Be it faux-hawks, dancing, or the city of Florence, the cast members of "Jersey Shore" love to declare everything their "best thing". Here are some of MY Best Things.
Dudes. I'm getting fucking OLD. I was at a dinner the other night with a 19 year-old and three 22 year-olds. I wanted to cry. I've been having back issues. Like pains and tightness. IN MY BACK. That is something old people have! Tomorrow I turn 29. As mentioned previously, I've been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit and have had many incredible experiences (jumped off a cliff and swam with sharks in Palau, surfed and sailed in Australia, saw the Mayan ruins in Mexico, hiked the Great Wall in China, floated in the Dead Sea in Israel, etc.). But for some reason THIRTY seems like a deadline by which I need to make a lot of check-marks on the grand ol' bucket list. So I've decided to make a list of 30 things I need to do before I turn 30 in order to feel ready for my next decade. Some of these are general goals I've had for a long time, some are things I feel I need to leave behind in 20's, and some are things I feel will prepare me for my 30's: 1. Eat at Providence 2. Book a trip to Africa 3. Leave current job / start a new job 4. Drink the champagne in the fridge that I've been saving for a "special" celebratory occasion 5. Run - actually RUN - in a race (even just a 5K) 6. Use the cooking class gift certificate my boss bought me for my LAST birthday 7. Get some sort of waterproof casing for either my iPhone or my Rebel so that I can document it when I... 8. Swim with whale sharks 9. Re-read The Great Gatsby, and read 3 other classics for the first time 10. Attend a beer fest 11. Try snowboarding or skiing for real 12. Test-drive the Tesla 13. Develop a proper regimen for taking good care of my skin (e.g. using face cream - ick) 14. Go a whole month without eating any meat whatsoever 15. Buy a pair of Louboutins or a designer bag 16. Watch at least 10 more of AFI's top 100 (I've seen 32 from the 2007 list) 17. Help an animal give birth OR be present during a surgery 18. Create something (e.g. a full script, short story, painting, etc.) 19. Learn how to make the perfect dirty martini (yum) 20. Go through all the junk in my room at my parents' house (and get rid of most of it) 21. Shoot a gun (at a target range) 22. Buy a new, carefully-chosen bicycle 23. Have a meeting with a financial analyst 24. Keep a plant alive for more than 2 weeks - preferably lavender 25. Go back to Best Friends 26. Try absinthe (the real kind) 27. Assemble an earthquake kit 28. Plan a reunion / vacation with my besties from college (this may already be in the works). 29. Answer the phone "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" 30. Forgive. Anything I missed?
Everyone has a nervous habit or two, right? Well, being the generally anxious person I am, I have lots of them. The worst one is probably my tendency to pick my lips when I'm stressed (primarily) or bored (secondarily). My dentist recently yelled at me for doing it, saying that I'm "lacerating" them. While that word is a bit dramatic, the picking does occasionally get to the point where my lips end up bleeding (which can't be good). A lot of the time I'm not even fully aware that I'm doing it. At the end of my dentist appointment, when we were talking about other bad habits of mine (back to those in second), she actually swatted my hand away as I subconsciously reached up to start picking. Oy vey.
Coincidentally (or not?) two of my other very bad habits (well, one is a
bad habit, the other is the lack-thereof of a GOOD habit) also have
resulted in damage to my mouth (hence the extended wrist-slapping from
the dentist): I grind my teeth and I don't floss as regularly as I
should. The grinding I'm not sure I actually have much control over
(other than trying to stop right away when I feel myself doing it during
waking hours [I can't exactly walk around with my mouth guard in all
day, can I?]), but the flossing officially needs to be stepped up.
Seeing as we are now 4 days into 2012, I'm hereby making resolutions to curb the picking and amp up the flossing this year.
HOW I will be able to stop picking after 20 odd years of doing it I'm not entirely sure. Some basic google searching has taught me that it is a pretty common OCD behaviour in the vein of Trichotillomania, and therefore therapies used to treat manifestations of OCD are often suggested. The first step is identifying WHY and WHEN. Answer: see above (though this is boiling it down to the very basics). The second step is to learn alternate coping strategies including "instruction in competing motor responses that actually prevent
you from picking - for example, keeping your hands busy by holding and
squeezing a rubber ball whenever you feel the urge to pick at your skin." A supportive/sympathetic friend recently gave me a large packet of information from the OCD center of LA to read over, which I will begin to tackle tonight.
As for the flossing, I have already been making a concerted effort to floss every day. Over the holiday break I missed a couple days, but I've been really trying. I think it will be easier for me to pick up this new good habit than to stop the bad one. We'll see how it all goes.
If anyone has any suggestions, stories, or words of wisdom in this department, please comment below - I could really use the encouragement!
