Sucking a little

Hi. Guess what? I suck.

Oh, you already knew that? Well then I'm late in the game figuring that one out.

Things have been so crazy lately, between work, wedding stuff (my big brother, not me, for those who haven't been paying attention), skydiving, practicing skydiving, spending time with friends and the SO, and just the general upkeep of life. Sometimes being an adult is exhausting.

Can't I just go back to being a kid again? With no responsibilities, getting to play outside and be all innocent and stuff. CAN'T I???

Then, maybe it wouldn't matter so much that I'm stinking it up so much. Just look at all the areas where I suck:

*Family: This weekend I went home for some wedding stuff, stayed for less than 24 hours for my bridesmaid duties and barely got to see my dad or brother at all. I haven't seen my grandma since Christmas and this trip was no different. I even had to postpone dinner plans with friends so I could make it back for skydiving. Which brings me to my next point...

*Friends: I haven't seen my Cleveland friends in weeks - nor have I returned phone calls from some of my friends around the country. When I know a long conversation is due it's hard to find the time, making the next conversation just that much longer. Vicious cycle.

*Exercise: This is a biggie. I've committed to a 5 miler on July 4th and the Chicago 1/2 marathon. Right now I might be able to comfortably run 2 miles without stopping. Maybe.

*The SO: Another biggie. I'm trying my best to be a good girlfriend, but there are still times, like this weekend, where things are so whirlwind that I'm not around much. And when I am in town Cleveland Parachute gets a lot of my free time. At least I managed to attend his rec league basketball game last night. Brownie points there, right?

*Adult life stuff: Bills, cleaning, car maintenance. If it wasn't for online bill pay the bill collectors would be knocking down my door. Sometimes my apartment looks like a tornado went through and my car has needed an oil change for way too long now.

*Skydiving: Although it may seem like all my time is devoted here, it's not. This license isn't going to earn itself and unless I can stick it out and get in multiple jumps on the weekends I may not meet my goal of 'A' by the fall.

*Sleep: I'm a girl who not only likes her sleep, but I need it to function. This 5-6 hour a night pattern that I've got going on right now just isn't cutting it.

*Blogging: Between work and SkydiveChick I've been neglecting y'all. Sorry my posts haven't been the most engaging lately. I promise to try and step it up a little.

It appears, that I suck at life. Seems like there was a time in my life where I was on top, and I don't know how to turn it back around. 

HELP!

-A

Feisty morning

That's the most accurate way to describe me this morning.

Feisty.

And NOT in the good way.

I blame the weekend. It was one of the best I've had in quite some time. So of course, waking up this morning knowing it was over and I had to return to the daily grind put me in an immediate funk.

Now, I'm not much for blogging about my weekend adventures, but this is one worth telling...

Or at least, I think so.

........................................

Last week on a whim - which is pretty standard for her - my dear friend Christina decided to make the two hour drive up to spend the weekend.

In our oh-so spontaneous fashion we decided to go sky diving on Saturday. Unfortunately, the winds did not cooperate at 20+ mph so we got pushed back to Sunday. Don't worry though, we did get to kiss the sky, after all.

But back to Saturday...

Once she got into town and we had an exciting reunion - two months is too long, we need more regular contact, lady - and then our stomachs got the best of us. Seeing as it was a beautiful day outside we headed to a local patio to post up and stuff our faces.

Oh, and we proceeded to burn our shoulders in the mid-day sun as well, but if that's the worst of it, I can deal.

After lunch we discussed the plans for dinner - being the food-obsessed runners that we are - and came up with a great plan to cook out at my place. Since I don't have a grill it was more like cooking in than out but it was tasty, regardless.

Our idea required fresh produce - tacos and Corona anyone? - so we popped over to the West Side Market for a bit.



Now, I have a confession. I've lived here for two years and this was my first trip to the market.

I know - I should be shunned for that.

But now, I'm addicted. This is definitely one of Cleveland's gems. I'll never buy my produce from anywhere else. It makes Giant Eagle look like the Bloomingdale's of the grocery world. Way too expensive for my taste.

And the vendors there are great. Since we were stocking up on veggies for my famous guacamole - okay, so not quite yet, but one day it will be...maybe this is where Bobby shows up for a Throw Down eh?

