My first crush

Part of the reason that I have been so slow to blog lately is that I am severely lacking in the creativity department. This is normal for me. I go through spurts where I put Martha Stewart to shame (alright, so that may be a liiiitle exaggerated) and then I hit spots when I couldn’t think a creative thought to save my life. This is one of those times…..


So what to do when I lack motivation, but have promised to blog more? Ah, google. I googled blog prompts and stumbled across this super cool site that gives you blog topics. The first question asked if I was depress….and I’m not….so that’s a boring post. Here was the second prompt:

Describe your first 'crush'. What was the person like?



Much better.



My first crush was really in elementary school. I was in 6th grade and ruled the school (this was before 6th grade was in middle school). I had a crush on this boy in my class who shall be called John. He had this beautiful olive skin, huge brown eyes, and he was the best kickball player in class. I had it bad.
Being the cool kid that I was I played it cool. No chasing him around the recess yard for this girl. Instead I captivated him with my ability to beat him at basketball. Nice.


I first realized that he had a crush on me to (yeah!) around Christmas that year. It was just after dinner (I remember this vividly) and I was sitting at the kitchen table working on homework when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and no one was there, but on the doormat was a box with a card. All the card said was Merry Christmas and in the box was a gold pin that said “Sweetheart” with some “emeralds” in it. No name, no nothing. My mother was convinced it was for her (Hmmmm). I don’t remember how I figured out it was from “John” but I kept that pin for a good long time. In fact, I think I may still have it saved in some memory box. We became boyfriend and girlfriend, which basically meant that he only cheered for me while the girls ran the mile run…which I won. Oh young love….

A catch-up

I have once again completely fallen off the blogging wagon, so I'll attempt to jump back on again.  Here's a few things that you missed while I was gone.

Work
The Annoyance has announced that she has taken another job.  Wooh!  Her last day is due to be this Friday, but last week she decided to completely flip out (kind of on me) after a workshop we had done.  First, let me paint the picture....There were 20 inner city high school students in an after-school program with us.  They've sat through 6 hours of school already and are looking to us to be doing something mildly entertaining.  We were attempting to teach them to use CAD/CAM type drafting software (anyone else just yawn?).  Right.  Anyhoo, she decided that it was my fault that they didn't like her and ripped into me about how I was bad teacher.  Thanks.  For the record, I'm not.  Regardless, I basically had her taken off of the project she was working on with me this week and now she has no hours for this week, so I guess she's done.  Moral: Don't piss people off....

Social
Hubby and I just got back from a quick ski trip up North.  We drove up after work on Friday and skiied from 10pm-3am.  Let's just say I'm beat!  But I am proud of myself.  This is usually the type of thing that I'd pass on.  I'd decide that I was just too tired, let hubby go, plunk my butt on the couch, and laze the weekend away.  I miss out on a lot because of that.  So as much as I really wanted to say "You go ahead without me!" I didn't and I went and I had a blast....and got a good workout to boot.  In other news, we officially booked a trip back to Cancun in April!  More on that later.

Gym
Uh....can we just say....non-existent?  I was doing so well!  I had myself consistently running 4 miles (fairly easily, too) and then I just stopped going.  I have a friend's wedding to go to in 2 weeks and I don't even know if I can still squeeze myself into the dress.  Guess I need to get back on that....

Think that's it....did you follow all that?

Complete and Utter Nonsense

You know how every once in a while you get a case of the sillies at work? I think that’s happening around here. We started off the morning in one of the most mind-numbing 90+ minute meeting that I’ve ever had to sit through. Couple that with the fact that I’ve actually been busy this week (although busy doing research….not so much fun) and I think I have a case of the giggles. Luckily I’m not alone. Within minutes of being back from the meeting I got this im from KP (one of the few sane people that also work in my office).


KP: I went to the vending machine to get a Dr. Pepper – I’ve got a craving. Now I just wanted a sip, but they were sold out (frowny face). So I got my dollar back in quarters. Now I want a chocolate milk, but instead I bought twizzlerand I used one as a straw to drink my water. Today is going to be a long day (another frowny face)


The rest of the conversation was the most random series of oddball messages ever that contained a discussion of whether of not busy-ness and business are similar words for a reason.  And I just got an email from her while the gopher was talking that said this…
KP: You ever play those games where the little animal keeps popping its head up, and you have to slam it with the thing to get a point?


That’s what I want to do to you know who. :P

Welcome to my world…..

In other news I read a quote today in one of my e-mails that said “Don’t be yourself – be someone a little nicer.” –Mignon McLaughlin
Ponder that until next time when I promise I will attempt to post something a bit more rational, deep, and well thought out.

