Insert something creative here.

This is what I never expected to write about.

2011-10-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I made what I always thought of as an epic blog post. It still holds true. I have no idea what I'm doing in relationships. Or how to even get in one actually. I've thrived on the book, my relationship bible, He's Just Not that Into You. I feel empowered when I read it. Suddenly male behavior makes sense. The book basically tells women, although I think the book can be applied to any gender, to not waste their time on men that are clearly not interested. Why would you want someone who doesn't want you? That's illogical.

I've always tried to make it my mission to live up to this book. I've succeeded in some aspects. I can recognize the signs of someone who is interested and someone who isn't interested. I think. But there's one thing I have not grasped...

Facebook.

He's Just Not that Into You and Facebook came out in the same year. I somehow doubt Greg had the ability to predict the future and know just how easy it is for someone to project their feelings for the world to see to be able to address it in the book. I'm supposed to be classy and instead I'm posting cryptic messages that make men say, "I'm glad I disappeared. That girl is crazy." The only people who should see that side of me is Amy, Josh, and Tommy.

So for that, I'm sorry. This blog post is emotional vomit too, but at least it's honest. Which is all I ever really asked for from anyone else.

Hey, it's Britney, y'all!!!!

2011-06-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Grad school has eaten my life. I was drinking tons of Diet Coke a day, so I quit and switched to tea. I realized soon later that Monster Rehab was the love of my life. Lemonade + Tea + ENERGY!!!! I decided to overload classes in an accelerated semester, so Monster Rehab has become my new habit. Today I walked into 7/11 to keep up with my habit (and my ethics paper). I walked up to the register with my hair a mess, makeup all over my face, wearing a kids size tshirt that says "Elk Grove Park District Preschool" on it with 2 cans of greatness. The following conversation took place.

Cashier: Tired?
Me: No. I have a lot of papers to write.
Cashier: What kind of paper?
Me: Tonight it's counseling ethics.
Cashier: There was a person in here earlier needing to write an ethics paper. How long does it have to be?
Me: Well, my friend's is 33 pages so far and she's not done...
Cashier: So what other papers?
Me: Community psych, theory papers...
Cashier: So how long will all of this be?
Me: In total? Like 60 pages?
Cashier: Well let me know how it goes!

...Why would I do that?

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Normally I'm not too excited to celebrate Thanksgiving. I love to see my family, but being a vegetarian I just don't get into the Thanksgiving spirit. I find "I'm thankful for..." facebook statuses annoying. Shouldn't we always show appreciation for those we love?

This time I'm going to be different though. Even though I've been more negative lately, I still want to be able to look at the glass half full. And I have a lot on my mind about how lucky I really am. It just so happens to be Thanksgiving, so why not? Here goes...

In typical Thanksgiving fashion, I am thankful for my family. They have always supported me and I know they will continue to. I cannot give enough thanks for the countless times they have bent over backwards so I can do something fun. I am thankful for Brendan because he always makes me smile.

I am thankful for my friends, the new and the old. Thank you allowing me to be dramatic. Thank you for keeping me sane. And thank you for cleaning me up, both physically and mentally, in my less-than-stellar moments.

I am thankful for Dodger. You become more of a dog each day in your old age. Thank you for finally letting me pet you after all these years.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say thank you to all the people who have jaded me. You taught me to truly love and appreciate the people that genuinely care, and I am especially thankful for those people.

I am thankful for music. My brain wouldn't know how to handle life without someone else expressing the emotions I need expressed.

I am thankful for food. Especially the white kind that goes straight to my love handles. I am thankful for the people who eat the carbs with me. And that's what I'm going to do: eat some carbs with some awesome people.

Why I will never be a child psychologist

2010-11-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever worked with children knows that there is one question you NEVER ask: What are you drawing?

I asked a child that question today. He wasn't done with his picture, so I figured it was a safe question this one time. I was wrong. He responded, "Guess!"

At the time the only thing drawn was the red thing in the middle. So I guessed puddle or something. I was wrong. "Noooo! It's a bear!"

Oh.

In this moment I realized I would never work as a child psychologist (not that I was planning on that anyway) because analyzing pictures that children have drawn is crucial. Imagine if a traumatized child I was working with drew this, and I guessed puddle. A child who is already struggling now sucks at drawing. Then because I couldn't help, the kid doesn't think anyone can help and has even bigger trust issues. I can't emotionally deal with that. Thank you, child psychologists, for being smarter than me.

