New Layout

While it is still February, and far from Spring, I decided to do some Spring cleaning. The sudden warm streak that Troy had yesterday has thrown me off. I even walked back to the pool around 10 pm without my hair freezing! I've been toying with altering the layout design on my blog for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to finding what seems to fit the most.

Let me know what you guys think!

To Those Who I Have Loved and Lost

Over the years that I have been dating, I have been fortunate enough to know and date some awesome guys. I say this due to their own credentials, personality, spunk, and smiles, but also for the lessons they have left with me. Everyone you meet in your life impacts you, and changes you, hopefully for the better, at some point. This is a note of appreciation to those men who helped make me a bit better.

Thank you for,
-Getting me to stop biting my nails and actually use a nail trimmer and/or scissors
-Remembering to brush my teeth before going to bed, that actually inspired me to floss
-Promoting my self esteem for myself
-Forcing me to do things on my own
-A lesson in empathy
-Teaching me to laugh at everything
-Encouraging me to try playing Rock Band even though I am horrible
-Enlightening me to legitimate New York bagels and pizza
-Showing me how great downtown Portland is
-Taking me to the East Side
-Giving me the confidence I thought I'd never gain back in a situation
-Letting me love fully and truly
-Becoming my best friend
-Watching Star Treck with me
-Encouraging all my little doodles
-Lessons in how to get along with roommates
-Forcing me to challenge myself

This list really does not serve much purpose besides a place for publishing a personal reflection, because I am fairly certain only one ex-boyfriend reads my blog with any frequency. Despite this, a lot of my life is fairly public, so it is only fitting to share the thoughts that make me think and appreciate.

Set Your Sappy Meter to High

Happy Valentine's Day readers! Yes, a large amount of apathy amassed itself in my last post about this holiday, but you know what? I have no problem with the sentiment of this day. Advertisements and tired gender stereotypes, yes, love, no. How can anyone have a problem with love? Quoting myself, my sentiments regarding this holiday can be summed up in my facebook status:

oh hi there Valentine's Day. You've been good to me, yet never bad, even at your worst. Take this day to appreciate love. The love you have for family, the love for yourself, the love for your love, and love of love. Let your heart be happy, honest and filled with lightness today no matter where you are in life. You are loved. Happy Valentine's Day ♥

My jam packed schedule of romance today? Rock a black and red cute, yet sexy, outfit to my art classes, make dinner for my roommate and myself, have a rewarding and challenging swim workout, watch a horrible romantic comedy with some of my best girl friends, drink to good times, and maybe some Integer Programming. If that's not hot I don't know what is.

No matter where you are in life, there is love surrounding you. It might be hard to find, it might be so close you just can't see it, or it could be right where you expect it to be. Love is all around. Love is a many splendid thing. All you need is love.

Family, friends, and significant others; love comes in many forms. Just thinking about love makes me feel warm inside. Love lifts us up where we belong. So today, be happy for the love you have and for the love you have for others. For those of you who really can't seem to find any joy in the day, find a friend, watch a movie, have some drinks and laughs.

If all else fails, stare at the gorgeous piece of man-steak that is Jake Gyllenhaal.

19% of My Life is Dancing in My Underwear

The title of this post says it all. If you are not my roommate, don't know me intensely well, or do not follow me online, you may not know this fact. I dance a lot in life. I sometimes dance well, I sometimes dance with uncontrollable angst, but a lot of the time, I dance like a dork: a cute dork, but definitely a dork. A lot of that dorky dancing occurs in my apartment in my under garments.

With that introduction in mind, due to my StumbleUpon habits, I have been on 8Tracks a lot. This post is then my gift to you: music that I sway to, that makes my heart smile, and that I dance to in my undies.

Enjoy.


Ingrid Michaelson "Be OK": This song is actually a bit depressing if you listen to the lyrics, however, I think that's why I like it.


Florence and the Machine "Kiss with a Fist": One more reason I love 94.7 for finding this for me ages ago.


Cobra Starship "Guilty Pleasure": From my sisters' 18th birthday present CD to me.


The Strokes "Reptilia": Because I am a dork.


Franz Ferdinand "Michael": Because I am a sexy dork.


Vengaboys "Boom Boom Boom Boom": Feel free to judge me. I'm aware of it. Let the judgement commence, but doesn't everyone get some crappy pop from their high school dances stuck in their heads at some point?


