'Tis the season for a new playlist! I know I haven't posted much lately...my life has been a little bit crazy lately. I switched jobs, and have been out of state training for a few weeks, and I just can't seem to get back on track with my blog when I'm not in my normal routine of things. Hopefully after this week, I can get back to craftiness, since I'll be back in Des Moines (woot!). In the meantime, since I'm spending 2-3 hours a day commuting for training at various stores, I decided it was time for the summer CD. Here's what I came up with if anyone is interested:
1) Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
2) Bruises - Train (feat. Ashley Monroe)
3) Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips
4) Brave - Sara Bareilles
5) Should've Gone to Bed - Plain White T's
6) Beautiful and Blind - Junior Doctor
7) This Is the New Year - A Great Big World
8) True Colors (COVER) - Michelle Chamuel (The Voice Performance)
9) Next To Me - Emeli Sande
10) People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson
11) Rebel Beat - The Goo Goo Dolls
12) The Giving Tree - Plain White T's
13) Bones - Ginny Blackmore
14) 365 Days - ZZ Ward
15) Uh Oh - Junior Doctor
16) Red Hands - Walk Off the Earth
Hope you enjoy it :) And that's all for tonight...next week...catching up! (Hopefully!)
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Yeah, I'm Picky...
Recently, I went on a date. Yep. I hate dating. Once a year or so, I have momentary amnesia about how awful it is, and try again. This date was probably in the top 10 list of most infuriating dates that I've ever had...probably right behind the guy from the Peace Corps a couple years back. I remember that I used to like dating in college...when it was easy to meet people...when there were dozens of guys in classes and hallways and buses and bars to choose from. Where you could chat with someone in the lobby while you were skipping class without all the fuss of planning an actual date, so you could actually decide if it was even worth HAVING an actual date. Now, I work...and work some more...and live by myself...in a town I'm unfamiliar with...and to be honest, I'm over it. Not that it wouldn't be nice to have a guy around...it would be nice. But I don't NEED to have a guy around...it just so happens that I'm pretty damn good at being single, so if the options are go on a million miserable first dates or stay home...at this point, I'm staying home. Here's the other problem...I've been single for a full four years now...and I LIKE not having to bite my tongue about someone leaving their dirty dishes laying around. I LIKE not having to ask before I make plans for the weekend. I LIKE doing what I want to do when I want to do it, no questions asked. I LIKE being as OCD as I want to at my apartment without getting an eye roll from anyone. So yeah. That said, I don't think my expectations are utterly unreasonable...and I feel like theoretically, the guy I'm looking for should exist, but who knows. And now, I'm going to provide you with my non-negotiables, for entertainment's sake, and also so I can look back on this with some perspective someday and see if I really AM being a demanding lunatic ;) lol. Here goes:
1) Must love dogs. Yes, that's the name of a movie, but it's also one of my biggest dealbreakers. I'm up to three little rescue monsters now, and I have significant time and money invested in their happiness. If you don't like my dogs, we're going to have a problem. If they don't like you, we're going to have a problem. Such is life.
2) Must have their shit together. I'm 31...it's fine to be a wreck when you're 22...I get it...but I'm not 22 anymore. I have my shit together, and you need to have it together too. There are probably a very few, highly unlikely scenarios that may earn you a get-out-of-jail-free card on the following list, but in general: I do not want to date someone who is "trying to find" himself. I do not want to date someone who lives with their parents. I do not want to date a career student or someone who can't manage to hold down a steady job. I do not want to date someone who doesn't have a car and/or cannot legally drive. Seriously...get it together.
3) Must not have a victim mentality. Bad stuff happens to everyone. Nobody is singling you out. How you handle the bad stuff is important to me. If I hear one more "nice guys finish last" sob story, I swear it'll end with a punch in the face. If you're unhappy where you are in life, with your circumstances, do something about it. Take a class, get some counseling, apply for a new job, get a new hobby, whatever...don't just sit on your butt and complain about it, hoping it'll magically change without any effort on your part. Nobody is going to help you if you don't help yourself first.