The Rules of Dating

2010-10-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

A while back my dad made a Facebook post about the rules of dating. He doesn't understand why they exist. To him, these rules make dating a game. Me? I think I agree with him. Except I don't even know what the rules of dating are. If by chance the rules did turn dating into a game, this is the world I'm living in. I have to play the game if I want to find love, or the semblance of it.

So, what are the rules of dating? I heard something a few weeks ago along the lines of "He gets 2-3 days to call/text you." Well, that's great. Then what? Is it actually ok for a woman to initiate conversation? In this day and age it seems like a silly question. Then I think about how it used to be. I wasn't around for it, but it seems as if men tried to impress girls. My recent experiences tell me that men are lazy or not courageous enough to make 100% effort. Sensitive guys are great, but I'm a stereotypical woman when it comes to dating. Unless you show me you're interested, I'm pretending I don't see how cute you are. I'm enough of a nervous wreck for the both of us. You don't have to be too. There's something to be said about traditional romance. Mainly because it actually has romance.

In an attempt to figure out the dating rules, I asked my friends to name them. I got a wide range of responses. Interestingly, the only clear cut answers came from two straight guys, which is perfect for me, being a straight girl. One of these men provided me an entire list, but the list seemed more like human decency than rules for dating. Being open and honest? Good communication? Listen? Everyone deserves that. The other simply said, "there are no rules." Those are two very different answers. What is a girl like me supposed to do now? I'm not going to be the girl that asks men their philosophy on this stuff. I can't think of a faster way to lose a guy (maybe, not bringing that stuff up is a dating rule).

All of this led me to the conclusion that we're setting ourselves up for failure. We are attempting to follow dating rules that no one actually knows, and everyone's interpretation of these apparent rules is different. It only leads to mass confusion and broken hearts. If we have to date by the rules, I propose we actually have rules we can follow. Or better yet, how about that human decency thing: just be open and honest. If we can do that, maybe the next time I meet someone with potential I'll know what to expect, saving my ipod from having to play "Foolish Games" and other awesomely bad songs during my bouts of insomnia.

What is the opposite of escalator?

2010-10-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

The topic of conversation we had today at the mall:

Escalators should only go up. You can't escalate going down...

Originally we thought cascade referred to going down, so we called a going down escalator a "cascadalator." After googling, though, cascade is not correct terminology.

We can call the going down escalator a "descalator." DESCending escALATOR. I'm not a fan of that though. The opposite of descend is ascend. It's not called an ascendalator.

I still don't know of a better name. Thoughts?

Purse

2010-08-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

My last post was about Boystown, too. Apparently that's where my best stories come from.

Amy, Tommy, and I were standing in a circle (triangle since there's three of us?) when all of a sudden I feel someone pulling on my purse trying to get my attention. I turned and this is the conversation that took place:

Guy: Can I have your purse?
Me: ...WHAT?
Guy: Can I have your purse?
Me: Um, no.
Guy: So the answer is no?
Me: Yeah, my stuff is in here and this is Coach.
Guy: So no?
Me: No. Go to Coach if you want one.
Guy: Well, let me know if you change your mind.
Me: I will.

Later he came into our circle and pointed to my purse asking again. I still said no, and he still said, "Let me know."

The Monsoon Boystown Adventure

2010-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

My sister showed me this blog (Hyperbole and a Half). It's really funny, and now I envision my life in paint pictures. Last night would have made for some awesome pictures, but the idea has been taken, so I'll just tell the story.

Last night Amy asked me if I would go to a Halloween [birthday] party (yes, it is July) in the city with her so she wouldn't have to drive alone. I said sure because what else would I do with my life? She picked me up and she said she was hungry. We decided to go to Taco Hut (Taco Bell + Pizza Hut) but get our drinks at McDonald's since they have Diet Coke. When we got our food we were also given a drink that we did not order. We couldn't tell what it was. It tasted like regular Coke, but this is a Pepsi place. Then we found out that Amy's pizza was pepperoni instead of cheese. So we had to go back and wait for a cheese pizza.