David Guetta ft Akon "Sexy Bitch": Once again, I enjoy pop/hiphop for the beats. Get over it.


Ke$ha "Kiss N Tell": I am not a fan of her wardrobe choices, or blatant product placement, but girl makes some catchy pop.

Eight songs from me to...me, well myself and whoever reads this blog or checks facebook. Go strip and dance in your undies!

One Week

No, I am not going to be discussing or nit-picking apart the amusing Barenaked Ladies video (Youtube is being annoying and won't let me embed the video). For those of you who are trying to forget that today is, in fact, a Monday, or for those of you who have lost track of their internal clock, today is February 7th. That means that it is one week until Valentine's Day.

No, this is not a bitter, angry, bitchy post.

This is a post of puzzlement and face-palming at advertising.

A while ago I "liked" or subscribed to some piece of merchandise from Victoria's Secret (VS). As much as I harp on them, I really do like the majority of their bras. The body stuff can be a bit much, the swimsuits are always good for a laugh, and I'm sure some of the "technology" in their bras really was created by NASA scientists. I have no idea how some of that "lift" is achieved. Anywho, due to my internet agreement, I often get posts by VS in my facebook newsfeed on my Droid. The postings are normally fine, intriguing, good for a laugh. Normally.

The exception to this is that I really do not need to be reminded every five posts that it is a week from Valentine's Day. VS, if you are able to see the information on my facebook profile, you would know I am not "in a relationship", "being complicated with" or any of the other non-single options. For that matter, I do not have any relationship status currently on my profile. It's just blank. I've been adopting a policy of not broadcasting this information to the world. It works out rather nicely. That being said, their programmed posts really should check if I have a "sweetie...or that hottie you friended last week".

Not to single out VS, I simply don't see the point of the excessive advertising that comes with this particular holiday. Yes, advertising publishes and circulates information about products leading to hopefully, greater sales of goods. I understand this for Christmas. I understand this for Thanksgiving and Halloween, however, Valentine's Day just seems like a mimic of old gender roles and stereotyping. If you are in a relationship, shouldn't the guy remember to do something sweet without images of pink teddy bears bombarding his brain? Shouldn't you yourself think to do something thoughtful for your guy or gal right back?

In my life since the start of dating, I've had Valentine's Days where I was single and happy about it, single and upset about it, and in a relationship. Heck, I asked one of my best boyfriends out on Valentine's Day at midnight and made him a delicious dinner after his computer science lab. I've had a boyfriend take me out to a great steak dinner. Chocolates have filled my stomach some years, and alcohol others.

I am not bitter, not angry, not lonely, not sad. I am actually at a pretty good place in my life. It's kind of awesome.

You know what I'll be doing this Valentine's Day?

Going to the pub with one of my best girl friends since it falls on a Monday, possibly working, and then looking like this watching romantic comedies with my roomie and red wine.



Oh, and eating chocolate. It's not Valentine's Day without large amounts of dark chocolate.

Will the Wonder End?

Maybe it's because I am still five years old at heart. Maybe it's because I ride the peaks as well as the valleys, and enjoy ever second of exhilarating rush that comes with cascading into the valley. Maybe it's because I still sometimes cuddle up with my favorite, and oldest, teddy bear at night. Maybe it's because I'm figuring out what to do with my life.

Nonetheless, I'm happy.

Maybe it's because I've been listening to happiness themed playlists on 8tracks.com, or that I really enjoy my sculpture class, even though I burned my left ring finger using the hot glue gun today. Maybe it's because water polo makes me smile whenever I try to do a hold. Everything just seems right. I am normally a happy person, but only for the moments. Something is different.

Happiness seems like it could be a permanent gig.

I'm a cynic, I'm an optimist, I'm crazy, I'm lovely, I'm exuberantly unsure of future enthusiasm. I'm not sure where I'm going, but I know where I've been. I think the fact that I am seriously contemplating wearing a cape to work next Wednesday says something about how joyful I can be. I don't know where I'm going, but it always seems there's a fluffy unicorn able to carry me back along to happiness.

I don't think I'm ever going to lose that unicorn.

Some Food for Thought

While the main purpose of this blog is to have an outlet for writing, I do periodically observe trends and data. I am dual majoring in mathematics and economics after all. With that in mind, I find it highly amusing that in the eight months that I have been blogging, my third highest, or third most visited post, has been about pierogies.

The secret to a man's heart is through his stomach appears to be true for both sexes.