I made it!

Well, I am pleased to announce that I made it through NaBloPoMo! (Thanks to Fussy for the monkey badge) For the most part it wasn't that hard but for those days when I posted something boring and mundane, I do apologize. Blogging every day can be a little challenging but I'm a little sad it's over (tear) ... However, there's nothing that says I can't keep on blogging as much as I want to - never fear, I'll still be here! (I know you were probably on the edge of your seat). More from my crazy mind later!

The Power of the O

I just finished watching Oprah's "Favorite Things" episode. (what did you think this blog was going to be about?) I know I'm a bit late but that's why I love TiVo. What is it about Oprah's endorsement that inspires screaming, tears and buying frenzies? She's got power! I'm not criticizing, I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I want some of this stuff (who doesn't?). Besides the obvious want of a $3,800 fridge with a built-in TV, slide show, weather center - I might add some of these things to my Christmas list.

I want to try the $60 cupcakes but that price is ridiculous. I love cupcakes so much that I almost named my blog something cupcake-related. I also want the sorbet. Yummy! Really though, I want to read the book she recommended "The Pillars of the Earth" - has anyone read it? What did you think? I am going to order the "green" cleaning products. I've been looking for this stuff and I completely forgot about Shaklee. My mom used to be with Shaklee and that company sent me on many of my world travels. Holla!

I also found my Christmas cards. Not only are Hallmark's "Red" cards really unique and inspi(red) but proceeds go to fight Aids in Africa. Those of you who know me know that this has been the year of the cause for me. More on that later... if you'd like a Christmas cards from me email me your mailing address (email address on the sidebar) and I'll reach out beyond the computer to spread some cheer from me to you!

The thing from Oprah's list that I really want is something you can help me get. That's right, you! I want the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush. It removes 6x more makeup than soap and water and massages your face every day. This is a necessity! I have the Sonic Care toothbrush and if you don't have one you need to get it. It's expensive but it will change your life. I mean it, I never thought I'd love a toothbrush this much. Anyway, if you click through my Amazon link on my sidebar to make all of your Amazon purchases I will earn money for referring you (and it doesn't cost you extra). The way I figure it, my referred people will only need to spend $10,000 for me to earn the $200 I need for the skin care brush. Start spending people! (I'm kidding ... kind of) I earned $4 from my mom's order the other day. I'm 2% of the way there. Yippee!!

Is it something I said?

I tend to blog about sandwiches a lot (remember the Sandwich Saga?) which is weird because I'm not even that into food. I went to the Publix deli to pick up a sandwich a few minutes ago. I asked the lady to only use half the amount of turkey that they normally use. I am not a raging carnivore - I like meat but only in small doses and preferably masked by condiments. The deli lady got kind of mad and said "I'll have to still wrap it and put it in your bag!" I told her I did not mind paying the regular price but I did not want the excess turkey. This seemed to further piss her off - she angrily cut it in half and slung the rest into the garbage. Seemed like a waste of perfectly good food to me, is it something I said?

On another subject -
Several people have asked about my ebay stuff so here's the link to my auctions. These aren't very high right now because I just posted them last night but I made a nice chunk of change ($331!!) on the others that ended last night. I guess there are benefits to hanging on to stuff, my grandmother only had to keep these in her closet for 18 years for them to double in value. lol

The Real Fake Wives

So tonight I decided to post the rest of my ebay stuff and while I was doing this, I watched an episode of "The Real Housewives of Orange County." They should call it "The Real Fake Wives," but I must admit there's one chick on there who's about to be 40 and she looks 25. It's kind of a stupid show but in one of those car wreck-can't look away kind of ways. Lots of bling, boobs and incorrect grammer (you would think that people would try to use real words if they are going to be on tv and not say foughten).

Speaking of bling (I know - we don't so much say that anymore), one of our board members drove her new Bentley to the office this afternoon. I am not a car person but I seriously love this car. It actually seemed like it was sparkling in the dark. And I thought I already had my dream car ... I might need to reconsider :)

It's a good thing he's not in charge

My husband found this video online today and he said "I wish we would have thought of this for our wedding"



It's a good thing he's not in charge.