Sorry, off track.

So we were perusing the market and needed two fresh jalapenos, which the vendor gave us for free, and one lime, which we also got for free.

How nice are these vendors?

Or was it because we were two 20-something chicks in tank tops on a hot day that worked in our favor? We may never know for sure.

Getting a group around wasn't too difficult - free food and beer on a beautiful day pretty much sells itself. Needless to say, the guacamole and the taco party went over well.

(Pictures of the lovely spread to come.)

Then my friends and I headed to the rooftop deck to soak up a little more of the beautiful weather - once the wind died down that is. Though conversation was cut short again as us girls decided, once again, that our stomachs were more important and we headed to East Coast Custard to finish off the night.

Yep, you heard me right. We finished the night with ice cream. Where most other 20-somethings were doing shots of Patron and grinding on each other in the club basements on West 6th street, we were yawning, finishing our custard and preparing to put on our comfy pants and head to bed.

LAME.

But I have to admit, it was pretty awesome. After all, we did have to get up a 7:30 the next morning to jump out of an airplane.



I'll spare you the details, you get the idea of what happened. We did an hour or so worth of training, watched our instructor pack the 'chute and off we went.

Though it's worth noting that we both pulled our own 'chutes, learned a series of hand signals, and passed the progression course. We're cleared to solo jump within the next 30 days! With our log books growing, we're now officially sports parachutists.

Highly recommend Cleveland Parachute if you're from NE Ohio and in the market for a great jumping experience.

And now....well, I'm sad that my lady friend has left me, and a little feisty now that I have to go back to real life.

I learned this weekend that happiness [for me at least] lies in spending time with good friends and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

How was your weekend?

Cheers!

-A

Dog sitting

I got up at 7 a.m. today. On a Sunday. And I was excited to do so.

Why on earth would that make me excited, you ask?

Well, it's all because of a little guy named Toby. He's a big, beautiful black lab mix.

(See, how adorable is he?)

While a good friend of mine is off looking for apartments in the new city she's about to move to, I stepped up to the plate to puppy sit. Though it's not as if she had to twist my arm.

So I got up and greeted Toby, made some coffee and popped in a movie (Must Love Dogs -- cheesy right?!), but what can I say, with a dog by my side it's the perfect Sunday.

The best part is, I'll be getting my dog in early April upon return from a much needed vacation in the Caribbean. Once my deposit has gone through I'll post some pictures of the little guy...he'll make you melt.

For now, it's back to a lazy Sunday with Toby.

Cheers!

-A

Speaking my mind

This is something I really need to improve upon, speaking my mind.

I know what y’all are thinking, that seems pretty inaccurate given how I typically spout off at the mouth everyday. But that’s not really what I mean.

The one thing I’ve never really been good at is confronting a conflict.

Sure, I can do this when it comes to client work, but not so much in my personal life.

Between toxic friends, an abusive roommate, bad relationships, and the occasional office spat, I’ve taken a lot of abuse these past couple years. And honestly, I let it happen.

I’m plenty prepared to bitch and moan about these issues but I’m no good at actually standing up for myself.

What gives?

Why can’t I just sit down and have an adult conversation with someone when I feel I’ve been treated unfairly? Why do I continue to let myself get walked on?

I sorta feel like part of it is that when I’ve told friends how I felt before (sure, maybe not in the most tactful way at times) it’s blown up in my face causing huge fights and even ending friendships.

Seriously, I lost a friend of 20 years because I told her she was being selfish – when she legitimately was I might add.

And whenever I told a certain ex-boyfriend about concerns I had he always made me feel guilty – as if all our problems were my fault.

I need to realize that not everyone is like that, but I guess these bad experiences have really made me think twice about voicing my concerns. Or, at least, that’s what I tell myself.

Any advice for being less of a doormat?

Cheers!

-A

Sound track of...right now

So you may remember a while back when, thanks to Playful Professional, I was inspired to create a soundtrack of my life. 

And for the most part, this list still very much holds true. 

Lately, however, there have been a number of events in my life that have added an interesting flare, to say the least. 

And, given my recent bout with insomnia - hence the mid-night post - I've had plenty of time to listen to a number of my iTunes playlists. In this process, a few songs have stood out to me. Some because of the lyrical meaning, some for the harmonies, but all for the fact that I just really like them.