At this point it was raining, but not anything intense. Then we got on the expressway. We could barely see! It was definitely a monsoon. We stayed in our lane by following the guy in front of us. When we got to the city the rain wasn't any better and we knew we'd get soaked. However, while looking for a parking spot we found a deformed umbrella lying on the edge of the street. We pulled over and stole it. It certainly came in good use.

At one bar a man came up to me (I can only assume he's gay since we're in Boystown) and said, "I'm probably gonna get hit, but you're one of the most naturally beautiful woman I've seen." SCORE! That made my life, actually. Later in the night Amy and I were sitting at a table and the same man walked by and noticed us sitting there. He quickly said he'd leave, as if we were threatening people. Then Amy said, "I think he thinks we're lesbians." As we were leaving Amy and I were holding hands (so we wouldn't lose each other in the crowd) and someone else shouted "lesbians!" Really? I feel bad for real lesbians now if that's the kind of stuff they have to put up with!

I think I met a straight boy though (don't worry, I'm still with Steve)! Who woulda thought?! This guy was kinda standing in the way while texting. I moved around him and he said something along the lines of "Hey now! Calm down!" I replied, "I just wanna leave!" He said he was joking. Then my nonsober friend, who will remain anonymous here, started to be aggressive with this dude. He looked at me and said, "I'm really a nice person!" I told him I believed him. Then he said he was a "nice, straight guy." I told him that there weren't many of him left (nice or straight) and to stay that way.

On the way home it was still monsooning. There were huge puddles underneath the overpasses. Despite being in a pickup truck, Amy was nervous about going through the swimming pools caused by the monsoon. So then we drove around pretending to figure out a way home. Eventually we just decided that we were gonna do it anyway. We survived with no harm done, of course. That's the story. It kinda just ends like that.

I am a true geek.

2010-05-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in Mary's office (geek moment #1: I associate with my professors outside of class).

She got me a little book for graduation (geek moment #2: They like me so much they get me a graduation present).

I was talking about how I feel accomplished with my academics, but not necessarily my social life. Then I compared it to Erikson's integrity vs. despair. (geek moment #3: It's self explanatory).

Oh, did I mention I drank with THE MAN, Dr. James St. James last Thursday? Yeah, it happened. (geek moment #4: I'm excited that I drank with my advisor, the chair of the behavioral sciences department).

Cloud 9

2010-03-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty freaking awesome, if I do say so myself! I got accepted into The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (I also got accepted into Roosevelt a few weeks back, but I'm not quite sure how this happened since they originally denied me). On Monday I had my interview at Adler School of Professional Psychology. I looked like a rockstar and had a sweet interview too!

I found out I got accepted on Friday...WITH A SCHOLARSHIP for community service. Have I done community service? I've interviewed a few homeless individuals...I guess that counts? I'm quite excited.

Anyway, Millikin also had the Tunnel of Oppression this week. I was on TV for it. They spelled my name wrong, among other things I have issues with, but here is the link for the video:

http://www.wandtv.com/global/Category.asp?c=182814&clipId=4652645&topVideoCatNo=99891&autoStart=true

Hopefully life can stay this awesome!

The most blog-worthy post I'll ever have.

2010-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

I am currently living in temporary housing until I'm allowed to move back to Hessler. Not cool, but it has had its perks. I met awesome people, got to training in 2 seconds because I literally live next door, and got a nice view. The bad thing? THE BATHROOM. It's not clean. I've seen worse, but Hessler's communal bathroom is much more sanitary. This is locker room style: 4 stalls, followed by 3 showers. No changing room or anything. It's all in the open. Oh, did I mention it's co-ed? Now, I do not have a problem with gender neutral bathrooms. We have them in Hessler (with the exception of showers). But I don't know these people. They seem kind of obnoxious, actually.

Anyway, tonight, I go into the bathroom with all my stuff. I put my shampoo and everything in the shower and my towels on the chair right next to it. I decide I should pee because I think it's more hygienic to use the bathroom prior to showering. So after putting all my stuff down, like I said, I go into the stall. I hear someone come in the bathroom and start a shower. Earlier, my roommate told me how she had to awkwardly take a shower while a guy was too, and they came out at the same time. I was afraid this was going to happen to me.