4) Must respect my career choice. I work retail. The hours suck sometimes...of this, I am well aware. But you know what doesn't help? Having a guy belittling my job and constantly complaining about me having to work on weekends. This scenario is my trifecta of irritation. First, you had to work on Tuesday when I was off, and I didn't complain about you going to work. Second, unless you're planning on paying all of my bills, you don't get a say in whether or not I go to work (you don't get a say anyway, but DEFINITELY not when I'm paying my own way). And third, and most importantly, I like my job...my job is important and I'm freaking good at it...so shut your trap!
5) Must NEVER use the word "allowed" in reference to something I may or may not be planning to do. Oh.My.God. This may be where years of singledom and not having to answer to anyone is working against me, but I swear...when I hear women say "I'm not allowed to go out without my boyfriend/husband," "I'm not allowed to cut my hair short," etc...I literally CANNOT suppress the cringe. I can understand that some people are cool with this "allowed" concept...if that's your thing, more power to you. However, in my case , there is absolutely no faster way to ensure that I WILL do something than to say I'm not allowed to do it. Which is weird, because I'm very much a rule-follower...I'm very good at following rules...at work...in society...in pretty much all places that have the right to make rules for me. You...my friend...do not have that right. We can talk about it, we may reach a compromise, you may certainly voice your opinion and/or preference...but please do not use THAT word...ever.
6) Must be ethical and have a strong belief in personal responsibility. That means no stealing office supplies from your work. That means not wasting peoples' time by being chronically late. That means doing it right the first time instead of taking the half-ass shortcut and hoping nobody notices. In a round-about and old-fashioned way, that means if a bear comes after us in the woods, you should not be thinking of a strategy to outrun me. That means, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. And that means doing what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it. Period.
7) Must realize that in an age of cell phones and instant gratification, I expect a response to a call or text in a timely manner...that means the same day, folks. I don't care if work was crazy. I don't care if you're tired. I don't care if your best bud from college dropped by unexpectedly. A text takes 30 seconds. If you can't set aside 30 seconds for me in an entire day, then we're going to have a problem.
8) Must not smoke. I don't like to smell like smoke. I don't like my car to smell like smoke. I don't like my things to smell like smoke. I don't like to freeze my butt off in the car while you roll down the window to smoke. I don't like to sit by myself at the table while you go outside to smoke. If you want to bum a cigarette once in a while when you're out drinking, fine. If you want to smoke a cigar with the boys while you're golfing, no problem. But if you HAVE to buy a pack...if you're going to be crabby if you DON'T smoke...that's not gonna work for me.
And that's it. It's a pretty reasonable list, I think. And even if it's not, it's my list...and it's not changing. The grass is pretty green on the single side of life right now...I don't need to be jumping the fence unless it's ACTUALLY greener on the other side. Man, I'm a pain in the butt, huh? :) Back to crafty stuff on the next post, friends...have a good one!
1) Must love dogs. Yes, that's the name of a movie, but it's also one of my biggest dealbreakers. I'm up to three little rescue monsters now, and I have significant time and money invested in their happiness. If you don't like my dogs, we're going to have a problem. If they don't like you, we're going to have a problem. Such is life.
2) Must have their shit together. I'm 31...it's fine to be a wreck when you're 22...I get it...but I'm not 22 anymore. I have my shit together, and you need to have it together too. There are probably a very few, highly unlikely scenarios that may earn you a get-out-of-jail-free card on the following list, but in general: I do not want to date someone who is "trying to find" himself. I do not want to date someone who lives with their parents. I do not want to date a career student or someone who can't manage to hold down a steady job. I do not want to date someone who doesn't have a car and/or cannot legally drive. Seriously...get it together.
3) Must not have a victim mentality. Bad stuff happens to everyone. Nobody is singling you out. How you handle the bad stuff is important to me. If I hear one more "nice guys finish last" sob story, I swear it'll end with a punch in the face. If you're unhappy where you are in life, with your circumstances, do something about it. Take a class, get some counseling, apply for a new job, get a new hobby, whatever...don't just sit on your butt and complain about it, hoping it'll magically change without any effort on your part. Nobody is going to help you if you don't help yourself first.
