say that), we aren’t the only ones getting the freeze out by the pair. Our next door neighbors and a few others around us have confirmed the same thing. No hellos, no eye contact, nothing. It’s like we’re invisible and they don’t care to be friendly. So, we’re at the point where we’ve stopped making any effort so say hi. What’s the point of reaching out if you’re getting frozen out and ignored in return?
I was raised to be friendly, polite, and neighborly because that is the right thing to do. You need to make an effort to be nice to those that live around you. Heck, you signed a pretty hefty mortgage that states you’ll be hanging around for at least a few years, at minimum. So, why not give a polite nod when your neighbor sends a greeting your way?