It did not happen. Nope, not at all. I couldn't shower. Want to know why? HE TOOK MY SHOWER. My stuff was there! In the 30 seconds I went to pee from 2 feet away, someone took my shower! So I thought maybe he just thinks I left my stuff there, but that does not explain why my towels are there. Did he think I traveled naked to my room and he just missed it?! And even if I changed after my shower, it does not explain why the bottles are not wet. What if I was in the shower? Would he think I just forgot to turn the water off?

If I wanted to shower, but saw someone's bottles sitting there, even if there was a possibility that they left them there, I would wait to make sure they forgot them or just use another shower. But honestly...who does that?!

"Well I, I just wanna see the light. And I, I don't wanna lose my sight..."

2010-01-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

Today in my POST (Peer Outreach Support Team) we did an exercise for self-awareness and illustration of maturation throughout college. At the end of my timeline, I ended with being denied from grad school. But then I announced that I have to end on a positive because that's just who I am. So I finished with "I still have hope."

Then at our break, Stacey came up to me and showed me a little medallion thing of hers. It's an angel and on the back it says "Never lose hope." She said she carries it with her. I briefly talked with her about it and how cool I thought it was. Then she said "How about you hold on to it for a bit? Then you can just give it back to me when you don't need it anymore. And if I never get it back, I know you needed it."

I think it is one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me. It helped so much. Thank you, Stacey Sparks.

Lessons from today

2010-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

Lesson #1: Jelly DOES need fruit pectin.

The recipe called for it, but did we need it? Apparently so. Apple did not work. Maybe we need more? The jelly tastes good, but not like jelly. I think we should put it in the freezer for homemade fruit chillers!

Lesson #2: Pasta sauce does NOT double as pizza sauce, even if it has pizza seasonings in it.

Colleen even tried to thicken it. It did not work. It tasted like Italian sop on bread. UGH. The consistency did not match the really bready, not crispy, crust. Maybe measuring the yeast correctly too...

Lesson #3: Mozzarella cheese is not the correct cheese for pizza.

Next time, we will use pizza cheese. I think that is a combination of cheeses to give us the perfect blend of flavors.

MSNBC and Fox

2009-12-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

Fox is obviously the most right-winged news channel to ever exist.
MSNBC is obviously the most left-winged news channel to ever exist.

I freaking love MSNBC. And I will support it till the day I die. I don't care that it's biased. They never claimed to be "fair and balanced." As biased as MSNBC is, Fox is simply corrupt.

I have the flu

2009-11-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

I guess I have the flu. I'm not quite sure that's true. I mean, I have the symptoms. But when I went to the doctor on Wednesday, I tested negative for influenza A and B. I was told because I only had symptoms for 24 hours they couldn't rule out flu, and so they're treating me for it anyway. Freaking Tamiflu costs $50...WITH insurance!!! It doesn't even do much! Anyway, here comes the dilemma...

Brendan's first birthday party is Sunday. There will be babies (!!!) and pregnant women. If I go, I was told I have to wear a mask. Quite frankly, I'm a vain person. So I decided...I will bedazzle my mask. I will post awesome pictures of my mask when the time comes. =)

Soo...the Domino's guy hit on me....

2009-11-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

Domino's guy: Do you gamble?
Me: Um, no? I mean not with money?
Domino's guy?: Well wanna place a bet?
Me: **confused look**
Domino's guy: Is this your name on the tab here?
Me: Yes...
Domino's guy: I bet you a cheesy bread that I will remember your name next time you come in.
Me: Um, ok...

The name prints out on the thing, so of course he'll remember my name.

Then I told Adrian (who was so nice to drive me to Domino's) how awkward it was.

Adrian: You know he was hitting on you, right?
Me: Yeah.
Adrian: It's a good pick-up line, but this is why guys keep pursuing, cause you say ok.
Me: But I'd turn him down for a date. I figure it's free cheesy bread!

Texas

2009-10-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is random, but I do not know why Texas is a state. I would be quite content to give it back to Mexico. They would make better use of it.

"But what about the flag?!" you ask....

Puerto Rico.

50 stars for 50 states! Without the useless Texas! (Who else remembers the debate to make Puerto Rico a state?!)

A feminist rant.

