Your'e a Pal and a Confidant.

I'm sure most of you recognize the title of this blog to be some of the lyrics from the Golden Girls tv show.  I believe Sasha, my best friend, was more like Sophia and I was more like Dorothy.  Sasha and I always thought that someday we will be little old ladies living together.  There may or may not be cats, but there will definetly be coffee and cheesecake involved.                                               

We have been in each other's lives for just about 24 years.  We are just as much like family as we are friends.  We can hang out without having to entertain one another, I can read her expressions and she can read mine.  We can have a conversation and not even mutter a word.  Her friendship has brought me much happiness, moral support and laughter.  It's nice to know that I already have someone to grow old with.       

This blog is basically an ode to Sasha.  I just want her to be able to read this anytime she may feel sad or lonely. Sasha, you have been through a lot, you are going through a lot.  I will be standing by your side always and forever.  I love that we are who we are.  By no means were we ever the epitome of cool but I sure had a blast being who we were.  Very "Romy & Michele" of us. 

                                  

You are my best friend, my homie, my sister from another mister.  I love you and want to leave you with some random words that just might make you smile.

Free Bird, Chicken Wiggle, Razzle Dazzle.

Fun at the Beach

First Communion

Cardinal Hockey Time

Until I get some new clothes.....

Today's sweatpants brought to you by Juicy Couture.

Don't Mess With Me Before I've Had My Coffee

There is absolutely no good time of day to go to Wal-Mart.  Black Friday, the entire holiday season, back-to-school time, any week day between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., during stocking times (afterhours)....doesn't leave many prime shopping times.  Plus, at least at the Plattsburgh Wal-Mart, the camping is outrageous.  The parking lot turns into the Canadian camping extravaganza.  Directly behind the "No Camping" sign you can see usually 8-20 RVs and they even set up lawn chairs. 

(not the Plattsburgh store)

Anyway, I decided to go get a couple groceries early this morning, I arrived around 6:30.  Besides the sea of rvs, the rest of the lot was fairly empty.  I turn right, stay in the right lane, and suddenly this car (from the left) is speeding right at me.  This stupid woman was cutting through spaces and I saw that she wasn't even looking at me.  I just stopped where I was and was ready to honk.  I did have my hands up, in what I can only describe as Stephen Urkel's "Did I Do That?" Though my look was more "Whatcha Doing?"

What does this woman do when she sees me? She flips me off! I flip back and find a parking place.  She parks in the handicap parking.  She's staring at me as I'm walking towards the building and obviously her, since she is where she is.  I would not have said anything had she not flipped me off, but she did so.....

Me: You Almost Hit Me.

Local Trash: Nooo I didn't.

Me: Yes, you did. You don't speed in parking lots. You almost hit me.

Local Trash: I have liability.

Me: I don't care. You were speeding, cutting through the lot and almost hit me head on.

Local Trash: Do you see any directional arrows telling me where to drive?

Me: Well, here in the United States, we drive on the right side of the road! It's common sense!

Local Trash: (random nonsense I couldn't quite make out)

Me: If I were YOU, I'd be upset too.

The entire time a man who was in the car with her is saying "calm down" over and over again.  She also parked in the handicap space and I'm pretty darn sure she didn't have a pass hanging in her car.  And if I had the state police's number in my phone I would have checked for certain and called if that were the case.  So they are following me inside and I tell an employee that I had an issue with them and I don't know if there is going to be a situation.



Not that kind of situation.



I do this for one reason, they saw where I parked and my car stands out.  This trashy family just might key my car or something and I want to make sure there are cameras in the lot.  After talking to a couple employees I get directed to another employee, this one happens to be my neighbor.  She is my neighbor but we don't have anything to do with one another.  In fact, she has inspired many rants on Facebook.  She was extremely nice and assured me that there are cameras in the lot.  The cameras were also angled on both my car and theirs, being that they parked in a handicap spot and I was parked fairly close to the building.  Perhaps my instincts were on since while talking to her the "calm down" guy came walking to the front of the store and kept looking at me.  I wonder if I hadn't still been near the entrance if something would have happened to my car.  I simply don't trust people, especially when they act like she was.  Maybe he wasn't going to to anything, but in my book you are only as good as those you surround yourself with. 

