29.4.12

Positive Project #14: Google (Commercials)

I don't know how Google does it, but somehow they make us feel sentimental and hopeful over a web browser. If you watch any TV at all, by now, you have probably seen this: 

I could watch this commercial over and over and OD on it like my favorite song.


I'm absolutely certain that there is no a snowball's chance in hell that there is an even a remote possibility that I want my ex back. I don't. Good riddance. The story of how I dodged a bullet and life is so much happier would be awesome Google commercial too.

It would read something like this:
Girl gets dumped. Girl waits around on Gchat waiting for someone to notice. Girl blocks email. Girl starts a blog. Girl gets a book contract. Girl travels the world. Girl meets a nice and handsome man who loves her who just happens to love Google too.

The last part never actually happened, but the base of the story did and I'd gladly let Google take some creative license to my story.

And in the meantime, I'll continue loving this commercial. Not because it conjures up old memories of past loves. But because it makes me hopeful that someone out there might want to love me this fiercely. It makes me excited to share a future and be vulnerable. It reminds me that even though I am not a hopeless romantic, grand gestures happen and mean something.

Google, you keep making these commercials. And men, start taking notes. We want to know how much we mean to you. We want you to make a grand gesture. We want to see you love.

26.4.12

Positive Project #13: Nail Polish

I don't have long fingernails. I don't even get the shelac or the acrylic tips because of the expensive upkeep. So it's an extremely rare occasion when I wear nail polish on them.

Yes, I have nail envy. I would love to have nails like this: 

These were Nails of the Day on HelloGiggles. 
You can guarantee if I had long fingernails I'd try for Nails of the Day every week.

But that doesn't mean I don't love nail polish. In the summer months I'll very easily buy a new shade every week. And then promptly paint my toes.

Nail Polish

It means the weather is open-toed shoe appropriate. It makes me feel girly. And it's a little bit of expression in a tiny, tiny bottle.

So tonight? When I painted my toes in anticipation of bridesmaid duties this weekend? I might have cursed my unsteady hand, but I also got really giddy for pink dresses and high heels. Even if the weather probably won't cooperate.

So dear readers, what little beauty things do you most look forward to doing? What makes you feel super girly? Or manly? 


24.4.12

Positive Project #12: A Bed of Your Own

I think my most favorite part of moving this month is the new bed.


It's the right amount of firm and the right amount of soft. I love that I have brand new sheets. And a comforter that's my personality. I love that I actually have decorative pillows that serve no purpose other than to make my bed look pretty. I make it every morning. 

I look forward to early Sunday mornings, legs just barely touching someone else's, the bedroom windows cracked, the faint sound of a distant lawnmower drifting in and waking us from sleep. I look forward to those lazy evenings that start out as going to bed early, but turn into long talks in the dark. Learning more about each other, putting our baggage on the table, sleeping soundly after discovering secrets. 

But until that happens, I like sleeping on the diagonal. I like hogging all of the covers. And I like reading books before I sleep.

So dear readers, are you someone who likes sleeping alone or with company? 

22.4.12

Positive Project #11: Chilly Nights

It's late on a Saturday night. And if I was younger, I might be out drinking until I was ready to make out with a stranger in the corner. If I was more social, I might be at some swanky party. And If I had more money, I might be having a fancy dinner out. But none of those things are true.

Instead, there is a bridal shower tomorrow afternoon for a cousin.  There is a minimal amount of money in my checking account. There is another busy week just dangling on the horizon after 6 consecutive days of working. There is a playoff hockey game to be played.

It's likely that I spent the latter part of my evening in the tub, with a book that has a narrating librarian. Texting a certain person. Enjoying silence. Finding comfort in the fact that Unplugged albums are still a thing. Wondering if the knot in my lower back will ever go away. Listening to old Ani DiFranco songs. And placing a few silent wishes out into the great wide open.