Also, what are your resolutions for 2012? I've seen this list popping up on the interwebs if you need some inspiration...
I'm kind of all over the place today so I apologize in advance...
Everyone's been posting Steve Jobs' Stanford commencement address. If you haven't already watched it, you should. It's inspiring. And sad. But also happy. Here:
If, like me, you're now curious about the Whole Earth Catalog he mentioned, here's their site.
Our family's first computer was an old school Macintosh that my dad built himself. It took actually-floppy floppy disks. My current MacBook Pro and iPod have traveled the world with me. 33% of YOU, the readers of this blog, are viewing this on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
We'll miss you Steve.
Completely unrelated, and because I think we could all use some joy, check out this crazy awesome (but maybe a little creepy) new Florence + The Machine Video:
Also, in addition to it being my BFF Lisa's bday, yesterday was also Kate Winslet AND Guy Pearce's birthdays! Both! On the same day! Why is this a thing? Because they're our prize Emmy winners, duh. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the both of you <3
According to THIS ARTICLE from the LA Times, "Stuff falls from the sky every day; big stuff — larger than 1,000 pounds and thus weighty enough to generate debris that falls to the ground — falls about once a week." So, if you, like me, have yet to get hit by anything, congrats! It's Your Best Thing too!
Image credit: hipstersgonnahip.blogspot.com
Just be sure not to stand in an open field when those satellite bits come hurtling through the atmosphere tomorrow.
If I'm not brimming over with excitement it's just because most of my birthdays have been underwhelming if not outright disappointing. I think a lot of it has to do with the timing: close to the beginning of the school year, usually around the Jewish High Holidays, etc. There's usually a lot of distractions. Also, mid-September is quite the popular time for birthdays (think about all those people getting drunk on New Years or without much to do in the cold weeks that follow) so it feels like trying to open a movie with 4 other new releases the same weekend.
Why do we as a culture make such a big deal over birthdays anyway? I get that before modern medicine parents would want to celebrate their child having survived their early years of life. And after doing extensive Google research (and by extensive I mean clicking on the top 3 links) I have learned that the birthday celebration's origins lie in *SURPRISE!* magic and paganism. So does the fact that in today's modern age we continue celebrating throughout our young adulthood mean we are just narcissistic and grossly self-celebratory? (Hint: it does.)
Truthfully I don't think there's anything wrong with enjoying being the center of attention for one day out of the year. But my past birthdays have proven to me that I should perhaps refrain from getting too excited:
Three years ago, for my 25th, both my brother and one of my favorite people in the world, a friend I made while working on the job that took me to China, were in town visiting. Brother and I had tickets to the USC vs. OSU football game and the following day the three of us were going to the Aquarium in Long Beach. Sounds awesome right? It ended up being one of those birthdays with both extreme highs and extreme lows. Brother and I almost got stranded in South Downtown LA after Ohio State lost (badly. waaahh). It was actually a pretty frightening experience. But then two of the hot male stars of the show "Brothers & Sisters" happened to be at the same bar where I was having birthday drinks (yay). The Aquarium was fun (yay), but I later learned that the guy I liked (now my boyfriend of 3 years but we weren't together yet), wasn't exactly thinking about me while he attended a wedding out of town. It was pretty crushing at the time. I thought things had been going well with the guy and I hadn't had such strong feelings for someone in a LONNNGGG time.
Seven years ago, for my 21st, I was on a study abroad program in Australia. Considering the fact that I WAS IN AUSTRALIA (I'm be writing more in the future how Sydney is, and forever will be, My Best Thing) and was with the greatest group of people for ever all time infinity times infinity, this should've been hands down the best birthday ever. And in all honesty it mainly was. But sadly my great-uncle had passed away a couple weeks prior and it was the second time in the span of just a few years that I lost a close relative and was unable to make it back to Cleveland to mourn with my family.
Ten years ago for my 18th, I was 2-3 weeks into my freshman year of college. This particular birthday will probably forever stand out as the very worst. Five days prior my "only" grandfather passed away (the other one had died long before I was born). The funeral was on Tuesday, September 11th 2001. I was originally going to fly home from Boston that morning, but at the last minute we changed my flight to later in the week. I would still be there for part of the mourning period, but I wouldn't miss so many classes. In the end, of course, it's a damn good thing I didn't fly out of Logan that morning, but it was shut down for days, if not weeks, and I didn't make it home until Thanksgiving. That morning my roommate and I had the TV on as we usually did before going to class, and watched live from our 18th floor dorm room as the second plane hit the second tower. The next couple of days were a chaotic blur and needless to say, my birthday was not a priority.
So how will today stack up against the birthdays of years past?
