i have a friend...

A friend of mine has been seeing an older guy for a couple months now. She was really happy with him, and he took her out all the time. He treated her the way a man should treat a woman -- he introduced her to his friends, he took her on dates, and wanted to be around her. Then, last night, he told her he wanted to slow things down. He told her he wanted to remain friends and continue to hang out, just not date anymore. I was really bothered by this because she agreed to it. She agreed to a "casual, open relationship" as long as they were safe. In the time that I've known her, she doesn't seem like this kind of girl, and now, all of a sudden, she is.

To me, it seems that she's trying to convince herself that it's a good idea, that maybe if she does this for a while, he'll want to start dating again. The chances of that happening are slim. And, to make matters worse, his ex-girlfriend is coming back in town after she's been gone for a few months. She's had rough breaks before, and I just don't understand why she's doing this, because she really likes him.

Some people can successfully do this -- they can be physical and still stay friends -- but I don't see this for her. I wish that she would let herself just be her instead of look for a guy to be with.

grrrrumpy

I hate going to bed mad because I always wake up mad. I've been told "sleep on it" on several occasions - and it never makes a difference. If I go to sleep angry or grumpy or upset, chances are, I'll wake up and think about the previous night and get upset again.

And why must people treat others so badly? I'm not a mean person, I don't pick on people, I don't say hurtful things to others - so why must people be so fucking rude and not care?

Put yourself is someone else's place before you say hurtful things to them. And if someone tells your that they're upset, talk to them. Don't just tell them you'll talk about it later. Just because you've got your own life going on, or your busy, or you don't want to be where you are, doesn't mean you can shrug it off when someone says they need you.

birthday boy

Today it's his birthday. That's my Otis and today is his second birthday. He's my best friend; we were totally meant for each other. If you knew him, you'd agree that he has the best personality ever. He sleeps with a stuffed dog in his mouth, and if you tell Otis to "go get Musha," he'll go get the stuffed dog. He also loves cuddling and would rather be on top of you than next to you. He lets me dress him up in Halloween costumes, jerseys and even a rain jacket. When I take him running, he runs with full force - his eyes start to bulge and he starts to trot like a horse. He lives for watching the cats in my alley and getting left-overs from any one willing to give up some food. He's got the biggest heart and he'll love you forever.

buh-bye

So my brother's gone. Finally. I don't even remember how it happened. One day he just said to me that he was trying to leave and he was trying to do it soon. Then voila, the impossible happened. My lethargic, sofa-ridden, free-loading brother left. He went and bought a bus ticket with money my grandmother had given him and he was gone. Just like that.

Although my house is much quieter now, its also much cleaner and more relaxing.

But not even a week later, my mother informs me that she's coming down for a week, at least, and she's bringing her dog. She's been living in Virginia for the past couple of weeks (don't even ask, its a boring, complicated story) and she can't have her dog with her there. My dad has been watching my mom's dog in Pennsylvania. And although he's only watching it for a short time, I think he's fallen in love with her. He calls me all the time to talk about the dog, which is funny because he was cursing my mom for leaving the dog with him in the first place.

Anyway, my mom wants to spend time with me and her dog, so she's decided to bring the pup down to Savannah with her. Not even a week alone in my house and I've got another visitor and dog coming to visit. At least this visitor will contribute to the grocery bill and won't keep me up until 3a.m. playing Xbox.

eric hutchinson, part duex

This isn't my favorite song on his album, but this video is fucking awesome. I've never seen a video done like this, and it's so creative. Check it out. I promise you'll love it too.

is she want to rock, she rocks

I'm a huge fan of Sugarland, and an even bigger fan of their lead singer, Jennifer Nettles. The group itself is mix between folk, country and pop. You can definitely hear the bluegrass/folk roots in their music but they also have the ability to take any song and turn it country (Irreplaceable by Beyonce and Come on Get Higher by Matt Nathanson).



Jennifer's style is a constant reminder of what I want to look like. She's beautiful. It's a eclectic mix of preppy, girly and comfy that makes her gorgeous and fun. She's also a total goof ball and knows how to have a good time, a quality I think everyone should possess. But my favorite thing about her is her ability to do what she wants and still be a girly-girl about it. She has tattoos in places most women don't (inside of her bicep and outside of her wrist) and although she usually hides them, she isn't ashamed. And she'll dance on stage and look like a total dork, but smiles while doing it.

So this summer, Sugarland is touring with Eric Hutchinson. I had no idea who he was, so I looked him up. I quickly fell in love. I downloaded his album almost immediately and for some reason, his first single "Rock & Roll" seemed familiar to me. His music is a cross between Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson; it's a little bit acoustic, a little bit pop-y and little bit country. It's fun to dance to and would be perfect party music. I listen to his album while driving, cleaning my house, showering, sitting on the beach - it's versatile, which is a great quality for music to have.