Randomness

1. "Welcome Home Whompy" - this was actually on a sign that we saw on the drive home yesterday. Is that seriously someone's name?

2. I felt like decorating for Christmas for weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and now I don't want to. What happened to my motivation? Maybe I spent it all on my mom's house.

3. My in-laws might be coming to visit in the next couple of weeks. That makes me feel pissy. (Hope my hubby doesn't read this - love you!)

4. My brother might be coming to visit and apply for a job down here. That makes me happy. (double standard anyone?)

5. That yard I posted about the other day looks exactly the same but with maybe more junk. My camera was dead or I would have started a yearly photo tradition.

6. "Save The Drama for Your Mama" - this is my new motto. I wish the people who need to hear this read my blog. Maybe I'll put it on a shirt and wear it around them.

7. My ebay auctions are rockin. Whooo hoo!

8. All of the relaxation I gained this past weekend melted away during my 12-hour work day today. I'm having a pity party and you're invited.

9. I'm going to bed. I need to be up for the gym at 5:30 so it's time for nighty night.

10. My mom is ridiculously awesome. I have such an amazing family. I am blessed.

I'm in recovery

We had a big shopping day yesterday and although it was fabulously fun and productive, I was exhausted when it was all said and done. I wore some very cute shoes that were really uncomfortable after about 2 hours of shopping. By the end of it all my feet were in serious need of an intervention. (Note to self - wedge heels are not compatible with marathon shopping) The good news is that I'm well over halfway done with my Christmas shopping and it's not even December yet, AND so far I've been saving money all over the place! We also beat the crowds by going on Saturday when everything opened instead of joining Friday's madness. Everyone else was licking their wounds from the Black Friday battles and we were able to swoop in and take advantage of the sales without the crowds.

We're traveling back home today (tear) so I have time for recovery before re-entering the real world. It's a good thing I made so much progress this weekend because with as much as I've been working lately this will save me mega stress.

Added bonus to my shopping trip was that a college friend who now lives in Pensacola drove over to Destin to meet me for lunch and I got to meet her little girl (who's a cutie pie!).



Some of our finds from the shopping excursion included a fab dress for me (I'll act surprised when I get it for Christmas), a trip to Build A Bear (now that's a madhouse), and lots and lots of deals on great gifts (If I blog them then they won't be surprises)! I also found a great blog/coupon site last night - WantNot has coupon codes and great tips for online shopping. I hope those of you that took part in the shopping frenzy this weekend found some wonderful things/prices!

And now we return to our regularly scheduled programming ...

"I promise they're real"

Well, despite my black Friday protests I broke down and went into a couple of stores yesterday. Don't worry, I did not completely betray my ideals; I still slept in, decorated the house for Christmas, worked out, and then went shopping (and only to a few stores).

One of the stores we went into was this adorable little gift shop. We found a beautiful Sorrelli necklace for my mom and then suddenly I could not find Uncommon Sister. We saw her walk into the back of the store and then she was gone. The sales woman pointed us to a room marked "employees only" and there she was, surrounded by fake designer bags. This was a little unexpected because this place did not give off the black market, knock-off vibe but whatever. Let me just stop and say that I am not a snob but I do love my real designer bags. I love purses and have much respect for the designers at Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel. Now, I don't care if you have the real thing or a knock-off but I do have a problem with people selling fakes under false pretenses. The woman was trying to show me some of the bags and as I politely declined she said "Oh, I have some bags to show you." She opens this cabinet and starts pulling out some very good looking fakes. She was quoting prices of $400 which is a lot, but still about 1/3 of what these bags would sell for retail. However, she joined the naughty list when she claimed that they were 100% real ... PUH-LEASE!! When I questioned her on how they were able to sell "real" designer labels at such low prices (and out of a back room cabinet no less) she got a little condescending. She acted like I had no idea what "connections" in New York could do and then started throwing out comments like "This is from the latest Neiman catalog." I might have been wearing jeans and tennis shoes but don't let my relaxed vacation disguise fool you. I am somewhat of a handbag connoisseur and honey, there are no "deals" when it comes to high fashion, luxury handbags. Selling these bags to unsuspecting & naive customers is just wrong. When you own the real thing or if you've even handeled the real thing, you can usually spot fakes from a mile away. These were better than average but come on - try that trick on someone who doesn't know better. On second thought, don't try that trick at all. You can go to jail for that kind of thing and I think that dissing my friends Louis & Coco is a punishable offense.