To be fair, I did celebrate early with friends this past weekend. As mentioned I was introduced to an awesome new beer, got to see some wonderful friends - some of whom I hadn't seen in a long time - and was given these GORGEOUS flowers:
Today my boss, who is on vacation in Napa, sent me a box of truly exquisite dark chocolates. They're so beautiful I might actually have a hard time eating them (shocking, I know). My favorite Norwegian coworker decorated my cube and made me wear the Birthday Princess Tiara. I've gotten a couple emails, a couple texts, a handful of cards from coworkers and friends, and a few really nice gifts from my close family. An old friend, who has recently come back into my life, went with me to one of my fave spots for lunch. My parents had Boyfriend buy me a sheet cake and present it to me at work with [trick - blast those silly things!] candles and singing coworkers. And I've gotten a BOATLOAD of Facebook well wishes. A few of the most important people in my life have been consumed with the birth (literally, just yesterday) of their new nephew, and others with the completion of the film we made (more on that another time). So as much as I'd like to celebrate with them tonight, it's not looking like that will happen. But all in all not a bad birthday, right?
So THANK YOU to everyone who took part in any of the above activities. As narcissistic as it may be, it really does feel nice to gets lots and lots of love all at once. And maybe next year I'll let myself get just a little bit more excited ;-)
1. If the Cleveland airport had people movers.
2. If United had acquired Continental's efficiency in the merger.
3. If I could run more than 20 feet.
I almost missed my flight this morning. Almost. I did make it, but not without having a mild asthma attack first (I'm really not exaggerating when I say I can't run. Especially after resuming my hate-hate relationship with seasonal allergies in Cleveland after a 6 year hiatus). And also not without being told by the check-in attendant that she "couldn't promise" whether my bag would make it on the plane. HOORAY.
One of the reasons I used to love flying Continental is that both in CLE and LAX they were so efficient and low-stress. I knew exactly what to expect and how much time to allot. Since the "merger" (to me it seems that United has just taken over) I've experienced significantly higher levels of frustration and anxiety -- resulting from lonnnnnng lines -- resulting from under-staffing or incompetent-staffing. When I was waiting to check in on Wednesday night in LA there were at least 6 - 8 open kiosks at one point, but the attendants were holding us in line. I finally asked one if they were broken or something and he gave me an, "Oh. Yeah you guys can go ahead and step up to those if you want." <INSERT GIANT OBNOXIOUS EYE-ROLL HERE>
Cleveland Hopkins International could also benefit from an upgrade. As I was leisurely strolling through the Denver airport during my layover with my small coffee and Egg McMuffin, no meat, I noticed the people-movers running down the length of the terminal (two in each direction!). Oh how helpful that would've been earlier in the day when I was gasping for air and tasting blood in the back of my throat running past TWENTY-ONE GATES, half of which were unoccupied (it was before 6 am).
Anyway, once on the plane it took me at least half an hour/45 minutes for my breathing to truly go back to normal, and a little part of me was anxious all morning about whether the bag would make it. But it did. So all's well that ends well, right?
Lesbihonest though here for a second, the real reason behind my troubles this morning was that I didn't give myself enough time. We left the house at 4:30 am, but I forgot something and we had to turn around. I walked up to the check-in line at something like 5:08 am. In the old, pre-merger days this would have been a comfortable amount of time for a 6 am flight but alas, I should've known better. And to be really, REALLY honest, this was probably the 4th or 5th time I've found myself in this exact predicament over the years. The worst was after a wedding in NYC when I grossly underestimated how long it would take to get to LaGuardia and the cluster I would find when I got there. I was one of those people asking everyone in the security line if I could cut in front of them (thankfully they all obliged, probably because I seemed to panicked). I ran so hard through the terminal that the pedometer I was wearing broke off and I didn't even notice. But I did end up making it, just as I did today.
What is the moral of this story? I think it's that I need to get my shit together because one day my luck will run out. After that experience at LaGuardia I've really tried not to let it get that close again, but I totally slipped today. So, new resolution: always, no matter what, leave enough time to get to the airport and deal with crazy lines. And convince CLE to get people movers.
Yesterday while un-jamming the copier/printer for the 1290385419231356754th time I banged my head on one of the doors/pieces of the printer that I had pulled out to access its inky/dusty/toner-y innards. It hurt. A lot. I'm still not even sure exactly how I did it, but at least I got to see some pretty stars.
No need to feel badly though; this is nothing new. There is rarely a day goes by that I don't bump into a coffee table or hit my elbow on a door frame or inflict some other kind of superficial injury upon myself. Mystery bruises/tender spots love to show up on my body unannounced. My boyfriend of 3 years is still amazed by how a simple squeeze on the arm can produce a yelp of pain because he happened to touch me right where I accidentally fell onto a file cabinet the day before.
Somehow, at almost-28, I don't think this is something I will ever grow out of. But things could be a lot worse right? I'll just have to keep that in mind the next time I see those stars.