2009-09-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through channels and came across a show on Spike TV. I have no idea what made me stop, but the question was posed, "How do I make my woman less bitchy?" The answer? Have sex with her. Not only that, but they said that women who have sex without a condom are generally 30% happier, unless they get pregnant, so you should keep it on so you don't have to deal with THAT bitchiness. Yes, they did say that.

This ignorance is what keeps men sexually objectifying women, creating hostile environments which lead to degradation, harassment, and even rape. Saying that sex is what "fixes" women leads men to believe they have power over women, because men provide women sex, of course. This is a TV network dedicated to men. If men watch this, although I'm assuming only a certain demographic of less educated men would be watching to begin with, they will believe and follow the ideas presented to them.

What I find is that women are so desperate to please men (we are socialized to do so) that they put up with this garbage and treat other women, and themselves, as objects. To quote Mean Girls (yes, I went there), "If you call each other sluts and whores it only makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores." It is so true. Women truly need to come together in order to make a serious effort. That being said, while men still hold the majority of the power, they need to be educated as well. Let's start with removing the name calling of women, and thinking they need sex to solve their "bitchy" problems, on male-geared TV. Although it's not much better on female-geared TV either. In those shows women fall head over heels for the jerk too. The only difference is that these shows lead women to believe that men will change for you. How about a show that promotes the nice guy that doesn't have to change so you can live happily-ever-after with him?

If I were treated in an objectified way, I'd be a bitch too. Actually, I'm probably considered a bitch for writing this. How do we solve this bitchiness of mine? Not sex.

Butterflies

2009-09-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

As I was walking to Shilling so I can fulfill my job as "data enterer" (which apparently isn't working out so well, as I cannot get into Dr. Collinsworth's office...), there were butterflies flying around the sidewalk. One landed a few steps in front of me. I walked past, and the butterfly didn't move.

I was reminded of my kid days, when all I wanted to do was catch butterflies. I never did catch one. Then I thought this was probably a good thing since that'd be like getting kidnapped to a human. It doesn't make it ok if you release the kidnapped after you scare the living hell out of them. Those people go through serious counseling, I'm sure!

But then I think that this isn't like kidnapping at all. Me capturing a butterfly would be parallel to getting abducted by aliens (the different species thing). Now I've never been one to care about aliens to gather an opinion of whether they exist or not, but now, my experience of contemplating the butterfly is telling me it's totally plausible. We don't believe these people, and I bet the friends and families of the captured butterflies think it's an insane notion that humans kidnapped them.

I think I'm sleep deprived.

Going back to school

2009-08-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

I generally try to keep my posts positive since positivity and optimism are a way of life for me, although I understand if you don't get that impression, but I have never dreaded going back to school more. This being my senior year is the only thing that is keeping me going.

In the past I would rush to get back to school. I loved being on my own. I had a life there. But now my life is back home. I have an awesome group of friends, an amazing boyfriend, a great family, and my Brendan. School has...homework, work, and people who don't get it. My best friend there graduated (thank goodness she's in that awesome group of friends I have back home!), and I've changed so much since my freshman year that the friends I originally had just aren't compatible with me anymore. And since Amy isn't there, carpooling to get home and back is not an option. Steve also picked me up a lot, but with his ticket that's not going to be happening all too often either.

The plan for survival:
1) Try at my homework. Usually I do quite well with lackluster efforts. School just comes naturally to me. Maybe if I try it'll waste time.
2) Go to bartending school over winter break. Then I can get a second job bartending while I'm at school. That way I make money AND waste time.
3) Use that Netflix account Steve and I got.
4) Work out. Then I can be hot, and you guessed it...WASTE TIME!
5) Make new friends that are more like me, and less like me when I was 18. This should be doable in Hessler, as it is a learning community.
6) Read more. I have so many books I would like to read, I should just go to Amazon and get them.
7) Actually get myself pretty and prepare myself for the next day. Straightening my hair takes time. If I do that at night, I'll look good in the morning and get to sleep longer. Sleeping wastes time in a wonderful way. I'll also pick out my clothes at night.
8) Take up a new hobby. I'm thinking learning to sew and fashion stuff. Or photography.
9) The grad school process should take up fair amounts of time the first few months.
10) Even though I'm the shoe-in anyway, I'll head up research group. Especially for data collection and Celebration of Scholarship in the spring.

You know it's bad when...

