On Home Ownership

Fixing Things.

We've been buying my father power tools for every father's day, birthday, and Hanukah since I can remember, none of which actually meant anything (to me) until now.  Being a homeowner with zero sense of how to fix, well, anything, I've developed a new found appreciation for my paternal figure's expertise.  An architect and contractor by trade, I'm beginning to tap into his powers-that-be to educate myself like this: it starts with a phone call (specifically, last weekend) followed by a weak description of whatever latest injury is happening in the new digs (along the lines of that metal thing with the things sticking out) and, voila!, problems are solved and wisdom is shared.  Now, when to book my dad's next flight out here... Enjoy!

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On Other People's Dreams

Half an Ear.

Not sure what it is exactly but the minute a friend, family member or colleague starts reciting the details of their overly-vivid dreams, our attention spans blunder. Yet, when we recount our own reunions with grandparents, ghosts and dragon-like-hard-to-explain-types-things, the center of the universe seems to zero in on our adventures from the night before.  Just last night, in fact, I had this reoccurring dream that I'll spare you the details from because, the reality is, you'll care even less than the one person I told at 7am this morning.  But, honestly, who can blame 'em?  Enjoy!

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On Facebook Quizzes

Who Cares? (We Kinda Do.)

I tried to find out What City I'm Meant to Live In but gave up after I clicked on the link (via fb) and was diverted to seemingly complicated questions about downloads and whatnot.  So I gave myself my own quiz, quickly eliminating Paris (however popular amongst all the facebook excitement) and Des Moines, Iowa because, quite frankly, I don't even know where Iowa is without my shower curtain map (do you?).  Then I thought maybe these quizzes weren't meant for people like me (who download viruses at the drop of a hat and click "yes" to any multicolored box that stands between my computer screen and future destiny) until I heard about the Game of Thrones Character Match Up and, well, I need to know if I'm soul mates with Tyrion Lannister or not (don't you?) but anything less than Daenerys Targaryen would devastate.  Downloads, here I come; bring on the tears! Enjoy.

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On Too Little Time

The day got the best of me and I had no time to post!

On Rom(antic) Com(edie)s

Unrealistic Expectations.

While I don't think it's possible to become obsessed with romantic comedies - aka Rom Coms - I sure have watched my fair share over the last two months.  I blame this habit on my newly discovered recording strategy.  On Saturday morning/afternoon/middleofthenight (when I can't sleep), I scroll through the week's worth of crappy television shows on the usual cheesy 'rom com-ish' channels (FX, Oxygen, and so forth) and I record anything that looks moderately good or totally corny.  The upside is that the majority of these films (often starring JLo or Sandra Bullock) don't interfere with my usual commitments often airing on a consistent 3pm or 3am schedule.  And so I record, fall back asleep, and eventually peruse my list during a 2-hour free block, only to pleasant discover that, actually, JLo isn't (too) bad an actress and Ben Affleck was way cuter in his twenties.  Enjoy!


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On Social Appropriateness

"No offense but..."

You can feel the insult coming a mile away, clasped between a guilty nicety and a predictable warning to brace yourself.  So you grin and brace as flashes of equally hurtful comebacks pass before your teary eyes while your brain and heart struggle for an appropriate response.  Don't apologize, you tell yourself, wondering what the next best (better?) thing should be, reminding yourself that everyone has baggage and maybe this isn't about you at all.  Enjoy! 

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On Gravity

Constant Anxiety.

Last night, I watched Gravity.  I didn't know anything about it except that facebook posts were moderately favorable and, according to Bullock on an NPR interview I briefly overheard a few months ago, she spent a lot of the filming "in a box."  When I initially discovered it was about space, I thought it would be boring (Sandy in a box in space for two hours doing what exactly?)  But the minute it began, I was hooked, and then stressed, and then anxious, and then holding my breath, and then tired from holding my breath but unable to stop.  And all of a sudden two hours went by and, aside from vowing that I'll never be an astronaut in this lifetime, I think I rate the film an A-ish, if only for 120 minutes of successful, nonstop discomfort.  Enjoy!

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On Members of a Small Club

Pick a Topic.

