Lost: One Phone Call

To: My Generation of Newly Engaged
From: Me

Re: Pick-up the Damn Phone

We all know you can't wait to 'share' with the world your excitement and enthusiasm of locking that special someone down but please think first before announcing. Think of those who are close to you and would love to revel in the excitement with you. These are people who have been by your side through the good and tough times in your life, and that 'relationship' that you are now calling 'engagement'. These people feel a certain pride in your finding that special someone. So I say, think of these people before you announce to the world, via StalkerNet (a.k.a. Facebook).

These people do want to share that excitement with you and perhaps the best way for them to do so is over a quick phone call instead of randomly reading about it in their "News Feed" as they have logged on to check who bought them on the Friends for Sale Application. Really, how can your engagement be one the same level as the Friends for Sale & Green Patch applications?

Think about it. Facebook is a great social tool, but it's not the phone. It's as impersonal as it gets for communication.

So I say, think about it. Think of the family and friends who deserve to know about it before your '1,245 E-friends' or the crazy-ex (who by now has stalked your fiance/finacee).

Have some class and pick up the phone.

Hrm. Gah.

I get coffee about 3-4 times a week....correct that...I get Dunkin' coffee about 3-4 times a week.

Well I'm boring and end up getting the same order: Medium French Vanilla with skim milk and sugar. Sadly, my version of being crazy is swaping between sizes!

So today I decided to get a bit risky, that is, order something completely different. Perhaps an iced coffee?!

I ended-up ordering the Berry Berry iced coffee with a little cream and sugar.

One word: YUCK!

Sorry boys. I'll stick to what I know is good.

And another one gone......

Something must be in the air...

College friends: 10
Me: 0

I must be defective.

The best part of a Wednesday in 2008 is going onto Wonkette.com and reading the "Live blogging" segments for the Presidential debates and Primary concession/victory speeches.

My favorite excerpts from Obama's speech in IOWA after the Kentucky loss and awaiting for his Oregon win.......

10:12 — He's outside in Iowa, as we are now in the 2-month "warm season." This place is loaded now, because of the Farm Bill, which Obama supported so he could give this speech without feeling awkward.
10:13 — He says he has a really good-lookin' family and gives Michelle the bedroom eyes. This is the horniest speech ever.
10:14 — Oh look, he pays his respects to Ted Kennedy, who actually endorsed him. Unlike Hillary, Barack does not list the legislative work he has done with Kennedy, because that is rude. (Also because Barry has only been in the Senate for like -2 years.)

Love it! Wonkette.com cracks me up even when they are mocking some of my favorite people. Since moving I've lacked my daily dose of political junkie talk that you found at every corner and overpriced bar in the Beltway. So between email chains with Beltway friends and Wonkette I can feed my political addiction.

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I think I've lost my touch.

I no longer have any desire to watch baseball. I see the Phillies on TV and I immediately turn the channel. Other than one glimpse of a clip from a Twinkies game in China, I've got nothing. I check the scores on average once a week in comparison to 2x a day. What's wrong with me?

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People need to stop getting married for a few good reasons......

1. I'm broke and you getting married makes me even more broke.
2. Sappy crap makes me gag and I'm not a fan of gagging.
3. 85% of married people lose their zest of life that I knew when they weren't married.
4. I hate bridal/bachelorette parties....perhaps too many women "oh'ing and ah'ing" over linens.
5. No offense but I get five days of vacation/yr.....it is not vacation when I have to take those days and fly to some area in the middle of nowhere and pretend to enjoy myself when I'm the only single person in the congergation of 250.

One word - Elope and remember that you're still human and you still need to have fun (whether with spouse or not).

McD's

Being the very-American that I am, I am not ashamed to say that my first meal back in the States was a Mickey D's cheeseburger and a Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Suffice it to say, one can only inhale so much squid/noodles/rice/pork before they long for a crappy form of American cuisine.

I know I'm not alone on this issue.

PVG to ORD to PHL

I am sitting at the airport in Shanghai and I am so ready to get home. Don't get me wrong, China was amazing but there is something that gets me all giddy about returning to the States/my house (if domestic).
About China-
1. Pudong is amazing with all of its new architecture.
2. I want to lobby for all of the Starbucks to be replace with Dunkin'. Seriously, too many Starbucks.
3. I checked out a McDonalds and the menu looked like homes' (though I didn't try it so I cannot compare taste.)
4. Kiki - my 23 year old interpreter made me ashamed of myslef and other American students.(Our lack of diligence in acedemia)
5. The Chinese food I was served wasn't that exciting.
6. SMOG = Yuck!
7. I was taken for on my first taxi ride.....jerks.
8. One night I ate Italian, yep, I know. Enough.
9. This was my first trip where I wasn't hit on (sad!). I guess big, white Midwestern girl is kinda threatening to the local men! (That's the only logical theory that works in my book.)
10. After one week I remember about five words in Chinese, managed 18 hrs of sleep and made 50 contacts for work.

