growing old....

It hit me yesterday. I was sitting in a meeting, thinking about how I'm turning another year older soon and how a friend recently joked that I don't act seriously enough to ever be "in charge", when I realized I'm an adult. Although I don't feel like one (and certainly don't look like one)….my life says I'm a grown-up.

It took me by surprise because I feel like I still have so much growing and changing left to do….I don't want this to be my grown-up self! Not that I don't like who I am….I just thought that was I became an adult I'd be more serious….more of the time. And so that got me to thinking about who I really am….I still feel like a kid who's slowly growing up, yet I'm guessing that most of the people I interact with (outside of family and friends) view me as someone who's past the childhood phase. It makes me think….do I want my adult self to be this silly? This flippant? This crazy? This unserious? I don't like the alternative….so I guess so.

And it's not like I think I can't change the whole rest of my life….I just realized that more than a quarter of my life is over. That's kind of intimidating…especially when one considers that the older one gets, the more one gets set in ones ways. Just a lot to think about, right?

In other news, announcement: If I walk behind you, outdoors, and in the cold wind….I should not be choking on your frangrance. It means you're wearing WAY too much….tone it DOWN thankyouverymuch.

I'm going to post an article later….Jess and I are reading/emailing on it. Some interesting points/thoughts. We'll discuss. :o)

eeeee! :o)

That is my mood today. :o) BECAUSE, i painted my nails on my day off from work (that short, dark style that's totally in right now....it still is, right? i see it all over the place!) and because i just caught part of the TV show Samantha Who and it's SUPER cute. Has anyone seen it? Can you catch me up on who that guy from What About Brian is supposed to be in this show?

I also made chili.

And you know how I think the new "mixed tape" shop is selling drugs? Today I turned the street behind a mercedes....driver headed to the mixed tape shop. I mean, c'mon really.

YAy fun nails! I think I may get an actual manicure so I can get rid of the painted cuticles. :o)

MORE neighborhood news....

Turns out, the sketchy strip mall near my house finally filled their open store space. Guess what they're selling. That's right....urban clothing and MIXED TAPES! Apparently they didn't get the memo about CDs, the internet, and MP3 players. Gonna be awkward for them....unless it's all a cover for drugs like I've suspected for a while. I've found it interesting how it seems like the same people start all these unusual stores....and just rotate space. There were a bunch of cop cars out a few weeks ago arresting someone...but it was on the other side of the street. So I guess the drug trafficking will continue for a while longer.....

neighborhood news...

I homesteaded my house today...not really sure what that means except that my property taxes are supposed to be lower. Yay! I felt about 12 years old when I went into City Hall....felt weird.

Driving back I encountered another one of my neighborhood wanders...not the creepy "may be a molester" man....this was a guy who may have been deaf. I hope he was deaf, because otherwise he was just rude. There were cars parked on one side of the (two lane) street....and he was walking directly down the middle of the open area. Um. So I had to follow him at negative 2 miles per hour for a BLOCK. I didn't wan to honk because we were only about two blocks from my house and what if he followed me!? So yeah. Dumb.

In other news, I shared a different neighborhood story with my Mom this afternoon. She didn't appreciate it. Turns out that when I'm approached at 11:30pm in the Rainbow parking lot by a creepy man asking for a ride....she doesn't want to know. I shared with her the tips I shared with all my girls when I was a CA:
-Let the person know that you see him/her
-Avoid the person (I walked around the other side of my car...yes, he was that close)
-Be alert...don't be talking on your cell phone completely unaware of your surroundings...and don't be digging in your purse without watching around you
-Don't wear your hair in a pony tail (nice handle to grab during abductions)
-Expect the worse (I was prepared to throw my groceries/eggs/milk at him....or run him over with my car)

See how this works?! :o)

It's cold and starting to snow here....and since I haven't made my declaration yet this season...let me just say: I HATE WINTER!!

Thankyouthatisall. :o)
10th annual thanksgiving-eve party tonight....YEAH edina! :o)
love!
-r

Send a soldier a note!

This is cool....
www.letssaythanks.com

making history

In light of the Fast Company article, the recent news on the lutheran pastors in bangladesh, and other close to home high publicity people....this article got me thinking...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/11/the_frenchamerican_alliance_is.html

Won't it be weird someday to look back and be quoted like Lafayette? We all have the potential to be that impactful....are we taking the opportunities before us?

coffee = nicotine

no, seriously. i'm addicted.

headache, sore throat, tense shoulders....they all disappear after that first sip.

Green

This is cool....(I maybe had something to do with one of them....!!) :o)
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/50-ways-to-green-your-business.html

So, yes. Be green.

In other news. IM. We got Instant Message at work!!! It's essentially MSN messager...with a bunch of emoticons that I don't remember having in MSN. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this...or hate this. I already have a tough time concentrating on one task....and I think the IM will just make it more difficult.