Pet Names

I was sitting in my cubicle minding my own business yesterday and I overheard a co-worker on the phone with his sweetie and heard him call her babe...just kind of slipped it in there all non-chalant-like...and it was so cute!  I love pet names unfortunately I can't pull them off.  I have never been able to successfully call anyone in my life a pet name and feel normal about it.  On occasion, I'll call hubby "honey" but then I always feel like my mother and (as much as I love her) I don't like that.  Sweetie is just too sugary sweet for my taste, and babe is too hip.  I'm not sugary sweet, hip, or my mother...so I'm stuck.  On the rare occasions that I have tried saying them I usually end up laughing at myself and that just wrecks the mood completely.  Actually, I usually do the same when people say them to me.  I had someone call me "love" once (totally in a grandfather kind of way) and I began blushing furiously and giggling like a 2 year old.  Just doesn't work...

The things is I wish I could use pet names.  I envy those bubbly people who can call people sweetie and hun with a little arm touch and make everyone feel so happy and welcome.  And I wish people would use them on me without me turning into a hot mess.  But it just doesn't happen.  Or maybe I haven't found my pet name yet.....

Do you have any pet names that you use or are called?  Or are you like me and can't seem to get the hang of them?

Haiti

I just read a very interesting post on a blog I frequent  (go check it out...its fun....Scientific Housewife).  The post was about the debate about helping Haiti vs. helping ourselves.  Seems as though there's a lot of people that feel as though we shouldn't be sending the massive amounts of money that we have been sending to Haiti when we have people here in our own country who desperatly need our help.  I'm quite conflicted on this.  The humanitarian in me has my heart ripped from my chest everytime I see footage of those poor people in Haiti being pulled from rubble and struggling to find food and water for their families.  That same heart also bleeds whenever I hear stories about the families that have lost their home and have to live on the streets...or the child who has every card stacked against them but manages to make something of themselves.  The realist in me listens to our State of the Union address and the countless stories of unemployment, foreclosures, etc. and thinks, heck...why are we helping them out.  We're in need too!  I know that I personally donate time and money to both domestic charities and international ones, so I think I cover my bases.  And I know that I usually just go with my gut about donations....usually whoever appeals to me at the time.  What do you think about Haiti?  Did you donate?  Do you donate to domestic charities?

My hair is posessed.

The dullness of the day has been voided out by the fact that my hair is amusing me.  Story.

I didn't shower this morning.  No, I'm not dirty, I showever yesterday evening and was entirely too lazy to shower this morning decided to be kind to the enviroinment so skipped my shower this morning.  Usually on these mornings, I use a 2" curling iron to straighten my hair, but let it keep a little bit of poof.  This helps me to overcome the oily flatness that my head could be and have a cute hairdo....normally it does not curl my hair.

This morning when I left my house my hair was straight.  At lunch time I noticed that the very tips were starting to curl in a bit.  By 2 entire chunks of the bottom of my hair were starting to spiral curl.  It hasn't ventured past that, but I am left with these mini curls at the bottom of my head.  Not bad, just strange.  Is it possible for a curling iron to delay your hair's curliness....or is my hair posessed?

P.S. - I believe there may be a slightly amusing co-worker post tomorrow (about a new person...not one of the previously discussed)...we'll see.

The dullness...

I apologize for the lack of posting, but life has been a bit dull. The most exciting thing to happen lately is that I dragged a safety cone under my car the whole way home last night and part of the way into work this morning....wondering the whole time what that awful noise was and debating how I was going to break the news to hubby that my car was broken, again. And contrary to what you may be thinking after reading that, I'm a good driver (usually).
I think I'm somewhat relieved that my life is dull. We've been on super speed since I got laid off last year and I think we're just starting to slow down. I've actually made dinner every night so far this week (ok....its only been two nights....but tonight's dinner is cooking so that makes 3, which is pretty good by my standards). Unfortunately, my dullness has led to a serious blogging drought. So I went seeking inspiration via google and found a photo a day to spark a prompt. Here was today's...

Besides being absolutely precious, it made me think about those unlikely people who give you a boost when you need a hand. They may not even be friends, but they're willing to step forward and lend a hand. Just look to Haiti as an example....a bunch of people just helping....out of the goodness of their hearts. In my own personal little world, I've had this experience a few times, but one sticks out in my head. I tore my ACL my senior year in hs and needed surgery. We wanted to find a good doctor because I planned on continuing with my athletics and I wanted a new knee that was going to stand the test of time. Unfortunately all of the good knee docs had waiting lists that were like 6 months long....and I didn't have that kind of time. The photographer for our school paper happened to be at the meet where I hurt myself and apparently had a few connections with THE best knee doc in CT. And he got me in. I was so touched! I mean, I wasn't even nice to this boy. He was in a totally different social circle, kind of awkward, not very good looking, and seriously annoying. But he took the time to help me....for no other reason than to be nice. And I remember it clear as day almost 10 years later.  Who have you helped out?