The Grown-Up Table

Yesterday we were getting ready to eat dinner at my in-laws' house and my niece looked over at the table and said "I sure do wish I could sit at the grown-up table"

I found this funny for a couple of reasons, the first being that I can remember thinking the same thing and it honestly doesn't feel like it was that long ago. The table at my aunt's house on Christmas was always beautifully set with candles and pretty place cards and I remember thinking that I could not wait until it was my turn to sit at that table instead of the short table on the side. Now that I'm there, I won't say that sitting at the grown-up table is not great, but I don't think it's as magical as I perceived it to be as a child. Maybe when I have children and host a big holiday meal I'll set a grown-up table and let all of the kids sit there instead. Then maybe that legendary table actually live up to all of the hype.

The other thing that struck me as funny about her comment was that for a couple of years now I have been wondering when exactly I arrived at the "grown-up table." It seems like all of the sudden I look around and we're all here. I keep waiting for someone to catch me and tell me to get down. Yes, I pay bills, have a mortgage & a career, and do most of the things that "grown-ups" do - but I still feel a little funny about being here. I guess that is a good thing, I hope I never feel old and jaded. I want to always believe in endless possibilities, ice cream for dinner, and that my mom can make everything better. I like being an impostor at the grown-up table ;)

It's madness I tell you

I'm sitting here watching the Macy's parade (did I mention I LOVE parades!) and I feel the pressure of Black Friday. Now I know that the majority of people love shopping the day after Thanksgiving but I am not one of them. I hate the chaos and I would actually pay $100 to avoid the crush instead of stepping into it to save that money. We always go on Saturday. We have a strategy that really works - get there when they open, strategically hit the good stores and be out of there by lunchtime. By then, everyone that is "hung over" from Black Friday has recovered and is heading out for round 2. I'm also planning on doing a lot of shopping online this year. (Shamless plug - I added an Amazon widget on my sidebar so if you're doing any shopping there please click through from my page!)

Anyway, despite my resolve I am still feeling like I'm going to miss something tomorrow. It's ridiculous but true. The madness beckons but I have to remain strong. I am going to decorate my mom's house for Christmas instead. I am the master of the village ... maybe I'll post pics!

Ebay is cutting into my blog time

I was tagged for this NaBloPoMo meme the other day by Leandra and Sandy. Since I have been listing stuff on ebay for the past two hours and I need to post by midnight, I'm using an easy one tonight.

First here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now for 7 random things about myself:

1. I love parades.

2. I hate to eat any meat/animal that’s in the shape that it was in when it was alive (cornish hen, lobster, etc.)

3. I am always afraid I’m going to miss something.

4. “You are my sunshine” is one of my favorite songs.

5. Skydiving with my brother is one of my best memories.

6. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I’d move to Italy for 6 months.

7. I make up words all of the time. It’s not that I believe they are actually words, it’s just more fun to make my husband try to figure out what I’m talking about than actually finding the proper word.