A few cute comments I heard around the office though:
"Oh! I just got my first IM! Let's see...do you want to add 'so-and-so' to your contact list...hmm...do I want to add the boss to my contact list....."
"Now, I've added my daughter to my contact list...but she's not coming up as online! What's wrong?"

Oh....funny. :o) The first, not an IM...just a notification. The second, daughter doesn't work here. It's definitely got the office interacting more...which I support. :o)

Also....it's "write a card to a soldier in Iraq" month at work. Which last year I didn't do because I didn't know what to say. Now, having had a friend in Afghanistan, and understanding the news focus on such things as Brittany Spears' head shaving....I am committed to writing and sending these cards. So, if you get a chance to do something like this, I say support it (regardless of your views on the war itself).

Happy Monday!
-R

this blog i once read....

Back in college i used to peruse numerous blogs on.....xanga, maybe? There was one that i read relatively regularly....not sure how i found it. I'm sure it was a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend....so a friend thrice removed?

Anyway. Her writing style was very conversational, yet reflective....made me keep coming back. Many of her posts were complaints/comments on life in college...and while I don't remember many of the specifics, one thing stuck with me. She was addicted to coffee. To the point where it perhaps mimicked others' addiction to cigarettes...and she pretty much subsisted on only coffee. Which I thought of this morning as I had my breakfast (of coffee) and remembered my dinner (at caribou) last night. Hrm. :o) That was it...that was the point. My coffee of late made me think back to this random blog i used to read.

Which makes me think about all the things in life that we experienced so briefly that we have but faint memories. Seems to happen frequently to me....most often in re-meeting people I met long ago in one of those fain memories. My friend Abby recently brought up our trip to Sonshine Music festival and how we caught a ride with a band from the cities.....of which we knew one member that did not ride with us. So random, so weird, so almost forgotten! And there are SO many others. Random youth group trips, college interactions in classes, dorm gatherings, etc. Makes me feel old.

And that is all for the moment.....
!!
-R :o)

oh, ps. we got IM at work. there will DEFINITELY be a post about THAT later.... HA!

Sprint people = rude people

Seriously.

So, I got to work early this morning (6:30am thankyouverymuch). Was walking in and noticed these two guys just loaded down with stuff so I hurried ahead to get and hold the door for them. They both walked through, looked at me, and then kept walking...like they expected me to get and hold the door for them! No thank you, no smile, no nothing! It's not that I expected a thank you for everyone....but to have someone expect the door to be held! Are you kidding me?!

So. Don't sign up for Sprint (that's who they were....sprint reps). Dumb.

my thoughts

I've decided I'm going to start giving you book reports. Get excited - they're coming. Soon, a review on The 4-Hour Work Week. :o)

Anyone catch the new Facebook developments? How amazing it is that the media and companies are swarming this 23-year-old kid to get the very in depth information on our movements/tendencies/thoughts/reactions/etc. WOW is pretty much all I can say about that.

There was an article in Fast Company last month where he was talking about how the internet digitalized our business networks - dry cleaners, stores, photo processing, etc....essentially our info needs. His thought is that Facebook will digitalize our personal networks. We'll share all personal/social information via Facebook - he even mentioned medical records: hospitals/doctors able to access your medical records through Facebook.

I think it's kind of creepy. In fact, the thought briefly crossed my mind (in a hyper-conservative, right-wing evangelicaly way)...that maybe this is "the mark of the beast".....eh? One never knows.

Any thoughts on how I can make some quick (legal) cash? Please send info. :o)

S'all!
-R

restroom usage

Poll question....
How do you select your stall/urinal when using the restroom?

No, I'm serious! I was just in a ginormous restroom....upwards of 15-20 stalls. I was the only one in the restroom and the lady who came in used the stall right next to me! What is that!? I always use at least one stall over...and only directly next to another stall if there are no other options!!! Seriously people.

the earth

So, I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly lately. I've taken to carrying around these canvas bags in my car so when I go grocery shopping or target shopping, i don't need to choose between paper and plastic. I've become more vigilant about recycling.

And then yesterday, I was in line at the Factory Card Outlet. As I watched the cashier ring up my purchases and then bag them into my eco-friendly canvas bag...I wondered if she thought it was ironic as I did that I was buying paper plates and cups. UM, shoot.

In other news...halloween was wednesday. Anyone have any advice on how to deal with pre-teen hoodlums? I had two doorbell rings (this was my first time ever doing anything with trick-or-treating) and the first was a group of six boys in skater gear (not a costume, i've seen them skating all over the neighborhood). I gave them some candy and then noticed that a bag of leaves from my neighbor's yard was split and opened all over my yard....as well as a large rubber ball one of the hoodlums was kicking around. When asked, they claimed to know nothing about the ball (that i'd just seen them kick) or the scattered bag/leaves/rake.

What the heck. How do I find their parents?! Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Out! Happy WEEKEND! :-D
-R