4) Must respect my career choice. I work retail. The hours suck sometimes...of this, I am well aware. But you know what doesn't help? Having a guy belittling my job and constantly complaining about me having to work on weekends. This scenario is my trifecta of irritation. First, you had to work on Tuesday when I was off, and I didn't complain about you going to work. Second, unless you're planning on paying all of my bills, you don't get a say in whether or not I go to work (you don't get a say anyway, but DEFINITELY not when I'm paying my own way). And third, and most importantly, I like my job...my job is important and I'm freaking good at it...so shut your trap!
5) Must NEVER use the word "allowed" in reference to something I may or may not be planning to do. Oh.My.God. This may be where years of singledom and not having to answer to anyone is working against me, but I swear...when I hear women say "I'm not allowed to go out without my boyfriend/husband," "I'm not allowed to cut my hair short," etc...I literally CANNOT suppress the cringe. I can understand that some people are cool with this "allowed" concept...if that's your thing, more power to you. However, in my case , there is absolutely no faster way to ensure that I WILL do something than to say I'm not allowed to do it. Which is weird, because I'm very much a rule-follower...I'm very good at following rules...at work...in society...in pretty much all places that have the right to make rules for me. You...my friend...do not have that right. We can talk about it, we may reach a compromise, you may certainly voice your opinion and/or preference...but please do not use THAT word...ever.
6) Must be ethical and have a strong belief in personal responsibility. That means no stealing office supplies from your work. That means not wasting peoples' time by being chronically late. That means doing it right the first time instead of taking the half-ass shortcut and hoping nobody notices. In a round-about and old-fashioned way, that means if a bear comes after us in the woods, you should not be thinking of a strategy to outrun me. That means, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. And that means doing what you say you're going to do, when you say you're going to do it. Period.
7) Must realize that in an age of cell phones and instant gratification, I expect a response to a call or text in a timely manner...that means the same day, folks. I don't care if work was crazy. I don't care if you're tired. I don't care if your best bud from college dropped by unexpectedly. A text takes 30 seconds. If you can't set aside 30 seconds for me in an entire day, then we're going to have a problem.
8) Must not smoke. I don't like to smell like smoke. I don't like my car to smell like smoke. I don't like my things to smell like smoke. I don't like to freeze my butt off in the car while you roll down the window to smoke. I don't like to sit by myself at the table while you go outside to smoke. If you want to bum a cigarette once in a while when you're out drinking, fine. If you want to smoke a cigar with the boys while you're golfing, no problem. But if you HAVE to buy a pack...if you're going to be crabby if you DON'T smoke...that's not gonna work for me.
And that's it. It's a pretty reasonable list, I think. And even if it's not, it's my list...and it's not changing. The grass is pretty green on the single side of life right now...I don't need to be jumping the fence unless it's ACTUALLY greener on the other side. Man, I'm a pain in the butt, huh? :) Back to crafty stuff on the next post, friends...have a good one!
Weird Iowa...
It's funny how you don't notice regional things until you move somewhere else. Take, for example, the use of the word "sack" here in Iowa. The word is used here in place of the word "bag". Unfortunately, six months after moving here, it still makes me want to giggle and/or cringe (depending on who is saying it) almost every time I hear it. In Illinois, the only time I really recall anyone using the word sack, it either involved getting some action or a potential anatomy lesson, if you know what I mean (or way back in the 90's when hacky sack was a thing, I guess). Sack. Pshhh. How silly.
That's just a funny little quirk though. Much of the bizarre behavior I've noticed from the state of Iowa revolves largely around winter and/or snow removal. Most notably, they don't seem to believe in snow removal here. I lived in Illinois for 30 years, and I'm pretty sure I haven't owned a pair of boots since about 8th grade...I really didn't need them...by the time people were going to work in Illinois, roads and sidewalks were clear (I know...novel idea, right?). And if they weren't clear right away in the morning, it was because we got a foot of snow overnight, and things are opening late or not at all for the day.