And if you enjoy "Rock & Roll," you should check out "You Don't Have to Believe Me." It's my absolute favorite song and it's totally dance-able.

friendly ghost or not-so-sly brother?

Small, unexplainable things have been happening in my house lately. Granted, I live in an old house in an even older town, but I've lived in this house for 6 months and the things just started happening. Maybe if my brother wasn't still calling my living room his home, I'd blame it on a new found ghost. But c'mon, it's a weird coincidence.

It's a little strange that things started moving around and disappearing only since my brother's been here. For instance, when I was gone last weekend, I came home to my giant Hershey bar gone. It was in the fridge, and had been for weeks. Every now and then I'd eat a square, making it last longer than expected. Over half the bar was there when I left, and when I returned, POOF! it was gone. I asked my brother, who dumbly said "what candy bar?" Are you kidding me? Does he really think I'm that fucking dumb? Even still, I explained the giant chocolate bar that had been in my fridge for months, and he acted like he had absolutely no clue what I was talking about. Right.

Things have also been moving around my house. To some people, this would be minor or probably unnoticeable. But to me, I notice when things are moved the slightest bit, let alone to an entirely different room. I wouldn't necessarily called it OCD, but it's definitely border-line.

So today, when my candle that has always been in my living room found its way upstairs to my computer desk, I noticed. Hmm, did he really think I wouldn't notice that either?

So either I have a friendly ghost who likes chocolate or my brother is trying to by sly and failing miserably.

it's back...

We all have one. That television show we're a little embarrassed to admit we watch. Mine's Greek on ABC Family, and last week it returned for it's third season. I made sure no one called my phone and that my brother (who is still free-loading on my sofa) stayed downstairs at 8pm on Monday night. I was thoroughly impressed, as I always am. For an ABC Family show, it's entertaining and actually pretty smart.


As I'm told by my boyfriend, among many others, it is nothing like a real fraternity/sorority house, but I don't care. It's purely for entertainment purposes. And believe me, it definitely entertains.

For a "family" tv show, it's pretty mature and actually pretty smart. It doesn't pause so you can actually take in the witty remarks, but they're definitely there.

The very first episode two seasons ago, we got introduced to all the characters. Each character has their own traits and flaws that obviously mold the show. The writers do a great job at webbing each character together; Rusty is Casey's little brother, Casey dated Cappy and Evan, Cappy is Rusty's fraternity big brother, Frannie is Casey's ex-best friend, who now dates Casey's ex-boyfriend Evan, and the list goes on and on. It sounds confusing, and to an outsider I guess it is, but to a Greek fanatic, it's purely enjoyable.

By far, my favorite character is Rusty. He's the epitome of a geek - a polymer science major that doesn't stay out on school nights and never had a girlfriend before - but he joins the fraternity that parties the most and soon gains the nickname "spitter" because he tried to take a body-shot from a girl's stomach and ended up spitting it on her face. He also is honestly clueless when it comes to beer pong, but because of his ability to mathematically look at a situation, kicks the shit out of anyone he plays.
Each episode he makes me laugh with something he does that reminds me of myself, whether its trying to fit in when you're not used to being in a certain group or trying to keep your old friends while moving on to new ones. He is utterly honest and goes out of his way to make others feel wanted, which is a trait I like to think I possess.

So you may think I'm a total geek, like Rusty, for watching and thoroughly enjoying this show, but that's okay. I'd rather be a total geek for watching Greek than have to lie when people ask what my favorite TV show is or bullshit a lame answer like Lost or 24, which I just truthfully don't have the patience for.

my love for shel

Since I've been 8 and my mom bought me "Where the Sidewalk Ends," I've been in love. Shel Silverstein is a great writer who has entertained me since I opened the first page of the first book I ever owned by him. "The Giving Tree" is by far one of my favorite books, as it tells of a tree falling in love with a boy and always being there for the boy. The boy ultimately takes advantage of the tree but the tree never falls out of love with the little boy, even when he's an old man and has turned the tree into a stump.


If you never read his poems and books when you were little, you should definitely read them now. My absolute favorite is "Listen to the Mustn'ts" --

"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be."

It not only caters towards little ones but could be relevant to anyone at any age. And it certainly goes with my optimistic views on life and the fact that anything CAN happen.

My love extends beyond his words but also his drawings. I'm infatuated by the fact that he creates these wacky sketches to go along with his poems. I like him better than Dr. Seuss too. Not only could he write children's book s, but he wrote many songs, including "A Boy Named Sue," (which Johnny Cash recorded). He was also a successful playwright and he wrote for Playboy. Hmm, talk about a possible pedophile.