2009-08-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

You have no money (or have to save it for school, like me) and WITH coupons and discounts buy $78 worth of clothes. Not even clothes. Dress and Belt. Here's the look (I'm the one on the right, if you're creeping my blog and don't know which one I am):

Now is my time to profess my love for The Limited. I would seriously wear EVERYTHING in that store. If only I could afford it. One day... Also, I love being 21. Not even for the alcohol. I just love that lifestyle of going out! I didn't think I would. I love getting dressed up. I love socializing. I love dancing, even though I lack talent at it.

Now it's time for a story that made my night on Saturday. We went to Barleycorn and Heat. Courtney's friends joined us. While we were leaving Courtney came up to me and said her friend in the black shirt thought I was cute and wanted to dance with me. Courtney told him I had a boyfriend, and I looked over and saw a man in a black shirt. I told her he wasn't my type anyway. She was shocked. Then I saw the other man in a black shirt. Totally cute. And he thought I was cute and wanted to dance! Despite being a complete sap when it comes to Steve, I like people thinking I'm cute. It's part of my girly genes.

On Sunday I went to Steve's family picnic. It was alright. Different from the family events I'm used to, but I suppose this is something I should get comfortable with. Steve lost the bags tournament but we totally got second place in the egg toss. We won a $15 giftcard to Chile's. Not much, but it's an appetizer and drink (non-alcoholic). We haven't been on a "date-date" in months, so I'm excited.

And, 2 weeks left of summer =( I'm not going to handle it well.

I did not go as a confused bee...

2009-08-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

I suffered for the only decent pair of shoes I could find. They were from Payless and hurt immensely. I did look cute though, if I do say so myself!

In other news, I had a blast on my 21st! It wasn't a messy, sloppy drunk birthday at all, but still quite fun. My wonderful mother got me a blue box...with a bracelet inside of it!

We started at midnight, and after a failed attempt at Realtime (apparently midnight is still the same day for them), we went to Ballpark. It was fun. They let me have a free drink! Then for real festivities we went to Tapalpa for $1.50 margaritas, followed by dollar drinks at Alumni. At Alumni, I learned I can't dance. I was NEVER into that sort of music though. Growing up I was more into the rock "I jump to dance" music. I will have to work on my abilities, or lackthereof.

The next day we went to see RJ in the majors! He didn't get to pitch, but we got to see him for about an hour. It was nice. He should really get traded to the Cubs so we can see him all the time.

This is the story of a girl...

2009-07-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

There once was this girl who was in love with a beautiful skirt from The Limited. It was yellow with white polka-dots, pleated, A-line skirt. The skirt was definitely out of her price range though. Then after the price, along with a coupon, dropped, the skirt was in reach. However, the only time she could find the skirt, the store did not have it in the yellow she dreamed of. The dress continued to be knocked down in price, but she could only find it online, which did not carry her size. Then, on a miraculous day in June, she was in The Limited, and saw the skirt in her size and everything. There was a slight problem, however. The seam at the zipper was ripped. She didn't buy it, and moped and cried because it seemed as if God did not want her to have this skirt. The next day, her wonderful mother bought her the skirt saying it could get fixed.

The girl now has an occasion to wear it, but cannot find shoes to go with it. White sandals would go the best. The girl and her sister went shopping for these shoes and have noticed something horrendous. Ucky fabric attached to wood, cork, or a basket. These are the sandals that exist. The girl went shopping at least at the following list of locations:

Target
Ann Taylor Loft
Ann Taylor
Aerosoles
Easy Spirit
Bakers
Steve Madden
Aldo
Lord and Taylor
JcPenneys
DSW
Nordstrom Rack
Famous Footwear
Franco Sarto
Nine West
Payless
(and even) Sears

This girl has enjoyed what the recession has done to the fashion industry, as foundation and simpler pieces are more available, leading to a much larger wardrobe because everything goes with each other, but has the recession come to a point where simplicity has turned into cave-man style? Patent leather on a piece of cork? The girl has basically one day left to find a pair of shoes, otherwise she's going to have to go to this event as a confused bee (black cardigan, white tee, yellow skirt with white polka-dots, not stripes).

To see what happens in this dramatic story, keep tuned...

In other news, my haircut does not look like Julia Roberts. It is cute though.