So, there's going to be a temporary addendum to my original list of eight - as a sort of soundtrack of now. No judging.

Oh, what the hell, judge all you want. What do I care?

Promise (Eve 6) - old school Eve 6. Not only do the harmonies in the song mesmerize me, but the lyrics are perfectly appropriate for my life as of right now. Planning big is a huge gamble, and yep, I've already rolled those dice.

Streetlight (Derby) - you're standing a little foolish, in the late night...

I Can't Hold Back (Survivor) - this song came on in Mitchell's the other day and I remembered that I loved how it sounds. So 80s. As Jennie says, it's one of those songs they'd make fun of on Saturday Night Live....regardless, I love it. And it's pretty accurate, assuming you're not thinking in sexual terms. C'mon now, remove head from gutter. 

One Step at a Time (Jordin Sparks) - for oh so many reasons. This song about sums up my life at the moment.

What are some of the songs that represent your life at the moment...or, even the ones you like just because?

Cheers!

-A

Long-awaited weekend

Martin Luther King weekend is great - an extra day off followed by a four day week. What more could you ask for, right?

Well, this weekend was nothing shy of interesting. Yeah, we'll go with interesting.

Friday I was a roller coaster of emotion - and for someone who typically peaks at the mildly irritated stage, because let's be honest, life's just too damn short to spend it pissed off, it was quite an exhausting day.

Luckily, one of my favorites in the entire world came into town on Saturday making everything instantly glorious. 

Everyone needs a friend like that - someone who can show up and instantly put a smile on your face, someone who knows so much about you and just 'gets' you. What can I say, I wouldn't know what to do without her. 

We spent the weekend touring the Cleve. Well, as best you can in the dead of winter.

Eating and drinking were some of the highlights. From enchiladas at El Jalapeno to gluten-free pancakes (for my little glutard) at The Original Pancake House to some of Cleveland's finest like Sushi Rock, drinks at 806 and brunch at Grumpy's we got our fill of the tastes of Cleveland.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Oh and we can't forget about the lovely Saturday afternoon nap followed by the MSU/Illinois game - Spartans came out on top, baby - and a trip to the theater for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Which, by the way, is fantastic - doesn't seem nearly as long as it is.

And what about my extra day off, you ask? Well, between errands, laundry and the weekly run outside - hey, I had to burn off the extra calories somehow -  it's been pretty productive. And it's all helped me keep my mind off how much I already miss Jenn. *sigh*

Now, it's back to the grind - a little more rested and spiritually rejuvenated. 

How was your extended weekend?

Cheers!

-A

Photography Friday: Hiking

Welcome to Photography Friday - the hiking edition.

These are actually from a little over a year ago, when the BFF and I went hiking on Grand Island out in Lake Superior.

Due to my recent crazy schedule, leaving me little time to head out to snap some nice winter shots, you get to relive this experience with me. Yay!

Aside from the bear encounters, torrential rains, and supposed tornado on the island during our first night (which we didn't find out until the countless voicemails from our concerned friends and family, post-trip), it was a fantastic trip with phenomenal weather - and I managed to get some great shots, too.

You'd never know, by looking at these images, that it was late September in northern Michigan.

(From the campsite the first night. Just before the storm hit.)

(A look at the beach from high atop a cliff.)

(As you can see, the lake rose pretty high in the storms the night before.)

(Check out how blue the water is...hard to believe that's Lake Superior.)

(A day spent hiking the cliffs and relaxing on the beach, what more could a girl ask for?)

A new year

That's right. For those of you who aren't counting, it's officially a new year.

Where on Earth did the last year go? Hell, where did the last 10 years go? Can't believe we're almost to 2010...I'm pretty sure that means I'm old.

Of the things I've resolved to do this year - c'mon, you know you have your resolutions all figured out too - by far the best goal is to make sure this is a great year.

And it will be.

A few years ago, I made it a point to make myself happy, no matter what it took. Looking back, this was a bigger success than I gave myself credit for. And now, I'm the happiest I've ever been - truly.

Don't get me wrong, 2008 was great, with all the traveling and wonderful people I met - so much so that I was able to start a blog about just that - and meeting all my wonderful fellow bloggers. It's been great, y'all!