So besides not having any coffee in me, going through parking lot wars and dealing with (mostly) rude stockers, it was an awesome trip (sense the sarcasm). When is the best time to go shopping at Wal-Mart? When you have no other choice.  I seriously can't deal with the craziness that is Wal-Mart anymore.  Note to the stocking crew: It's rude when you pretend like you don't see customers trying to get to the shelves.  We know that you see us there.  And if one of us actually politely asks you to get through the aisle don't grumble, sigh and throw your boxes out of the way.  Instead say "No problem, ma'am/sir.  Have a great day!"   

   Today's sweatpants brought to you by Juicy Couture.

You Retard. That's so Gay.

Retard. Gay. N-word (that word I wont even put into text). When did these words become so popular to use? Especially being used as adjectives? I had a discussion with a friend today and we had differing opinions about the matter.  Whereas some people are not in the slightest bit offended by these words, others are simply crushed by them.  Let's take them in order, shall we?

Retard.  Only a couple weeks ago I was called an "effing retard".   When school is in session I hear it constantly, "that's retarded".  Would you go up to a person with down syndrome and call them a retard? If you would, please delete me from your friend list A.S.A.P.  For, I don't want to be associated with someone like you.  Just because someone is mentally challenged doesn't mean they're stupid.  They understand completely that the word retarded is being used in a condescending way.  Some of you may have heard of the cause on Facebook, Spread the Word to End the Word.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, please take time to read at least one story.  It just may change how you think and, most importantly, what you say in public. 
Spread the Word to End the Word

Gay.  "That's so gay".  I've heard straight people use this word.  I've heard gay people use this word.  Recently a woman visiting Dollywood was wearing a shirt that read "Marriage is so gay".  She was asked to turn it inside out.  I suppose I see both sides.  I'm merely speculating here.  She was probably wearing the shirt because she is proud and secure with who she is.  However, Dollywood is a family place, and though I don't have children,  I really wouldn't want them reading it and exclaiming that other things are "so gay".  I realize the shirt was poking fun, but this is how phrases get carried on.  If it's ok for one person to say it then it should be ok for any other.  What if it were a shirt being worn by a heterosexual that read "Cats are so gay", "Wine is so gay"? I'm sure, like myself, you'd assume that they are homophobic and probably give them the stink-eye.     

N-word.  The number one word I loathe.  I don't care WHO says it, they just need not to.  It's a nasty word.  I hear it thrown around so frequently in a college, a place of higher learning.  My very first friend, who happen to be black, left our elementary school because she was being bullied by some of the kids.  It was, without a doubt, racially motivated bullying.  Tormentors.  It didn't stop there.  In my high school I heard it all the time.  Bunch of kids saying they'd be going "coon hunting" this weekend.  I remember specifically watching Moby Dick in an English class.  When the cabin boy, who was black, died I heard one classmate say this to another- "one less for you to kill, eh Robert?"  Right there I told them if I hear anything like that again I would turn them in for harassment.  You know what his reply was, "I have black friends".  With which I reply, "Go say that to one of them then".  I really don't care what people like that think of me.  

I don't think words should "belong" to any certain group of people.  If a word is hateful, don't use it.  There are millions of words in the English language, alone.  Can we not use other words to get our points across?

Because I am who I am, here is a list of movies that I found to touch on certain elements of what was brought up here today. 

Today's sweatpants brought to you by Blu Chic.

Cutter's Remorse

Yesterday I finally chopped off my hair.  Something I experimented with around this time last year, so I wasn't nervous about it.  In fact, I was beyond excited.  I had some mixed feelings about it after I left, but then after a few hours I decided I liked it.  This morning, after my shower, I straightened it and that didn't work out so well.  It just looked so weird! I rewet it and still it looked odd.  I had cutter's remorse.  What had I done?! My hair was gone and I look like a pinhead.  I am slightly ashamed to say that I shed a couple remorseful tears.  But then got on with my day.  I still don't know how I feel about it.  It certainly stirred up some memories of haircuts past.

I recall my first significant haircut.  Mom is going to hate me for this one.  I was five and mom said I had to get my bangs trimmed.  Well, mom lied.  I went from having waist length hair to a pixie cut.  Granted, I didn't brush my hair.  In fact, I think I'd just kind of pull it out when it got too snarly.  I understand why mom had my hair cut, but for a girlie-girl like me, it was a travesty.  I don't know if I did something to really tick her off that year but to make matters worse, she dressed me in yellow (w/that haircut) for my kindergarten moving up ceremony.  I definetly know some people thought I was a little boy.  If I ever come across the photos, they will surely be posted.