The night air is chillier than it should be this time of year. And I'm thankful that when I finally nest inside my queen sized bed alone, that I can bundle under the comforter. I'm thankful for the cold air that reminds me even seasons have a hard time changing. I'm thankful for silence that only I can break. I'm thankful for nights that aren't interrupted by cries or sadness or drunk texts or arguments.

You may make it hard to decide what to wear, Mother Nature. But tonight I'm glad you are trying to tell us to bundle up and take care, still showing us the promise of sunshine to come.

17.4.12

Positive Project #10: Not Reading 50 Shades of Grey

Even though I may be a little bit of a book snob personally, I am a librarian. It's part of my job to believe that everyone has the right to read whatever they choose. I believe that every book has a home. And I don't believe in censorship.

That being said. Women of America, please stop reading this:


I say this not because I don't think you have the right to read whatever the hell you want. I say this not because I don't respect self-published, e-book only works.  I only say it because you deserve better.

We are women of the 21st century. We don't need to read Twilight Fanfiction. We don't need to have a book labeled as "mommy porn." Because we're dimensional creatures. We shouldn't be pushing works like this to the NY Times Bestseller list because we deserve more.

And listen, I get it. I get that many of us feel like we aren't respected in our relationships. We all have sexual fantasies that may not become reality because of our own hangups, our partners wishes, our lack of confidence, or just plain lack of a partner. But instead of reading books about wimpy Bella, or even worse, books inspired by a teenage girl who gives up everything for a man why don't we work to make our lives better? Or at least work to reading books that titillate and challenge us.

So today, I'm choosing to see not reading 50 Shades of Grey as a sign of positivity in my life. Things are going right.

And I leave you with 3 books to consider before you think about picking up the latest buzz* I encourage you to pick them up for free at your local library. But however you want to read them is fine with me.


Tess of the d'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy
A censored book even in its day. It has sex before marriage, a woman despised by society, gossip, love. When I read it in college I remember thinking it had to have been the romantic smut of its day. And then you can get your English accent fix and watch the steamy movie.
Straight Up and Dirty by Stephanie Klein
I'd recommend Chelsea Handler's My Horizonal Life but she's super famous now and everyone has read it. So give Stephanie Kleinn a try. Recently divorced from a man who was "fitting her like a noose" she goes off the deep end a lot....but hilariously. But instead of just tales of sex, she also explores what happens to us when we are left high and dry.


Lolita by Vladmir Nabakov
The "orignal" story of a young girl and a skeevy older man. The classic erotic novel. An unhappy marriage, a man obsessed with (quite literally) younger girls, lies, control, death, paranoia and oh, so much more. It's the book you'll want to throw across the room, but the book you'll keep close to the nightstand for more. And then, not so quite shockingly, there is a movie to go along with it.



So dear readers, go check out something other than what the media is telling you is the next big thing. And let's make something quality the next big thing.

*Disclaimer: I did order this book for my library. Because well, there is a public need, a popularity, and a whole bunch of circs.

16.4.12

Positive Project # 9: Weekend Getaways

I would love to be able to take trips across the globe. I haven't been outside of the US since I returned from my year of living abroad too many years ago that I care to admit. But sadly, I don't have the vacation time, the budget, nor the sugar daddy who can make those things happen.

But I do get away for weekend getaways. They don't cost a lot and are often spent with family and friends that can always make you laugh. I was lucky enough to join some of my own favorites this weekend to some NY wineries and celebrate some upcoming nuptials.

Considering I will probably not take a vacation until well into the summer months since this is the time of year that librarian's start to hold their breath professionally...I'm even more thankful that I got the chance to put a pause on the busy and enjoy some quality time.

A Librarian by a Lake

Because I can get behind limo rides, funny stories, a few good cries, and memory making.

So dear readers, what did you do this weekend? Going on a getaway anytime soon?




9.4.12

Positive Project #8: Second Chances

I am a lover not a fighter. I believe that people are generally good. I think that most people just want to be loved and accepted and anger is often misplaced. And because of this, I believe in second chances.