Now I have to tag seven people to do this. Feel free to play along or not, but at the very least, it’s a blog post topic!
Sevenchicks - Momisodes - SensiblySassy -

On the road again

In honor of our road trip tonight I am sharing a couple of photos from one of last year's trips. On holiday weekends we usually take back roads and rural highways to avoid the horrible traffic on I-75. Last year, while driving through the small town of Blountstown, we saw a very interesting place (I'm being nice). I'm not sure if it's someone's house or a store but either way, you can't make this kind of stuff up. The yard was so littered with junk that we literally stopped the car to stare. I had to take a picture (it wouldn't even all fit into one frame) and then we drove away quickly in case the owner appeared with a shotgun. The funniest part to me was that there were little signs everywhere - "Closed," "Irresistible Price," etc. I don't know what kind of place this is but all I can say is "WOW"

I could not have said it better

I thought I'd change it up a bit today and share some of my favorite movie quotes.

“The details of your incompetence do not interest me.”
The Devil Wears Prada, spoken by Meryl Streep

“Do you have a prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?”
The Devil Wears Prada, spoken by Emily Charlton

“By all means move at a glacial pace; you know how that thrills me.”
The Devil Wears Prada, spoken by Meryl Streep (I know that makes 3 from the same movie but they are too good to just choose one)

"If you're a bird, I'm a bird."
The Notebook, spoken by Ryan Gosling

“I appreciate this whole seduction thing you've got going on here, but let me give you a tip: I'm a sure thing.”
Pretty Woman, spoken by Julia Roberts

“I like Smiling, Smiling’s my favorite”
Elf, spoken by Will Ferrell

“I’m a psycho”
The Grinch, spoken by Jim Carey

"The nerve of those Whos. Inviting me down there — and on such short notice. Even if I wanted to go, my schedule wouldn't allow it. 4:00, wallow in self pity; 4:30, stare into the abyss; 5:00, solve world hunger, tell no one. 5:30, Jazzercize. 6:30, dinner with me. I can't cancel that again. 7:00, wrestle with my self-loathing — I'm booked. Of course, if I bump the loathing to nine, I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, and slip slowly into madness. But what would I wear?"
The Grinch, spoken by Jim Carey

"I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?"
Meet the Parents, spoken by Robert de Niro

"It's okay, I wouldn't remember me either."
American Beauty, spoken by Kevin Spacey

And for my favorite ... (drum roll please)

“The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
Moulin Rouge, spoken by John Leguizamo


What are your favorites?

Bounce is the New Salt & Pepper

Who doesn't like the fresh taste of dryer sheets? For a few weeks uncommon husband has been complaining that lots of our meals taste weird. Personally I thought he was just being picky but this weekend the mystery was solved. I realized that I had accidentally put the dryer sheets on the wrong shelf in the pantry. They were sitting on top of the stack of paper plates and next to the saltine crackers. Anything that we ate on a paper plate had the lingering taste of Bounce. Soup & crackers also had that oh-so-tasty flavor. That's gotta be good for you.

The Birds Are Back

The snow birds are back. I almost got hit by a car twice today WHILE USING THE CROSSWALK outside of Barnes & Noble. Seriously?! I like old people but there need to be some restrictions on driving after a certain point. Like maybe when you can't see over the steering wheel.

This time of year the CVS parking lot looks like a game of bumper cars. I blame the old people, my grandmother blames people on cell phones. Touche.

TiVo killed the magazine star

I have been a subscriber to People Magazine for the past three years but as of this month I am letting it lapse. I keep having second thoughts, will I miss something big? What if Britney starts wearing actual clothing, will I be the last to know? Will J-Lo's babies have the same junk in their trunks as their mama or will they look like Marc (aka Latino Skeletor)?

As much as I have enjoyed reading the mindless crap - I think giving it up is the best thing to do. I need to simplify my life. HAHAHA

The main problem is that it's a weekly magazine so every week there is this pressure to read the new issue. When I get behind I start to feel guilty. As ridiculous as that sounds it's true. The subscription is not cheap so I feel like I have to read every issue cover to cover in order to justify it. Taking a step back from it I have to ask myself, isn't there something better I should be doing with that time? (like watch stuff from the TiVo list or blog?)I've let all of my more sophisticated subscriptions go; Conde Naste Traveler (tear) & Vanity Fair. They were stacking up and not even being opened but People always got my attention. It's about priorities people. I'm keeping Sarasota Magazine because I've got to keep up with my local peeps but the rest are done. Goodbye People, maybe we'll meet again one day in the express lane.