Billie Joe, you sexy beast, you

2009-07-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Monday was the Green Day concert. In true GD concert tradition, I got general admission seats and showed up psycho early. Steve and I found $20 parking, which really isn't bad! Then we ate at the Billy Goat. My mom used to take us to the one on Wacker when we were babies so she wanted us to eat there really bad (although this wasn't the same one) and even printed out a menu and gave us money to eat there. It was good!

Then we waited in line for hours. I've never seen more children at a show- with their mothers- in my life. At the last concert, Colleen was the oldest person there. Not including moms, Steve and I were. This Verizon guy took our picture and supposedly it will be uploaded to their site, but I have yet to find it. I hope soon though because I didn't bring my camera inside and would like pictures from the event.

The people at the concert were...interesting. There was the family that brought a 7 year old into the general admission seating. If I were a parent, I wouldn't bring my 7 year old to that concert, let alone into a violent setting at the concert. Then the people we were surrounded by at the show were strange. There were of course kids who have never been to a concert so they didn't understand why people pushed and shoved. One of them started beating up Steve! All we were doing was switching places with someone. We were doing a nice deed and we still got hurt! I had about 4 very tall men in front of me. They really had no care for human life. One of them conked me in the head and didn't even notice. I saw my fate flashing in front of me: I'd get knocked unconscious and fall to the ground and get stepped on and die. Luckily this was not the case. I was in the armpit of another guy. It came to the point that Steve got violent and punched the armpit guy.

After much fighting with tall men, and short little girls I got front row again! SCORE! Nothing is better than front row at your favorite band's show. The show was absolutely amazing. They did tons of old school songs along with their new stuff. You can tell that they love performing. They still laugh and smile on stage. You don't get that with other artists.

There were so many great moments, like the epic fail of a stage dive, a 12 year old rocking out to Jesus of Suburbia, and some girl giving Billie Joe her phone. But the coolest moment of all is when I got Billie Joe's tie. Or the tie someone threw at him. I think the latter. But yes, I, Meghann Elizabeth Cherie, have a tie that Mr. Billie Joe Armstrong wore (in some way)! Here's the story. Billie threw it off, but it landed between the stage and the crowd by the security guys. Steve tried to get it from one of the security guards, but he ignored us. After the show, he talked to another one. He seemed to ignore us too, but then he nonchalantly went over and brought us the tie. It is my most prized possession! This is probably the greatest thing a boyfriend has done for me! Thanks, Steve!

Here is a picture of me and the tie.

Random summer moments that Colleen will get mad if I don't post...

2009-07-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

1. This sign is funny. It was by the expressway and made us laugh.

2. The same night Colleen committed one of the worst sins one could commit. She lost a DVD of SVU in the DVD player. We made her unscrew the whole thing to get it out.

SUCCESS!!!

Today will be a day of haircutting and hopefully shopping (unless they are terrified by my color and I have to spend my money fixing it). I'm thinking Julia Roberts in Stepmom?

Steve told me my blog is like a fifth grader writing about his day =(

2009-07-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

But I'm happy that my life has been somewhat entertaining lately so I don't bore the two people who read it, even though the two people who read it are prominent in my life so they don't really need the blog...

Anyway, yesterday Elysia, her boyfriend Andrew, Steve, and I went downtown. Andrew is from St. Louis so he hasn't really had the Chicago experience, Susan doesn't let Elysia go downtown, and Steve just never paid attention to Chicago, so I was like their tour guide yesterday. Elysia and Andrew were too busy cuddling and stuff to really pay attention to me (Susan would flip if they held hands, so I understand) but one of the best moments of the day is when Steve told me he could finally see the champagne bottle in the Carbide and Carbon Building. I was so excited someone listened!

We started our day at the Picasso statue by the courthouse. Steve had never seen it so we took a visit. We all slid down it, except Elysia who refused because she was wearing a skirt. She used the fact that she was on time and Steve was not (by three hours!) as justification.

Then we just walked down Michigan Ave. I showed them the Tribune Tower and all the other stones in it. I think I was the most excited and I hope everyone else think it's as cool as I do. While walking I found out that Andrew did not know what Tiffany's is, and had to show him. We went in, and I found my engagement ring (FYI, three stone, oval cut, will gladly accept it in .0004 carats!). Then I went upstairs to the Elsa Peretti Collection and found my bracelet and earrings that I'm currently trying to save up for so I can be a pretty bride. And I'm aware I'm not getting married, thanks. Speaking of which, I'm so mad at the L because the prices raised. I had to go into my Tiffany's fund to pay!