*tear*

(Just look at those wonderful new buddies!)

In anticipation of the upcoming puppy arrival, completion of a marathon and a college reunion in LA, there's plenty to help make this the best year ever. 

And let me just say, it's started out well so far. I couldn't have asked for a much better New Year's day that involved sleeping in and watching bowl games with the SO. Too bad my Spartans didn't show up in Orlando, but it's a small price to pay for a wonderful Jan 1.

And now, I get to start fresh by moving into my new apartment -- starting, now. So I'll see y'all back here on Monday.

Here's to a fantastic 2009!

Cheers!

-A

NYE...plans?

So it's New Year's Eve, again. Seem like only a last weekend that I was at The Hills in Rochester with my old college friends.

Oh that's right, I was.

But I mean for New Year's.

It was amazingly fun, and we were all obsessed with the disco ducks in our wine glasses.

Anyhow, enough about last year.

This year, I have big plans - or at least, thought I would.

During my trip to Somerset a couple weeks ago with one of my favorites, she helped me pick out this slammin' outfit, perfect for NYE festivities.

After much deliberation, we've decided to go to dinner.

Yep, that's it. Dinner.

And there's the potential for a house party in there, but that'll only require jeans anyhow. It appears that, this year, people just aren't making elaborate plans.

At least it's dinner at Parallax - one of my favorites in this town.

So all the preparations and excitement of a rather expensive outfit...for dinner.

Honestly, I'm completely okay with that given that I've caught a touch of this crap that seems to be going around.

Sniffles or not, I'm not missing out on some amazing sushi tonight.

What are your NYE plans?

Cheers!

-A

Another one bites the dust

Another friend that is.

A male friend.

*gasp* Shocker I know.

Luckily, it really has nothing to do with me - it's all about the new girlfriend.

Gah! The girlfriend gets me every time!

Why is it than when a guy starts dating a new girl he has to give up his current friendships with people of the opposite sex?

Now, don't get me wrong, some of my best guy friends have managed to stick around through relationships and even marriages - granted, I'm usually friends with the wife, too - but it pisses me off to no end when a solid friendship we had before she came along has to be ruined purely because she's insecure.

Bitch.

And odds are, it's you she doesn't trust. Not me.

Idiot.

Maybe you two do deserve each other after all.

But I have to admit that I feel a little bit bad for the poor bastard. Too bad he can't grow a pair and stand up for a friendship he once cherished.

See?

See how happy people can be in platonic friendships?!

Yes, I am wearing Pooh Bear gloves. Shut it.

This goes back to my question about friendship in your 20s. Sure, it can be a struggle to keep friends in and out of new relationships, but seriously, if the friendship came first, shouldn't that be taken into consideration before kicking them to the curb?

I certainly think so.

-A

p.s. - thanks for untagging yourself from all my Facebook photos. One more way to drive the point home, eh?

Necessary update

Hey Blogosphere,

Remember me?

Yeah, I know, I suck. I said I'd still be around then I dropped offline for a week. Yikes!

The holidays have this way of sucking me in and pulling me away from the normal routine. And I must say, it's been difficult to get back into the swing of things. Next week, after a break for the New Year's holiday and a big move to a new apartment, I'm sure it'll be just as difficult.

So here's the update on what's been keeping my time so occupied this last week.

-Two family Christmas parties. Light load, I lucked out this year!

-Completing Eclipse and starting into Breaking Dawn. Yep, still addicted.

-Getting to see Joe after his (extremely too long) absence while stationed in Iraq.

-Attending the MSU vs. Oakland basketball game at the Palace with my old college crew.

-Getting to see one of my favorites, Chris, who came in to visit from LA! You still reading, Chris?

-Planned a trip out to LA to visit the rest of the crew this summer.

-Played many a game of Mad Gab.

-Officially picked a dog breeder and mailed in my deposit.

-Met up with one of my bestests for coffee and to meet the SO.

-Discussed the art update with the BFF who's decided to use my photos as a staple throughout his house!

-A 5 hour drive to visit the 'rents, a 4 hour drive back to OH for one night, a 3 hour drive back up to the D and another 3 hour drive back the next day...whew!

On top of all that, I'm attempting to fight off the plague that seems to be circulating through the SOs family...fingers crossed.