The It Girl

My beautiful little sister gave me a new book for my birthday, The It Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie. According to the tag line, "Being a geek is oh-so chic" Loves it!

I have been trying to do something weekly to improve my blog so this should be a very helpful read. Maybe I'll start sharing what I'm doing too, that way all of you other bloggers (who are not already supa fancy like Fussy) can also make your blogs more fabulous. Right now, I'm working on feed burner. I added it last night but can't seem to get the widgets to show up at the bottom of each post. I'm scared to mess with the code in my template too much for fear of doing some irreversible damage.

For now though, this "It Girl" must start working or I'll be even more behind than I already am.

Drag Queen Bingo

Well, as promised I am sharing my birthday celebration. Before you read any further know this - you are not allowed to judge me. Don't do it!

On my birthday we went to Drag Queen Bingo at The Canvas Cafe. I first heard about this uncommon event by reading Hannah Wallace's GenXtra blog. My aunt (I know, the whole thing was unusual) suggested it as an idea for my birthday and the rest is history. I honestly don't even know how to describe it. Let's just say it was interesting ... and if I'm being honest, a little crass for this proper girl. Our very large table got lots of attention, not only because of yours truly - the birthday "queen," but also because we had plenty of attractive men at our table. Luckily, they took the teasing very well. They all took turns trying to direct Miss Shu Shu's attention to each other. Boys will be boys ... (except when they are drag queens)

All in all, we had fun. Great friends, strange entertainment, and presents!

Me with one of the "girls"



My neighbor, Blake Gyllenhaal (doesn't he look like Jake?) being a good sport



TV Gold was there too!



BINGO - I did not win :(

Words of Wisdom

"They say that a joy shared is multiplied by 2 and a sorrow shared is cut in half."

So fellow bloggers/readers, if you have any joy or sorrow that you need to share feel free. I'd love to help multiply someone's joy today or help cut your sorrow in half.

Words of wisdom from my mother.

NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo is hard. I must say I don't have much energy left for the blog tonight. Although I have a great tale to tell about last night's birthday celebration it would require photoshop and creative writing and that's just not going happen tonight. Does it count for NaBloPoMoif you write a post about nothing?

In other news, I just watched The Biggest Loser ... it reminded me how much I love doughnuts. Yum. The weight loss show is going have the opposite effect on me.

Feeling the love

Today is my birthday and I am feeling the love. I have had so many calls and emails from my friends and family that it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I am blessed! Tonight we are celebrating in a very unique way ... I'm saving that post for tomorrow though. Stay tuned, I promise it will be interesting!

This weekend:

I did not work or think about work for 72 hours straight. I feel like I just woke up from a stressful dream and I am back to being a normal person now! (temporarily)

I planted flowers (which I will probably kill very soon)

I caught up with Melissa, who is seriously my BFF and I am so happy to have her as a friend.

I got presents. Yeah!!

We cleaned the house, bought groceries, did laundry. Things I appreciate on a whole new level these days.

Went to a jewelry party (aka: come to my house and buy stuff) and broke down and bought something.

Had a perfect weekend (+ bonus day off!)

Review: Bern's Steak House

Last night we went to Bern's Steak House in Tampa for dinner. I would normally not spend a whole post on a restaurant that many of you do not have access to, however, this place was exceptional. If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area, you should make it a point to have dinner there. The ambiance was very unique, heavy fabrics, rich colors and dimly lit - it had an antique almost medieval feel to it. The food was fantastic from the first course to the last. I had french onion soup, followed by a salad (all organic). The filet mignon was cooked to perfection and was accompanied by more delicious organic veggies and divine onion rings (I don't normally even like onion rings). After dinner they took us on a tour of the kitchen and wine cellar. They have the largest wine collection in the world with more than 100,000 bottles of wine in the restaurant and more than 1 million in their warehouse. Their most expensive bottle of wine was $10,000. We had two bottles ... lol.