It's the clubs we don't speak about because they're too uncomfortable to visit without permission but we're members of out of sheer necessity and we crave companionship to acknowledge and ruminate in our pain.   And all topics are covered without discrimination - illness, pregnancy, loss, loneliness - things we're familiar with about through no choice of our own.  And for those on the outside looking in, their time will come (too), and they will accept their membership cards with resistance and fear, but always, always come out an expert on a topic that anyone can find the courage to face.  Enjoy!

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On SATC Reruns

Never Gets Old.

There is something about Sex and the City reruns that holds your attention no matter how many times you've seen that particular episode, as you absorb the advice that may or may not apply to you any longer and marvel at outfits you will likely never have the guts (or body) to wear. Still, watching Carrie Bradshaw break hearts, break heels, and break plans is as riveting the 101th time as it was the first.  I'm on a SATC kick, at the moment, and just this past weekend I relived Carrie begging Aidan to take her back (-he's thinking about it), holding my breath while she waited for an unrequited email response, was rejected on his stoop, and recited a lineage of promises that we all know she'll never keep.  And now, I can't wait for next Monday night to find out what happens!  Enjoy.

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On TGIM

Thank Goodness It's...Monday.  Enjoy your three-day weekend and see you tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21st. 

On Before Sunrise

6am Blogging.

Morning person or not, it's the early hours before sunrise that provide solace and peace from the buzz of our daily lives.  Showers, coffees, and pleas with the snooze button fill our humble abodes reminding us that these are the few minutes of the day that are our own and no one else's.  And so we soak in the moments wishing for more, in preparation for the familiar routines that will blend together through sunset, the evening signal that our nighttime rituals can resume.  Enjoy!

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On My Affinity for GIRLS

Love to Love.

I fall into the camp of love to love the HBO (controversial) smash hit GIRLS and, darn right, I stayed up past my bedtime Sunday night to watch both episodes (a real treat for us Lena Dunham fans!).  While I can't quite put my finger on it, I find myself mesmerized by every single character (with a particular affection for Shoshana's ridiculousness, of course) as I study familiar street corners trying to guess how close they are to where I grew up.  Maybe it's the contagious intrigue of Hannah's boyfriend (Adam) or Marnie's overly-stylish wardrobe or Jessa's careless approach to everything she does, but I'm hooked and counting down for Sunday nights as I once did for Tony and Carmela Soprano.  Enjoy!

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On My (Latest) Guilty Pleasure

The Bachelor.

It's true, I don't just watch The Bachelor (and subsequent Bachelorette) on prime time television on a weekly basis for my own secret guilty pleasure but I also host viewing parties for 12 other fellow addicts.  It started in New York City, six couples ago (Brad & Emily) and was impossible to give up.  We all have our reasons: some come for the committed potlucks, others for the two-hour marathon of ruthless jokes (and now tweets!).  And then there are suckers like me (perhaps all of us) who tune in for the off chance that real love (ahem, Ashley & JP) will be discovered right before our very mesmerized eyes.  Yes, my fingers are tightly crossed for Juan Pablo and, yes, I will be watching Sean and Catherine's wedding in two weeks (fyi, Jan 26th), and yes, I might have walked down my own aisle to the very same song Ashley chose because, hey, it doesn't get more romantic than that.  Enjoy!

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On Modern Love

In the Moment.

In the thick of it, heartbreak can seem an overwhelming swirl of devastation, a hole impossible to climb out of, in which all else ceases to exist and the sole focus is obsessing over whether the decision was the right one in the first place. During pangs of weakness, texts are sent, drunken phone calls are dialed, and a combination of whimpering and longing ensues for unrealistic memories that paint only a tiny portion of reality.  And so we trek on through lonely Sundays and contemplative morning commutes only to wake up one day, months later, in a little less pain than when it all began, acutely aware of growing self-confidence and springtime sunshine.  Enjoy!

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On a Love Letter to New York

I Heart NY.

My love affair with Brooklyn began when I was a kid-rollerskating in Prospect Park, ice skating at Wollman, and jumping over sidewalk cracks out of pretend superstition. While my recent visits to New York City now come in spurts rather than decades, I always feel completely at home amidst the crowds, the grit and the noise.  And it's not that I don't appreciate the space, the calm and the quiet of the wild-ish west (I do, and so do all my NY friends who visit!) but it's true what they say about taking the girl of out Brooklyn.  Enjoy!