One more day until New Year's festivities begin - anyone have any fun plans this year?

What did you do to celebrate the holidays?

Cheers!

-A

Holiday cheer

Not only am I in high holiday spirits because it's officially my winter vacation this week, but today has brought me a number of gifts - blogger gifts to be exact.

After a lovely lunchtime yoga class (that I never can find time to attend during the work week) I came back to my apartment to find my mailbox full of lovely holiday cards from my fellow bloggers.

*tear* I'm touched.

They're all officially read and hanging on my wall next to my stockings.

Given that I was a bad blogger friend this year and did not send personal notes via snail mail to y'all, you'll have to forgive me and consider this your "card" filled with holiday cheer.

I'm so lucky to have the best blogger friends anyone could as for - those real life friends and those that will become so in 2009.

Enough sap, it's lunch time for this vacationing gal.

Cheers! And happy holidays!!

-A

p.s. Special thanks to Ben for the puppy card that totally made my day, and Matt for realizing that yes, I have been good this year!

The Lunch Date: revisited

Detroit was amazing!

Or rather, the time spent with one of my favorites, wandering the streets of Royal Oak and consuming red wine was amazing. And much needed.

(Us back in our college days - this was the only picture I could find at the moment.)

I love those friends where, no matter how long it's been since you have physically seen one another you pick up right where you left off. She is this girl for me. And, we're scary similar sometimes. We are both so graceful, after all.

Sarcasm - if you didn't notice.

When I got in on Friday we went out for a late sushi dinner where we ran into Suton, who I thought would be the most interesting sighting of the evening. But oh was I wrong.

Dinner discussions tended to be in depth and analytical - mostly about boys and our careers. But who are we kidding here, career talk went out the door after the second glass of wine...

So about, oh I dunno, 30 seconds after she had finished telling me about a recent lunch date gone wrong, a visitor slides into the booth next to me.

Given that I didn't see this coming, nor did I know who this stranger was, I let out an audible yelp.

His ears must have been ringing, because it was Mr. Lunch Date himself, drunk as a skunk.

As he proceeded to beg us to come join his group at a bar down the street, I took the opportunity to size him up. Aside from the fact that I think she is way too good for him - though let's be honest, I think that about most men she dates...she's just so special, she deserves someone great - he was rather awkward.

Knowing that he is an engineer I might blame it on that - but the BFF is in the same line of work and he's completely capable of holding conversations in groups.

During our attempted discussion, it came out that I graduated from college a couple years before him. This seemed to take him by surprise. Upon my response to the "so how old are you" question, he says, very matter of factly:

"You look good for your age."

Yes, I'd like another glass of Syrah, please.

C'mon now, really? It was then that I realized just how much better she can do...

This wasn't the only interesting encounter of the weekend, however it may be the most memorable. How was your weekend?

Cheers!

-A

The Twins

Thanksgiving weekend was delightful. Aside from the 9 hours spent in a car over the course of two days, and the slight disappointment I felt after seeing Twilight, it was quite a lovely weekend.

After returning from a couple days in Michigan with the family, I was put to the test. The friend test. Two nights in a row, actually.

I hope I passed...

Saturday I was invited to attend a house party nearby and meet some of the friends who were in town for the holiday weekend. After a glass of red wine at home this sounded like a great idea - that is until we entered the front door and everyone turned to greet the late arrivals.

Not intimidating at all.

It wasn't that bad, really. Looking back, I probably should have been more intimidated than I was. But I don't usually realize things like that until after the fact - which comes in handy when I embarrass myself and am too oblivious to realize it at the time.

In the course of a couple hours I was introduced to a dozen or so friends for the first time - it was great to put faces to names and to meet all the fantastic people in the SO's life. He's got some amazing friends.

It's weird though, meeting people that you've never even heard of who come up to you and say, "oh, it's so great to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you...."

I hope I'm not super obvious when my response is "thanks, it's great to finally meet you too" when I'm really thinking "who the hell are you and why do you know so much about me..."

The most interesting night, though, was Friday. A fairly relaxed evening in was anticipated, and though it was an evening in, insanity ensued.