6:30 to Grape Street

I'm tired. Tired of packing. I hate packing. Don't ask me why, for I cannot tell you with good reasoning. My mother used to say, "Half the fun is planning it!" Well...I think I'm going to contract my mother to do my packing for me from now on. Luckily, I won't be flying for at least a solid 3 wks after the 17th, so I'm sure my stress level will decrease quite a bit.

Oh...point to make. Tomorrow I'm hopping on an int'l flight by AA to Shanghai. Cool right?! Yeah....well it's for work so there's a bit of extra stress involved. Not to mention the last minute 2 hr Saturday pitstop at FedEx that I made today. I'm pretty sure I'll make it to China before my goods do and that - it not good. But we'll just have to make do with what we have. (a very empty booth!)

So it's 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday and I'm all packed for my flight that will be taking off in 13 hrs. I plan on spending a solid 4 hrs at a party being hosted by my friends boyfriend. Awkward but I'll get over it. I'm showing up fashionably late (that's what I'm calling it seeing that I just spent the last 2.5 hrs packing and consuming White Russians). Which, reminds me.....if I ever get product into Russia, and yes I'm working on that, I WILL go to Russia. I DO NOT CARE what people say...I am going to go. If my first country to visit was in the Middle East, I think I can certainly go to Russia.

So we ask. "Why are you sitting here blogging and not at the party?" Simple. I still have a 1/2 of a White Russian left. Hate to waste.

Oh! Story about how the WR came about.

Last night I was coming back from downtown and making mental notes of what I have for food that is perishable and should try to consume before I leave. Well, I noted that I had just bought a 1/2 gallon of milk and being a dairy girl, there is NO way I can let that go to waste (sidenote: my roommate is lactose intolerant...sad, I know). So I'm thinkingl.."Hrmmm....I have milk, and A LOT of vodka! (another story) I should have WHITE RUSSIANS!" So I drove over the the local liquor store and bought a HUGE thing of Kahlua and have been consuming White Russians since last night with long pauses to work.

Don't worry....Kahlua isn't perishable.

beyond a girl

In a matter of 8 hrs I managed to leave a major gash on my left leg from a new razor and then drop my curling iron on my right leg giving it a second degree burn that is puffing up and getting all nasty.

It's awesome. Glad I leave for a hot, sticky climate on Sunday where skirts were in my wardrobe plan.

You know....if I wasn't a girl....I wouldn't have had this happen. Damn X chromosomes...

p.s. Tonight is the night I have been looking forward to for months is finally here! I am going to see my favorite non-political-crass-book writing-bat**** crazy blogger - Jen Lancaster. I'm so freaked out and nervous. I've met major political leaders and haven't been this nervous. Not sure what that says about me?! ha.

Thursday Night - Drink Night

It was declared 6 months ago. We have fallen through one too many times.....but tonight, tonight we remembered and even created a fabulous drink.

So far the duration of my Drink Night has included the following.....

- Scrubs & The Office
- Me preceeding each scene of Superman with details and quotes for my roommate
- Downloading a bunch of Chicago songs and listening to "25 or 6 to 4" eight times over...
- 3 text msgs telling friends what I just downloaded
- Downloading Earth, Wind & Fire

I would be embarrassed but technically it's still Drink Night; therefore I could care less.

Happy BIRTHDAY!!

Minnesota is now 150 yrs old. I feel so proud.....*sniff* I will toot my own horn by mentioning that I have an entry on the MN 150 page talking about the MN State Fair. I swear, nothing screams MN tradition more than the fair. Read the "Runner-up" section...I'm there!

And my rants of the week...

* Women at the gym annoy me. one lady took over 10 minutes to get dressed and another lady walked right infront of me, stealing a shower without even looking back. Luckily the staff rocks and are friendly.

*Drivers in Philly are scared of the rain, I swear...when it sprinkles they freak out and cause a number of traffic accidents.

*I love my porch and the ability to sit outside and enjoy the weather....but I don't enjoy the three screaming neighbor kids and their chain-smoking parents (seriously, these people have THREE ash trays on their porch) and not to mention, all the cigarette butts on our lawn.
**story: with the continuation of the butts being thrown on our lawn my roommate one day collected them all and put them on their porch. Bold move but got us no where. Regardless, I'm still proud of her.


I think someone here needs a happy hour and soon!

We All Need a Little "Amazing" in Our Lives...

This young man saw a picture of a windmill in a book and from that was able to build his own working windmill in Africa to power his family's compound.....

My, "Oh my gosh, he is amazing," moment of today.

Makes you feel pretty darn lucky and naive.