28.2.14

List #234: 28 Things for February

The universe agrees that February is our worst month. Very few good things truly come out of our shortest month. This year, as it makes its exit, we're bracing for a winter storm (albeit with a due date of March). And frankly, that just seems like the perfect way to say goodbye to February. Well, add some good old fashioned ruminating and you've got...exactly what happens in February.

So, here are things I've been thinking about over the past month:


  • Why can't we find the time to watch the last ten minutes of Despicable Me 2
  • How can I become friends with Joe Biden. 
  • I really truly feel that I can never own enough cardigans.
  • The sadness I will feel with How I Met Your Mother is over. 
  • Radley Cat, please stop doing all of the crazy things you do all night.
  • The innate ability of radio stations to perpetually be three days behind in popular culture news.
  • Where does a librarian go for trusted professional device? 
  • Making out never gets old.
  • More Olympics, please.
  • Sidney Crosby can never do wrong.
  • Why yes, I am sometimes scared to sleep alone.
  • I must, must, must lock the door.
  • Oscars? Blah.
  • Let's press the snooze button two more times.
  • A dog, wearing a sweater, and carrying something on his butt on Liberty Ave., Downtown Pittsburgh.
  • Jimmy Fallon can do no wrong.
  • I must learn all of the words to this song
  • Things that need to be accomplished before bedtime.
  • Pillow fight!
  • Planning a first birthday party.
  • Daydreaming of Chicago.
  • Daydreaming of the beach.
  • Daydreaming of reading books on the beach.
  • Girl Scout Cookies
Here's to getting through the weekend, this storm, and the rest of winter. And coming out safe and happy. 


27.2.14

List #233: Lunchtime Obsessions, #1

One of my strangest personality quirks is my habit of becoming obsessed with something until I can no longer stand it. I will listen, eat, play, talk something until it's close to death. Then I'll fool around with it a little more. Until nope, done. Not touching it ever again.


I'm my own worst enemy most of the time. And this is surely one of the reasons why. Am I OCD? Probably not. But I'm pretty sure I'm just a few inches from the borderline at times.

What am I obsessing over this week?
  • Einstein Brother's Southwestern Vegetarian Soup (with quinoa)
  • Clementines (not Halos or Cuties, but by referring to them as their actual name)
  • This song
 
Story of My Life ~ One Direction
(I have never watched this video, but the screen shot show it's clearly inspired by *NSync)
  • Conditioning my hair with coconut oil
  • Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show
  • Making sure the nightlight is on in the bathroom
Yeah, I'm an odd bird. I've embraced it.

24.2.14

List # 232: The Things that I Am Opting Not to Put Effort Into This Week

This past Friday, a coworker asked me a simple question. "Should this craft supply go back into our craft supply closet?" 

...there was a reported 7 second pause.

"Yes," I answered.

...15 minutes later.

"Where are those craft supplies," I asked.

To say I was having a rough day on Friday is a bit of understatement. Storytime grandmothers were asking why I looked "extraordinarily exhausted." And I was the crankiest partner ever to the the boyfriend. Seriously, he has the patience of a saint because I'm pretty sure I would have wanted to throttle me across the room. Eventually, a 9:30pm bedtime and a wonderful weekend filled with sunshine and goings about Pittsburgh solved the cranks. 

But suddenly it was Monday again. Filled with forgotten meetings, too many phone calls, strange requests, stress-induced headaches, all of those things that come in from left field, lonely couches, diets, and all of the things that can't even be predicted because it is, after all, only Monday.

So because all of the world seems to be moving at a fast pace and I'm not one of those lucky residents who get to take a winter break to golden beaches, clear water, and warm sun, I'm choosing to limit my efforts this week. 

In this last week of February, I'm choosing not to waste energy on:
  • Caring about the Oscars. I'll watch because I want to see what people are wearing. And maybe because of Ellen. But the rest of it? Meh.
  • Thinking about what librarians wear. I like what I wear. And it's enough trying to iron that every night before I sleep.
  • The WWE. I don't really think of this often anyway, but there seemed to be a lot of buzz about wrestling today.
  • Money. I mean, I'm always stressed about this, but I'm choosing to spend less time thinking about it this week. 
  • People who are still mad USA lost in Olympic hockey. Sure, I was sad for our players, but every game has a loser. Let's just get that gold in 4 years.
  • The Bachelorette. Like Survivor, I'm always shocked this show is still on TV.
  • Bedtimes. But not necessarily in the fun way. If I feel like going to bed at 8:30 pm, then so be it.
And with that, I'm probably off to get under the covers now. 

18.2.14

List #231: So Many of the Things that I Love Today

Photo is from Flickr user Kiwifraiz by use of Creative Commons

I have been a little stressed out lately. Work has many different projects being juggled right now, all awesome, but there is a lot to handle. I'm moving and finally closing out my apartment, but our storage unit is full. I'm reducing the amount of rent that I pay, but I'm trying to straighten out financial missteps from the past. The boyfriend is traveling a lot for work. I blow my nose more than two dozen times a day. I am having trouble sleeping. The list goes on and on. 

Surely, a lot of this is the February blues. And a lot of is the normal amount of anxiety I typically harness just exaggerated because I worry about the little things and there are a whole lot of little things mixed in with just a few big ones. 

But the other day a friend suggested I think about three things that are currently making me happy, to stub all of the other thoughts out in a hush. 