Between the Christmas Ale and friends breaking out in song - everything from TI to Boys to Men (yes, seriously) - the evening turned out to be quite the shit show. At one point, people were even sneaking out. Luckily, we were able to capitalize on this moment as well and remove ourselves from the drunken singers - who were not nearly as talented as they thought in that state.

But before all that, I got to meet the other twin.

One of my friends is a twin - something I didn't really realize until just recently. His brother went to a different college, lives in a different town, and it just never came up that his brother was born on the same day. From what I was told they're pretty different, but I managed to make my own assessment after meeting him for the first time.

The physical differences were minimal, both are tall and slender, though one twin was slightly taller than the other. One twin has hair that is a shade lighter than the other. Style, too, seemed similar - but that's difficult to judge after only one encounter with the other twin.

Though they look almost identical, have exactly the same laugh, and for the most part sound the same, from the moment the twin walked in you knew there were big differences.

One twin is much more laid back than the other - his presence is almost calming. He is comfortable sitting quietly, taking it all in, while the other tends to be highly animated and fully engaged in conversation.

There also are significant differences in the way these two interact, and the way they are reacted to, within the core group of friends. It was interesting. Just by observing it was easy to tell how others viewed the twins and the status that each held within this group.

I always thought it would be great to be a twin - you have a constant companion, someone who is just like you to hang out with. But the more twins I meet, the more I realize how it's not like that at all. Being a twin means you need to work just that much harder to make a name for yourself, to stand out and be an individual. And in fact, most twins are quite different from one another. I've even known twins who can't stand each other. It definitely makes for an interesting family dynamic.

So tell me dear readers, what are the twins like that you know?

Anyone else do anything exciting for the holiday weekend?

Cheers!

-A

Friends in your 20s?

Let's start with a story, shall we?

When I first moved to Cleveland I was a (newly) single 20-something, working hard and playing hard all the while trying to settle in and make new friends. I was blessed, as this was something I was able to accomplish fairly quickly. One of my best girlfriends decided, without letting on, that she was going to introduce me to a friend of hers from high school because she thought we'd be a good match.

Success...or so we thought.

After about 2 weeks and seeing each other, oh, maybe 4 times, we lost interest in one another. A couple weeks later, when I realized he had a CD of mine, I texted him to see if I could get that back. Thinking I was angry, he picked up the phone and called.

In discussion he gave some lame excuse for not calling, something about not wanting a girlfriend right now and blah blah blah. But he was surprised by my response, "I didn't call you, either."

::SILENCE::

He processed this...

It had been 2ish weeks and neither of us attempted to contact the other. If that doesn't scream mutual disinterest I don't know what does.

Further into the discussion we agreed that we're not right for each other on a romantic level, however, we both enjoy hanging out so why not continue on as friends?

Great idea! You can never have too many friends.

Regardless of the fact that we only get together once every other month (at the very most) we've remained friends - I've even tried to hook him up with friends of mine from time to time.

What's the point of this story, you ask? Well, I alluded to an uncomfortable situation in a previous post involving the man friend and an ex - well folks, this was him. We've been attempting to get together for a while now and this was the first weekend we were both free and in town.

So, being a genius complete moron, I think it's a great idea to invite him out with an already interesting group of 20-somethings - including two of the man friend's buddies that I was meeting for the first time, his roommate, and my soon-to-be-roommate and one of her friends. Got all that?

At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal - the man friend knows the whole story of me and this friend and he's been super understanding of my abundance of male friends (what can I say, I'm a lucky girl).

Of course, as all y'all out there can imagine, awkwardness ensued. Looking back, what a bad idea this was - not to mention a pretty shitty first impression involving some of the most important of friends.

Yikes.

This all ties back to the debate that I've been having with a few close friends these past couple months. Is it possible to be friends with someone of the opposite sex in your 20s?

Now, I'm not talking about those friends that go way back that you've been friends with since high school or even before - I'm not talking about the BFFs of the world - I'm referring to newly acquired opposite sex friendships in your 20s.

Can a man and a woman of the opposite sex meet in their 20s and have a strictly platonic relationship?

I think yes, but lately signs have pointed to no - given the recent influx of male friendship disappearance.

So what do you think - can us 20-somethings live peacefully with friends of the opposite sex, or is there a sexual tension there that just can't be ignored?