The best part of the night was the trip upstairs to the dessert room. We were led to a private booth that was made out a giant wooden wine cask that had been cut in half. Each booth had it's own sound system so you could pick your preferred genre of music to accompany dessert. I had German Chocolate Chocolate Cake with roasted pecan ice cream. I think that says it all. Yum! Overall, the experience was wonderful and unique. Well worth the drive and the money. Are you hungry now?

A Matter of Interpretation

Today we went down to the bay front to visit the newly displayed Sarasota Season of Sculpture. This public art display is in it's fourth season and has once again evoked some controversy among locals. It's interesting to me that for the past couple of years, the show has included a couple of pieces that become a focal point for media and tourists alike. Last year, it was Seward Johnson's 26 foot tall "Unconditional Surrender." This year, it's a giant tooth (another Seward Johnson piece), and a bunch of cars standing end to end. I have to wonder if these pieces are chosen intentionally to stir things up because I don't know that there would be this much discussion otherwise. (That's the PR person in me analyzing the situation)

After visiting the entire collection of sculptures I have a couple of observations: First of all, most of the pieces are very interesting and even beautiful. The sculptures invite interaction and discussion. (don't I sound artistic and deep? lol) When you actually get up close to the tooth you realize there are two figures next to it "discussing" the artistic merit of the piece. That changed my opinion somewhat of the sculpture overall, however, my friend Tom still thought it was a giant butt when we drove by it the other night.

I've posted a few pictures so you can decide for yourself what you think. After all, art is all a matter of interpretation.

(These photos were taken specifically for my blog so I hope you appreciate my efforts because I looked like a cheesy tourist taking these!)




The controversial "Tooth" (or as interpreted by Tom "Giant Butt")


Uncommon Husband interpreted this one as a "boing bounder" (from the Grinch)




One of my favorites, it's better in person ...

"TV Gold"

Tonight was the perfect way to start a long weekend after a VERY long week. We went to a great Tapas restaurant downtown called Sangria (fab food and even better sangria!) with some of my favorite people. I'm going to refer to this particular friend as "TV Gold" because she insisted that I not use her name in my blog.

Her name is TV Gold because if given a chance to be on television, she really would be golden. She is hilarious! When I'm with her, I can't help but laugh because she says the most ridiculous things. Case in point:

Uncommon Husband: "This tuna tartare is pretty good. I eat tuna a lot."
TV Gold: "You shouldn't do that!"
Uncommon Husband: "Why not?"
TV Gold: "You'll get autism"

The more sangria she drank, the funnier and crazier she got. We discussed babies at one point, I can't wait to see this girl as a mother (without the sangria of course)

TV Gold - please hurry up and apply for a reality show because I'm dying to watch!

If this is how it has to be ...

These people are wasting my time but I'm also working on finding the humor in everything. This will keep me from going insane.

The Sandwich Saga Continues

They hid my sandwich today. These people do not even read my blog yet they took it and put it where I could not find it. The things some people do for entertainment ...

I went to the Whole Foods Fashion Show tonight. It was a nice break from a stressful day and tomorrow is Friday! I've got a nice long weekend ahead and it's almost birthday time. I can be quasi-excited about birthdays for a couple more years ...

I will not accept defeat

I ended my day today feeling defeated. I met with a graphic designer this afternoon for several hours about doing some work for the organization I work for and although this should have made me feel excited, it left me feeling overwhelmed. Looking at the massive scope of what needs to be done, the deadlines, and the resources available (just me) I feel exhausted.