You may wonder why on earth I'm bringing up snow in May. Well, allow me to enlighten you. It snowed here in Des Moines this past week...for two whole days...in May (only 2 inches, but still...ick). Completely uncalled for, if you ask me, but alas...mother nature did NOT ask me. So anyway, this particular snowfall has led to my greatest revelation yet of bizarre Iowa-isms. All winter long, when I was driving back and forth from Illinois, I wondered why the HECK people (who have run off the road) here leave their cars in the ditch for days and days. Dozens upon dozens of them were strewn all over the ditches along I-80 every time it snowed, and stayed there for a ridiculously long time. There were semis flipped over in the ditch for literally a week after one of those snowfalls over the winter. A WEEK. That's a lot of lost money. Anyway, I guess I decided maybe people in Iowa are just waaaaay more laid back than people in Illinois or something...whatever. So, during the snowfall this past week, a gal who is from here explained that when it's snowy and road conditions aren't great (like during our whopping two inches of snow last week), they issue a STATEWIDE towing ban. Like...you are not ALLOWED to get your car out of the ditch...apparently, it impedes on traffic. To which I have two things to say:
1) If you think there's a single place in Iowa that constitutes using the word "traffic," you have obviously never seen traffic.
2) WHAT?!? What kind of ridiculous, insane regulation is THAT?!? No freaking wonder this state shuts down when we get 4 inches of snow...nobody wants to leave the house, because they don't want to accidentally wind up stuck in a ditch and be stranded without a car for a week!
In conclusion, Iowa is weird, and I need to get some sleep so I can be at work early in the morning. I feel much better now that I have that rant off my chest though...I've been saving it up since I made this discovery on Friday, because I haven't had time to get to a computer since then. lol :) Goodnight all...more soon!
That's just a funny little quirk though. Much of the bizarre behavior I've noticed from the state of Iowa revolves largely around winter and/or snow removal. Most notably, they don't seem to believe in snow removal here. I lived in Illinois for 30 years, and I'm pretty sure I haven't owned a pair of boots since about 8th grade...I really didn't need them...by the time people were going to work in Illinois, roads and sidewalks were clear (I know...novel idea, right?). And if they weren't clear right away in the morning, it was because we got a foot of snow overnight, and things are opening late or not at all for the day.
You may wonder why on earth I'm bringing up snow in May. Well, allow me to enlighten you. It snowed here in Des Moines this past week...for two whole days...in May (only 2 inches, but still...ick). Completely uncalled for, if you ask me, but alas...mother nature did NOT ask me. So anyway, this particular snowfall has led to my greatest revelation yet of bizarre Iowa-isms. All winter long, when I was driving back and forth from Illinois, I wondered why the HECK people (who have run off the road) here leave their cars in the ditch for days and days. Dozens upon dozens of them were strewn all over the ditches along I-80 every time it snowed, and stayed there for a ridiculously long time. There were semis flipped over in the ditch for literally a week after one of those snowfalls over the winter. A WEEK. That's a lot of lost money. Anyway, I guess I decided maybe people in Iowa are just waaaaay more laid back than people in Illinois or something...whatever. So, during the snowfall this past week, a gal who is from here explained that when it's snowy and road conditions aren't great (like during our whopping two inches of snow last week), they issue a STATEWIDE towing ban. Like...you are not ALLOWED to get your car out of the ditch...apparently, it impedes on traffic. To which I have two things to say:
1) If you think there's a single place in Iowa that constitutes using the word "traffic," you have obviously never seen traffic.
2) WHAT?!? What kind of ridiculous, insane regulation is THAT?!? No freaking wonder this state shuts down when we get 4 inches of snow...nobody wants to leave the house, because they don't want to accidentally wind up stuck in a ditch and be stranded without a car for a week!
In conclusion, Iowa is weird, and I need to get some sleep so I can be at work early in the morning. I feel much better now that I have that rant off my chest though...I've been saving it up since I made this discovery on Friday, because I haven't had time to get to a computer since then. lol :) Goodnight all...more soon!
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