Do any of you have friends of the opposite sex that are just that - friends and nothing more - or are there twinges of hope that one drunken night something might happen to change all that?

Cheers!

-A

Other encounters

Today is going to be one of those days.

Busy, mainly. Likely somewhat stressful as I have numerous tasks to accomplish both at the office and after work - no matter what time I manage to head out.

So, out of a) lack of time, 2) lack of ideas, and d) pure laziness, I am bringing you some of the recent encounters that my favorite bloggers have experienced - all of which are highly entertaining and much more witty than anything you'll find here.

On top of that, I haven't done much lately aside from work, run and spend time with the man friend, none of which you really want to hear all that much about I'm sure.

So on to the more interesting encounters of my fellow 20-something bloggers.

• My favorite dater, So@24, takes a trip to visit Amber...see what unfolds.
• Allison's BF creates a pseudo man-room for the winter...video gaming ensues.
• One of my bestests, Jennie, has a run in with the Cough...we all know this person.
• Narm had an encounter with himself...as a nutrition label. Hilarious!
• CC over at Fork in the Road had a run in with one of the grossest creatures alive. At least now it's dead.
  
• Alexa encountered a major guy friend FAIL.
  
• I had a lovely online encounter with Ben's dogs...see here. I heart them! And soon, I will be getting one of my own! More on this later.
  

And don't forget to check them out regularly as they are some awesomely talented writers.

Cheers!

-A

The infamous meeting

Of all the people I met during my two weeks in New York, one meeting stands out above the rest.

Why? Because I finally got to meet a long-time friend and colleague face to face.

And I was not the only one looking forward to this encounter - I had co-workers who were rather excited to witness the infamous meeting.

Meetings like this are strange. You feel like you know the person so well from countless phone conversations and e-mail chains, but when you're looking the person in the eye while speaking to them for the first time, it's almost surreal.

Let's go back to that night, shall we?

Tuesday of the event week was the longest day in history. My day started at 4 a.m. with filming for a media tour and ended with a dinner for 40 that we arranged that ended at 10:30 p.m. Don't get me wrong, much fun was had, but I looked at my superiors at the end of the dinner and said, "if there's not liquor in my hand in 10 minutes I'm not going to be a pleasant person."

Luckily, there was!

We walked across the street to a rooftop bar where we met up with our friends who had flown into town that day.

And then we met.

It wasn't what people expected, I'm sure. A hello and a hug and the drinking began. Grey Goose and Red Bulls were consumed by the gallon - I was a very happy girl!

The party continued well into the night, getting me to bed about 24 hours after I had woken up the previous day. Needless to say, that made for quite the long Wednesday.

Drinking continued on Thursday night and goodbyes were said on Friday. And now, we're back to phone conversations and e-mail chains.

The connectivity of this society is great for instances like this - but it also makes you realize what you're missing out on when you finally meet your virtual friends face to face.

Sometimes reality can be a bitch, but I have no doubt that we'll get to do it again, sooner rather than later.

Has anyone else had the chance to meet long-time friends/co-workers/bloggers in person? What was your experience like?

Cheers!

-A

Photography Friday: NYC

It's photography Friday - the day you've all been waiting for where I reveal some of the best shots from my recent stint in NYC. Or maybe I just made that up to inflate my ego.

Either way, some of my best work from this trip is below. So if you don't like it, be gentle, I bruise easily. Just kidding. But if you do see something you like, I'm selling prints. $500. Just kidding again. But seriously...I will sell.

Alright, enough of my ramblings - you hear enough of that all week.

Let's start with some of the sights from the streets of NYC.

Beauty that is the Brooklyn Bridge.

One of my favorites. The image tells the story perfectly.

Enough said.

Random building along 5th Avenue

Another image with the Brooklyn Bridge - I'm a little obsessed.

Bottom of the Rock

A classic view of the New York streets

Castle in Central Park

A view from Central Park.

Everyone needs a picture of Times Square at night.

Now to narrow the focus - here are some shots from within Chelsea Market, where I spent the majority of my time these past 10 days.

Inside the market. Some of the best food I've ever eaten can be found here.

The market was decked out with Halloween decor - highly appropriate for today!

This pair spent the entire day working from this exact location. Intriguing.

Gotta love the Italians and their appreciation for fine wine!