So because I need to harness the happy, I'm writing down the things that I love right now. Given that I already love my friends, my family, and the two adorable men that live with me, here is what else is out there:

Today, I loved:
  • How a good friend surprised me for storytime and for lunch.
  • And then how that good friend surprised me and ordered a grande latte instead of my requested tall.
  • The pink polka dot dress I wore today.
  • Packages on my doorstep.
  • What felt like the first rays on sun shining on Pittsburgh in weeks.
  • How I didn't button my coat when I left work this evening.
  • Getting the gumption to try coconut oil on my hair.
  • Long distance calls over dinner.
  • Cleaning my closets.
  • Organizing freshly washed laundry.
  • Helping my friend solve a small problem.
  • The unexpected amount of time this afternoon that allowed me to get a lot of work done.
  • The toddlers' storytime enthusiasm.
  • Just how cute Jimmy Fallon is. 
  • More Winter Olympics coverage.
  • This sentimental and sweet goodbye to Seth Myers from the SNL writers and cast. 
  • Big blankets and lots of pillows.
  • Ira Glass's voice on my morning commute.
  • The way my cat sleeps with his belly pointed up in the air on the living room chair.
  • Positive notes from people I don't even know.
  • The friendliness of friends that exist only through social media. 
  • Writing.
Here's to finding more things to love about tomorrow. And a good night's sleep. 

17.2.14

List #230: What We Talk About When The Snow Won't Melt

George Harrison's Here Comes the Sun keeps popping into my head. On the cold morning commute, when I'm watching men slide down a long and winding path of ice, when I'm rubbing my feet together between the sheets.

There haven't been too many winters in Pittsburgh where it feels like cold and snow is not just the forecast, but a state of being. This winter feels more like my college days when we'd have to trudge across campus in feet, day after day. And where too much snow on a Friday night might just be enough to keep you inside with computer games and videos.

Winter has taken hold of our bones and until it lets go, this is what is on our minds:

  • Johnny Weir's Olympic fashion choices
  • How horribly awful some people 
  • The absolute no need for 50 Shades of Grey teddy bears
  • Pregnancy announcements/gender reveals/birth announcements
  • How ridiculous the cat is
  • Patriotic babies
  • Bob Costas' eyes
  • Which winter game we would excel in
  • How people don't understand Beats audio
  • How jealous I am of your winter beach vacation
  • Why I am so cold
  • What in the world is taking the Chinese food delivery so long
  • The large amounts of laundry that need to be done
  • Bode Miller
  • How dry my hand are
  • When are we all going on vacation
  • Books that keep us up at night
  • All sorts of things about Anna and Bates and Lady Edith
  • Meryl and Charlie
  • How awesome Canada is
  • All of the hours of tired
  • Icy noses, icy toes, icy hands
So I'm trying to stay warm. And hope you are too. Spring isn't too far off now, right? 

9.2.14

Letter #55: To All of The Single Men

Dear Men Who are Single, 

There are far too many single ladies out there. You need to do something about this.

Correction:  The men who want to find smart kind, compassionate, funny, and determined women need to do something about this.  Those seeking friends with benefits, one-night-stands, relationships without boundaries, and those who don't like to put labels on things are certainly welcome to find what they are looking for. But really, I want to talk to guys who want the kind of women I know.

I know intelligent women. These are women with Masters degrees who put their minds and hearts into their careers. They plan events, talk with bigwigs, write articles for newspapers, run departments, and still find the time to have drinks with friends after work. They visit museums, take in broadway shows, and want to go to an occasional ballet. Intelligent women aren't looking for someone to mirror their own lives, but instead are looking to find someone who will match them in knowledge. They want a partner. They are hoping for someone who pushes them to try new things.

I know women who travel. Yes, it will be pretty easy to find a woman who like sit on the beach a few days a year. But women who travel are a little different. They are the kind who have lived in foreign countries with plumbing systems so ancient flushing toilet paper is forbidden. They are women who can pack more than a week's clothing in one carry one case. They have an abundance of frequent flyer miles and they sometimes know European cities better than their tiny one bedroom apartments. Women who travel want someone who they don't have to pull out of bed for a 5:00 am flight. They're looking for someone who will try new foods and owns a good pair of walking shoes.

I know women who love sports. They aren't afraid to saddle up to the bar and order a beer on a Friday night. They are loyal to only a few select teams. Women who love sports won't turn down tickets to a game and aren't going to shy away from loosing their voice from cheering. They are women who hang more than one jersey in their closet and own more than one or two championship tshirts. Women who love sports are looking for someone who always want to turn on the game, and won't mind if their girlfriend knows a little bit more than they do from time to time.

I know women who know how to love. There are far too many women out there who know how to love but end up with bruised and battered hearts. They've had boyfriends who promise big things and then walk away. They've been forced to move out of shared apartments and split custody with puppies. I know women who have put their heart and soul into a job only to have it fizzle out soon after acquiring it. I know women who have put their lives on hold to support their love through graduate degrees only to have them leave when it's all over. I know women who have pledged vows and kept them, only to have their partner let those vows fall apart. I know women who have multiple online dating accounts and only get messages from men who are shirtless, ask for sex, or can't spell.

So if you're a guy who is also smart, dedicated, compassionate, and enjoyable start paying attention these women. Take the risk and say more than hello to them. She could be on your commute, your elevator, your grocery store, really just about anywhere. Because I know how many good women are out there. I know how many awesome women who will stay way from Facebook on Friday because they don't want to look at endless stream of Valentine's Day bragging. I know how hard it is to think that maybe, you're not going to find what you're looking for.

All the best,

A Lady Who Has Too Much of This In Her History To Forget It