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On the Darndest Things

Overhead.com

One of my favorite things about sharing public spaces with parents and children (be it the supermarket or airport) is overhearing the ridiculousness of the conversations exchanged between 30+something adults and five-year-old (give or take) minors.  It usually entails a series of unreasonable inquiries about why certain things exist or a failing effort to facilitate the activity at hand followed by half-distracted attempts to satiate the curiosity.  Either way, as the innocent bystander, it makes for pure entertainment and minimal stress. Enjoy!

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On Googling That

Wikipedia's Truth.



I needed some information last night on an obscure topic related to the show I am currently engrossed in (Scandal, if you wanna know) so I did what any curious, semi-technological savvy person would do: I googled it.  And there spotlighted at the top of my search results was good ol' faithful Wikipedia, ready to serve and provide just enough (perhaps inaccurate) information (who really reads beyond the first two sentences, anyway?) to satiate my urge and send my focus back to what was most important - Olivia Pope.  And we don't question, ponder, or debate its results even though Wikipedia's credibility has been the source of much-deserved ridicule; rather, we embrace the tools at hand and move on to something way more urgent.  Enjoy!

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On (Never) Talking On the Phone

Ring, Ring Ring...[er]

Living far from Brooklyn, NY, the majority of my closest friends still live multiple states away, yet we can go months - and occasionally even a whole year! - without actually speaking a single word to each other over the telephone.  And this doesn't mean we're not in constant touch. Between texting television show commentaries (Scandal is so...scandalous!), emailing the details of our latest unexpected run-in (I tried to cross the street!), and pinning favorite recipes and wedding dress accessories (Diamonds, anyone?), details are rarely missed.  But the voice - the actual sound from which our vocal boxes vibrate that buzzes a mile-a-minute over happy hour reunions and mediocre brunches - is gladly put on hold indefinitely.  Enjoy!

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On My Least Favorite Subject Ever

American History X.

In junior high and high school, Math and English were the subjects that came most easily to me but put a history book in my lap and I'd fall asleep faster than taking three Benadryl simultaneously.  The facts, dates, and names just went in one ear and out the other no matter how many hours my mother practiced with me (she is an English and history buff herself) or how many afternoons my HS European History teacher stayed after school just to ensure I (barely) passed the statewide exams.  So you can imagine my insanity when I enrolled in a Medieval History course in college - by choice! - because the alternative was Biology 101, and how many hours were wasted away reading aloud antiquated, ear-deafening prose over the phone to get my mother's perspective on what the heck they were writing about, and how never to make this mistake again.  Enjoy!  

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On 30s and Single

SATC.

The reality is we live in a culture where being single past our late 20s is called into question way more often than accepted as fact.  Meeting a 30-something (or older) who isn't in a serious relationship, hasn’t been married, or – even worse – has already been divorced (gasp!) tends to arouse suspicions of all the possible red flags as to why this person is likely an un-eligible bachelor(ette).  Yet the reality is it’s not easy to meet that special someone; stars need to align and personalities sync, and it take a great deal of patience to hold out for the real deal, no matter when, where or how much cynicism ensues.  Enjoy! 

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On Finding a Date

Online Applications.

Those of us who've dabbled or indulged in online dating apps know that the personas put forth to entice and cultivate initial flirtations between complete yet curious strangers are written for sole purposes of the perspectives of their audiences.  Truths or otherwise, dating via the internets or in person, true colors are saved for the months to come, once interests are piqued, perfected and permanent.  Enjoy!  

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On How Fast Time Flies

2014...Already?!

And so here we are in 2014 (already) with 2013 a near fleeting memory of

graduations and
weddings and
office potlucks and
new families and
losses and
sicknesses and
renewed resolutions and
facebook announcements and
(inappropriate facebook grievances) and
GIRLS and
Breaking Bad and
Mad Men and
promotions and
demotions and
new diets and
new clothes and
new friends and
new restaurants and
snail mail and
email and
texts and
texts and
texts and...

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