I will not accept defeat. I will press in, rise to the challenge and make it happen. Right now, these are just words in an effort to pull myself up but I know it will happen. I don't have anything funny or creative tonight, just honesty.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Don't Eat My Sandwich

Let's just say patience was not with me today. It all started when I went to vote and they could not "find" my name on the registration sheet. Turning the page to the correct letter in the alphabet would be a good start people. Luckily, I held onto my temper and did not act out the dialogue that was playing in my head. Things went downhill from there and culminated with me looking for my sandwich in the fridge at lunchtime.

Me: "Where is my sandwich?"

Coworker: "Was your name on it?"

Me: "No, but it's my sandwich. Why would someone eat my sandwich? It's in a baggie, from my house - it's obviously not anyone else's. I don't just make sandwiches and bring them for people to snack on."

Coworker: "If there's no name on it, it's fair game."

Me: "Who would consider that fair game?!?"

Now seriously, I wanted a name. I was totally infuriated by this logic. Luckily for everyone in the building I found it and was able to recover from my massive mood swing by mid-afternoon.

The whole incident reminded me of one of my favorite episodes of Friends where Ross goes "mental" over his sandwich. I can now understand the degree of his anger. Thank God I am back to myself, it was only a matter of time before someone experienced the wrath from within.

However, I refuse to write my name on my sandwich. Eat it ... I dare you.

Letting Go

I am learning to let go of some things. I cannot be all things to all people, I can not go to every event I'm invited to, or say yes every time someone asks me to do something. I am very involved in the community in which I live. I volunteer, I lead, I go to stuff. However, since my life has gone into warp speed lately I am learning to say no to more and more things and it's quite empowering. It's not that I am pulling back on my level of involvement or volunteerism but I am prioritizing and doing what is good for me. I am evaluating events and activities to align with my goals and values. I have also learned that you can say no and people will usually understand. If they don't, just poke them in the eye and that should shut them up.

I heard some good advice about saying no this weekend. When someone asks you to commit to doing something and you do not want to do it - do not give them a reason why you can't. Just politely say that you are honored/flattered, etc. to have been asked and that you can't. If you give them a reason, they will try to help you solve it and find a way that you can say yes. I need to work on this. I tend to over-explain and agonize over saying no.

Months ago, I bought a ticket to a conference in Tampa for this weekend. As it has approached though I have been feeling apprehensive and stressed about it. I have been working or had commitments every weekend for a couple of months and I need a weekend with no obligations or expectations. If I went, I would have to drive to Tampa after work Friday, back that night at 10 pm, back to Tampa Saturday morning at 7 am and back home at 4 pm. Ahhh!! Any refreshment that this conference could provide is not worth battling that kind of traffic and the stress to leave work early to get there. I explained this to my friend who's also going and she was completely understanding. No guilt, no pressure - it's fine. I love her for that.

I hate it when people play the guilt card to try and get you to do what they want and I love her for not making me feel bad. This is one of a couple of things I have said no to this week and I am learning to set some boundaries - I don't know if it's by choice or because I will implode if I don't.

Sucked in

It's November 4 and already, I've been sucked in. Just yesterday I was talking about how it is too early to start with the Christmas decorations and today I actually purchased something for Christmas! I'm officially part of the problem.

Today we took my grandmother out to do some shopping (a whole different blog for another day on patience and aging) and I saw advent calendars at Target. When I was little, we had an advent calendar every Christmas and each day during December, we got to open one of the doors and pull out a piece of candy. It's one of those memories that is so happy and fun that I want to re-create it for my children (who do not yet exist but I have still bought several things in anticipation of their arrival on this earth). Anyway, Restoration Hardware has had these calendars for the last two Holiday seasons but I have not broken down because they are kind of plain looking and expensive for something that no one else seems to get excited over. But every time I walk by them in the mall I want one. Today we saw these on the shelf at Target and I just could not help but buy it.

I might as well break out Elf now since I've already crossed over to the happy side!

I'm a nerd but at least I own it.

All I want for my birthday

is a really expensive camera :(

Although my aunt has offered to let me borrow one of her old Fuji S2s, I would have to buy a lens. Once I buy a lens for a Fuji, I would have to stick with that brand and that's not what I want to ultimately use. I feel like for that and a couple of other reasons, it would be better if I just bought something basic to start with. However, that is still an expensive proposition.