After "The Great Haircut Travesty of 86" I kept my hair as long as possible until I hit those akward tween years.  It was obvious I didn't have a clue what to do with my hair back then.  Straightening irons were not heard of.  Getting a perm or wave was the way to go.  I donned the infamous spiral perm. 

Sasha & Me with my Weird Al inspired perm.

I had strange and bewildering hair right up until I graduated high school.  Besides the perms I experimented with all different haircuts, hair dyes (note to self: NEVER use any type of 'ash' color dye for it will turn my hair green), kool aid for hair dye, peroxide, Sun-In and lemon juice.  I spent numerous dollars on pomades, waxes, oils, Frizz-Ease, serums, basically anything that I thought could tame my thick, not straight-not curly, frizzy hair.  It was all junk that made everything worse.

Since high school I have had pretty decent hair and only one bad experience.  A few years ago, I asked for a layered cut with long bangs.  The hairdresser started like three inches back from my forehead and cut this huge chunk straight back.  I knew it was bad when she started saying (before I saw my hair) "This is what you said you wanted." B*tch.  It took one month of wearing a baseball cap and a complete year of making it blend before it looked normal again.

I will learn to like my new haircut.  My hair grows fast, plus, it's just hair.  I will make do with what I have and use my favorite products to get me through.

The New Do

 My Favorites:

• de-Luxe Rosemary Mint Shampoo & Conditioner (sold on Drugstore.com)
• John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Shampoo & Conditioner- rotated with the de-Luxe brand
• BioSilk Silk Strate
• BioSilk Silk Therapy *This is about $20 for a 12 oz. bottle but you only use a dime size amount at a time (so it lasts forever).  It gets rid of frizz instantly.  Works really well prior to straightening. It just WORKS!
• Con Air Ceramic Straightening Iron

Today's Sweatpants brought to you by Forever 21. 

I Should Have Listened to My Parents...Just Don't Tell Them That

Day two of blogging.  I really don't have much to say today.  Although, I woke up this morning with the feeling that I was going to see someone I don't like (like ex-family).  I also had the feeling that an alarm was going to go off today.  Thankfully I didn't see any ex-family, but I did encounter a girl that I had issues with a couple weeks back.  She's small potatoes, so whatever.  But funny enough, a fire alarm went off at CCC today and we had to evacuate from the building.  This morning I told my manager of my premonitions of the day's events.  She was more shocked than I was when the alarm went off.  (Cue eery music!)



OMG! She said what??

Since I mentioned ex-family I would like to take this opportunity to tell any youngsters who are madly in love and want to get married this: DON'T DO IT! My goodness, if only we would listen to our parents, friends, teachers, ANYONE for that matter, at the age of 18.  It's really a stupid set up that they allow children to get married.  I mean if you can't legally drink alcohol and can't even rent a car you have no business engaging in a marriage.  I should know, I was there. 

I know exactly why I got married so young, to the first person who asked: I had no self esteem, no confidence and felt that I couldn't do better in life.  Heck, I didn't even think I was good enough for community college.  Which is why I didn't go until 8 years after graduating high school. What a sad thought, not being good enough for grade 13.  Oh well the past is the past and I have moved on.  I wish I hadn't done it, but I did.  It's true what people say about getting divorced.  It's so expensive because it is so worth it. 

On the flipside: I want to get married again, someday.  Especially since I never had a marriage, I had a wedding.  This time the focus will be on the marriage...not the party. 

Today's sweatpants brought to you by Forever 21.

Apparently, I have things to say.

I don't really know why I started "blogging". I have a lot to say about nothing, kind of like "Seinfeld".....but way less funny. I plan on covering all sorts of topics in the future. The kinds of things you can look forward to: Dr. Mario, manners, Happy Madison movies, recipes, Netflix favs, moving mayhem and of course, Cardinal Hockey.
Basically, I'll just write about whatever I want.  Read it or don't.  This is more for me than you anyway.

Now I must go....My cat, Munkie, (who is a cross-eyed, deaf, Siamese) is very insistent on when he is fed wet food.  I'm tired of stopping him from knocking things off of the coffee table to get my attention. It's times like these that he earns his nickname of Juanita Solis!
 

Today's sweatpants brought to you by Juicy Couture.