I just don't think they come around all that often. I think the opportunities to correct the big things in the past are few and far between. I think we make choices that start us on new paths. And I think sometimes the universe and its elements collide and force us to make decisions that are just past our control.

I think we can forgive. I think very few of us forget.

But with all of this, I do think that second chances are out there. And that when a one comes along we should grab it. We should help it. We should support it. And hope that it ends better than the first time around. I think if our gut feels that the second path seems like a good idea, we should follow it.

Because even though I think it's extremely tough to get a true re-do, luck and patience exist out there too.

So in the course of my Positive Project, I'm choosing to see the little and big second chances that surround our world. And hope that as long as I'm living the universe continues to try give support and the opportunities to correct mistakes.

So today, let's be positive and see:

  • The person who got a new job because they used the library's computers to build a resume.
  • The kid who gets a re-test because a teacher had sympathy.
  • The person who is honest and is telling you they no longer want to fuck up.
  • The old friends who re-enter our lives.
  • The person who is attending AA meetings.
  • The person who does more than just say "I'm sorry."
So dear readers, do you believe in second chances? What examples do you see in your own life and the lives of those surrounding you? I'd love to hear them.

8.4.12

Positive Project #7: Easter Candy

My Easter holiday was different than those of the past. I opted to stay home while my family traveled to see my little brother. And I spent the weekend with friends and hockey and the new place. And really it was all quite lovely.

Plus, I'm one of those lucky adults whose mother still manages to create an Easter basket of sorts together. Sure, it didn't come in a bakset. And it's certainly gotten smaller throughout the years. But my Mom is one of those sweet mothers who thinks its blasphemous when parents don't give their children something for the holidays. I love her.

And this Easter? She gave me a bunch of these:

Malted Milk Eggs

And for that I am grateful. Everyone is a fan of the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. Everyone in Pittsburgh loves Sarris Candy bunnies. Some people even love jelly beans.

But because sometimes I might as well be 80 versus 30, Because I like malted milk eggs, sixlets and those caramels with the cream center.

So dear readers, what is your favorite Easter candy? And were you lucky enough to get it in your basket today?

5.4.12

Positive Project #6: Cheesy Songs

Last week was a busy week for me. I was prepping for a move, recovering from something serious. And listening to Justin Bieber approximately 50 times. Maybe more, but I refuse to round any higher.

So what if I like this song:

It's catchy. It reminds me of a grown-up *Nsync (which is even hard for me to say because 2000-me loved *Nsync). It makes me happy that the sun in shining and that I don't have to justify my odd taste in music to anyone with a judgmental frown on their face.

So let's give it up for the cheesy pop song today.

LMFAO ~ Shots
I didn't even know this was a real song. But my cousin used to shout it when we'd go out drinking. And then they made Party Rock.


Drake ~ HYFR
I literally don't know one thing about Drake. Okay, I lied. He's coming to Pittsburgh and people are losing their shit over it. But doesn't his intro into this song remind you of Tracy Jordan's intro into Werewolf Bar Mitzvah. Just me then? Okay.

What kind of world would we live in without the pleasure of music like this, readers? A bleak one, for certain.  Share your cheesy/ridiculous/over-the-top songs in the comments. Or just tell me how much you love Justin Bieber.


Oh, and go check out my Twitter Friend, Erin the Librarian. She's decided to join the Positive Project over on her blog, Tad Overdue. She says she's a spotty blogger, at best. So all the more reason for you to visit and tell her how much more she should write.

3.4.12

Positive Project #5: A New Home

A New Place to Hang my Hat

I moved this weekend. A new place. A new start. A new adventure. 

I'm a bit smitten with my apartment right now and think that the Positive Project might include more posts about it. 


  • I'm happy to be writing from my own couch.
  • I'm happy to have friends who lifted all of the heavy things for me.
  • I'm happy for evening quiet.
  • I'm happy that so many things could happen here. 
And that so many things will happen here.

What's your bit of happy today, readers? Share in the comments, please!