If my husband knew even half of how much I want this, he'd be at the store right now. Although it's nice to have someone willing to spoil you on every occasion, it's not always the best idea for our finances. Thus, I am pretending that I want little stuff like books and perfume. I'll be fine without a camera but I still think about it almost daily. I haven't taken pictures (other than snapshots) since college and I could dust off my film Nikon SLR but I feel like digital would allow me to experiment more easily and efficiently - plus my blog would be more interesting because who wants to just read all of the time?

I need a sponsor and I don't mean for AA.

I started off tonight wondering how I would even get one post today and now I'm getting all crazy with two. Hopefully I can keep this NaBloPoMo going ...

BFF

Have you ever met someone and instantly thought to yourself - BFF! ?? You know, the kind of person that you just instantly connect with and you just know that given time, you would become best friends? Last month, I finally changed to a new salon (which by the way is wonderful in and of itself)and my new stylist is awesome! She is really sweet and I felt like we were on the same page on so many things. It's one of those times when you have to tell yourself "slow down, this girl is going to think you're a little weird if you try to become her BFF in the first 5 minutes." However, I do think the feeling was mutual.

The only problem is that she actually lives 45 minutes away, has a 1 year-old, and is pregnant with her second child. In other words, she does not really have time to gal pal around town. Although I still get to see her every 5 weeks or so, it's kind of a bummer because I seriously think we'd become fast friends. I feel the same way about some of you bloggers out there ... (Heather, every time I read your blog I think "This chick and I have so much in common!")

Another thing, I know I keep speculating about what motherhood does to your life but how do you mothers out there balance your friendships between work, kids, husband, and household demands? I feel like I never see my friends with kids - is this because I'm not in the mommy club or am I destined to a life of seclusion with the munchkins? I'm afraid ... very afraid.

The Indian Suit

I was putting my makeup on this morning when my husband stopped in the doorway, looked at my outfit and the following conversation took place:

Husband (glancing at my clothes): "I'm not sure that goes"

Me: "What do you mean - it's a matching skirt and top. I bought them as an outfit, of course it goes. What would you suggest I do differently?"

Husband: "Never mind, I guess when I saw it out of the corner of my eye I thought you were wearing an Indian suit"

Now I don't know about you, but having my outfit mistaken for an "Indian suit" is not a good thing to me. It's not like I was wearing something off the wall. It was simply a brown knit skirt & top I got from Ann Taylor on sale last month. Good thing it was on sale because I don't think I'll be wearing the Indian suit anymore ...

I'm all in

When I first started this whole blogging thing I didn't know if I was going to try to be anonymous or be transparent. I have no problem with people who know me reading this blog, except that I don't want people reading too much into things or assigning my sarcasm to specific people or events - especially when it comes to my professional life. I guess I have read to many stories about these things coming back to bite people but I've made up my mind ... I'm all in. I am who I am on the computer and off. If you don't like what I write that's okay with me. If you really don't like it then stop reading, but I hope that instead you'll comment and be a part of the dialog.

*****

Today I attended the Central West Coast Chapter of FPRA's annual Media Breakfast. Check out the blog for more specifics. Overall, it was a good event. There were surprisingly big speakers there for such a localized event. The PR people for the Wikipedia Foundation, Carnival Cruise Lines and Poynter Institute were all part of the line up. The best part was that it made me feel better about my place in the blogosphere. Here, I've been feeling like the girl who showed up late to the blog party wearing last season's dress and it turns out that maybe I'm just fashionably late while others are in danger of missing the party altogether. Out of a room of about 100 PR people, only a couple even had blogs (including me)! I was very surprised. When the topic turned to wikis, twitter and widgets, everyone was looking at the speaker like she was speaking Chinese. I have to say I felt very ahead of the game. I know, I know, I'm still late to the party but at least I'm here :)