After that we just walked around some more (we're too poor to do anything else). We went into Water Tower, which I had never actually been inside of. It was awesome. I asked if there were any times I could go up the tower, but the guy said no. We took a trip into Victoria's Secret, too. They discriminated against Steve and that makes me sad. What if a male wanted to try something on?! That's just not fair in any possible way! I support transgendered people! We had dinner at Ed Debevic's. It was disappointing. The server started funny, but she just wasn't as mean as she could have been. The guy server was an awesome dancer though!

After we decided Susan wouldn't care if Elysia was out, we headed all the way back to Millenium Park. Steve had never seen the bean. He was most excited about the stage though... There were weird sculptures there though. One was a monster car thing that was eating peope. One of the statues had a distinct vajayjay. I'm not sure how I felt about that. The eyes of the monster also had cameras, although Steve tried to convince me they were lightbulbs. We tried to go into the garden too, but it was closed.

We went home afterward. We found cards at the L station, and it was an odd deck. It had four 9 of hearts cards, so we each took one. It was a really good day, despite Steve waking up psycho late! Susan didn't even flip out! But next time...I'm taking a couple that has been together for awhile so I don't have to see mushiness! ;)

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July was awesome this year! First Steve and I went to Richy's for the tradition of blowing up dry ice bombs. I'm not going to lie, I was kind of nervous about going because the past few Richy events I had been to was with a bunch of people I did not know. But yesterday was fine!

After Richy's we went to Katherine's, who I just met yesterday, house. It was raining so we didn't get to swim, but it was really fun. We let balloons go in the rain so we could find them when they came back down. Tommy and Becky went on that adventure and found 2 balloons. Later we saw one on the roof and another in someone's driveway. Unfortunately, Steve locked us out of his car so we had to drive back to his house and get tools to get us back in. Luckily Steve got us back in quickly.

We went back to Steve's to nap and then went to Itasca for fireworks and Smash Mouth. Smash Mouth rocked. It was tons of fun. We had confetti, balloons, and glow bracelets. The fireworks were pretty good too. Way better than Elk Grove's. There were fireworks that went in the water and we thought they were just duds, but then the lake lit up! It was soooo cool!

Afterwards, Steve and I, and his friend Joe, went to a party. It was filled of gamers and Steve ditched me. However, I befriended the dogs and a man who refers to himself as Skittles. His real name is Mike, so that's what I will call him... While Steve socialized I spent my time watching some horrible Quentin Tarantino movie. It had Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms though, so that was cool. Later Steve apologized for ditching me. =)

Sadie and Moose kept me company =)

I look good today if I do say so myself!

2009-07-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

It has been a good week! Earlier this week I got my shoes that are named after me (Meghann!). They go with my dress that Colleen got me perfectly! I got them a half a size too small, but I couldn't resist. You never see my name with my spelling! I will post pictures when I find a place to wear these things!

A couple of nights ago my cousin Jess had a softball game in our area so practically the entire family came to watch. Uncle Dan taught me to drive stick shift! It definitely takes practice. My cousin Rachel, her boyfriend Ray, Steve, and I went to Steak N Shake after so everyone could officially meet. It was awesome! We had such a good time! Rachel and I rekindled our cousin/best friend bond!

Today Colleen and I went to Target and I rocked the dollar aisle! I got two camis, a terry skirt for swimming, a tote, a belt, headbands, and flip flops! I might have forgotten things, but it was awesome! Then a bunch of us went to the beach for Courtney's birthday. The water was freezing, but it was a fun time. We stopped at DQ on the way back. I got the Brownie Batter Blizzard. It was good for the first few bites, but then it was just far too rich.

Later tonight I got all pretty for Bahama Breeze for a continuation of the birthday festivities. I looked hot! I got lots of compliments. See pictures below =) Anyway, I got a virgin bahamarita and a tropical fruit salad, without chicken of course. I just love fruit salads in the summer!

Keep in mind that pictures taken from below are not flattering =)

My shoes are from my senior prom, but they're so pretty! These jeans require a heel anyway...