While perusing CNN.com today I randomly came across this article which I think anyone with "the bug" should read. I was definitely expecting a mention of the Chinese tea scam that I fell victim to in Shanghai (more on that later). That wasn't the case, but I had to share it anyway for multiple reasons.
1. "Never just get on a random guy's camel." Priceless advice.
2. I've visited NYC 5 or 6 times, have done lots of wandering around in the city, but have never met a "CD Bully". They sound wayyyy more aggressive than the Scaries on Hollywood Blvd. (yes, I made up that word, no I'm not the only one who doesn't like them - read this for the full story). To my NY friends: have you ever been accosted? What did you do?!?
3. It's unbelievably sad that people are so desperate that they have resorted to throwing fake babies.
Anyway, as I mentioned, the article also reminded me of the time I got duped in China - a story I'm happy to share, despite it revealing my incredible naivety, if it prevents just one person from falling into the same trap. Here's the setup: I was traveling by myself for a week in China before having to report to Base Camp/"set" on a television show I worked on that shot in the country for a couple months. I wasn't new to foreign countries, but this was my first time traveling completely alone without speaking the language (and the locals didn't speak English. At all). So I was actually feeling pretty proud of myself for having successfully navigated/explored Hong Kong and made it to Shanghai without any hiccups.
After a healthy breakfast of peanut butter cracker sandwiches (my stomach wasn't as happy as I was to be in China), I boarded the Shanghai metro near my hostel and rode to the center of the city. When I got off the train I was a little disoriented so I got out my map and my Lonely Planet and sat down in the public square to get my bearings. Mistake #1. I mean, the only quicker way to write "TOURIST" on my forehead would have been TO WRITE "TOURIST" ON MY FOREHEAD.
I was then approached by a girl and two guys - all Chinese and probably a couple years younger than me - who spoke a little English and were very friendly. They said they were from another part of the country and it was their first time in Shanghai as well. They sat down with me and asked where I was trying to go. I pointed to the museum in my book (which happened to be directly across the street. Woops. I would've figured it out eventually. I think.). The girl, who was doing most of the talking, said it was closed this particular morning and I should come with them to a nearby tea ceremony they were going to instead. What the hell, I thought, it's not like I have a schedule I have to stick to, it sounds interesting, and these kids seem really nice. Mistake #2. *sigh* It seems so obvious in retrospect, but apparently the whole "don't talk to strangers" rule didn't apply for me in China.
At this point I actually asked themif they could show me where the bank was so I could exchange some money. My unfounded confidence had officially turned into stupidity. Thinking back on it I am kinda shocked they didn't just steal my money right then and there, but I suppose there were so many people around that they couldn't have gotten away with it.
Anyway, we then proceeded to the tea ceremony itself where my memory gets a little fuzzy (note: not in a "they drugged me" way, but in a "everyone's speaking Chinese and I don't understand a single thing that's going on" way). They probably did show me a menu of some kind (other folks with similar stories tell of not being shown a menu), but it didn't matter because I couldn't read it and didn't understand the RMB to USD conversion having only been on the mainland <24 hours. There were lots of teas of varying colors and scents and the girl who had initially approached me would try to explain in English what they were. One of the types of tea, which just looked like a dry clump of leaves, opened and blossomed into a beautiful flower when the server poured hot water over it. Superfun! I, happy to be having an "authentic" Chinese experience and blissfully unaware of the shadiness behind it, sipped all the teas presented to me and then picked out some gifts to bring back home to friends and family. When the bill came I do remember thinking that it was unusually high, but I really thought that I was just misunderstanding the conversion. Mistake #3. So I paid with my BofA debit card, walked out with my new "friends" who told me that the museum I originally wanted to go to was now open, and went on my merry way.
Obviously I had no idea I was being scammed - I even took "look at this cool thing I did" pictures of the whole thing:
It wasn't until a couple weeks later when I was finally settled in at Base Camp and connected to the internet that I logged onto my bank account online and saw the damage. I've blocked out the actual number from my memory because it was that horrific, but I kid you not it was in the $400 range. FOR A TEA TASTING AND SOME TRINKETS. To put this in perspective, cab rides in China cost me about $1-3 USD. Hostel stays in China cost me no more than $15-20/night USD. 5-star hotel suites with TVs in the bathtubs in China cost me about $60/night USD. NOTHING, with perhaps the exception of a house or small child, I did or bought in China should've cost me $400.
Apparently, and unfortunately, this is a pretty common scam. I first heard that it was happening to other people when an article came out prior to the Beijing Olympics warning westerners. Now there are even videos on youtube of similar experiences. This guy actually went back:
But hey, you live and you learn, right? At least I can say with full conviction that I will never EVER make the same mistake again.