Given that this was a foodie event, I ended up with a lot of shots like this.

And of course, we can't forget about the debauchery that took place. It made for some late nights and painful mornings, but what can I say, I love these kids!

Yes, this is a platter of (some of the best) sushi and sashimi (ever)!

I heart my co-workers!

Today, I'm not going to analyze these - I'll leave that up to you.

Cheers!

-A

*Editor's note: these images come in higher res versions and most are yet unedited. I will edit, print and ship if interested.

I met someone

Hello blogosphere!

After ten days in New York City working on a client event, it's good to be back in the swing of things. Well, kinda.

While I was there I fell in love. Yep, you heard me: Fell. In. Love. As you may recall, I have a tendency to do this when I travel. It's a curse! And now I'm freaking in love...

...with NYC.

For a girl who said time and time again that I could never live in a city like New York, I had a few experiences that completely changed my mind. I'm about to talk about one of these experiences, now.

Early on in my trip I was honored to meet up with a long-time Twitter/blogger friend, Paull, for some face to face discussion and fun in the big city. For those who don't know or follow Paull Young, you're truly missing out - he's good people.

Given that he lives in the city, I knew we would be partaking in activities that would be a little off the beaten path and would show me true NYC. And boy was I right.


After a drink at a rooftop bar we hopped on the subway and headed over to Brooklyn for pizza - some of the best pizza ever! I'm definitely a fan of New York style. Sorry Chicago, I love you and all your Midwest glory, but New York makes a mean pie.

Thereafter we went down under the Brooklyn Bridge where I was able to capture shots like this:

(Yes, that's one of mine - I'm so proud!)

Then we walked back in the cold breeze across the Brooklyn Bridge back into the noise and energy of Manhattan.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with my friend, hearing about his travels around the world and the people that he's met along the way. Not to mention having the opportunity to take the trip of a lifetime for some good grub in Brooklyn. In return, I hopefully showed him some Midwestern hospitality, just by being me!

Cheers!

-A

Oh, and don't worry bloggers, there are plenty more NYC pictures and stories to come. Stay tuned!

Never tell a girl she's a 6

This is a guest post by one of my favorites from back in my college days. You can find Jennie here. She's amazing, and I love her.

Tailgate… it’s a favorite pastime for some, a way to pump up before a big game for others, and most importantly a time for random run-ins with people you may or may not know. This past weekend’s tailgate at Michigan State University certainly did not disappoint in the chance encounters arena.

In a matter of a few hours, tailgaters participate in a few rounds of white trash golf, a.k.a cornhole, or bags, eat their body weight in brats and chip dip, and of drink alcohol as if prohibition will reemerge at any second. It is this last action that helps create the random interactions that makes tailgate famous.

The MSU v. OSU tailgate started off quietly enough… but soon hit ultimate awkwardness with a series of socially inappropriate situations…

1. Awkward scenario #1- name recollection. There are a few options here, blame alcohol for your forgetfulness, blurt out a name you hope is correct, act like you don’t actually know the other party… or blindly smile. This took place twice… once I was the guilty party and the tried to use the first excuse… which in my state seemed quite successful as it was followed by awkward scenario #2. The second time a former co-worker blurted the name of someone that graduated a year before me… convinced I was this person and when the truth came finally came out awkward scenario #3 happened.
2. Awkward scenario #2- inappropriate proposals. Once again, our friend alcohol is to blame here, but nonetheless I was asked by a visa-holding student to marry him… you know just to help with the green card process. Though tempting… I was always hoping my first proposal might come from someone’s name I could actually recall.
3. Awkward scenario #3- unfortunate personal ratings. No substance explanation needed… we all know who is mostly responsible for these. Usually beer goggles improve ratings; however, in my case, not so much. The participant from the second awkward scenario #1, upon realizing his name recollection blunder… decided to go so far as to say there is no way I was this particular other person as they were a “2” and I was a “6”… A 6, how thoughtful. Well my dear, more sober friend quickly corrected him and said “You never tell a girl she’s a 6… you’re at least an 8”. Then numbers went flying and I think I even heard a 12 which clearly makes perfect sense on scale on 1 to 10.

Needless to say, I had my fair share of supremely tailgate-tastic moments this weekend… Now its your turn to share… any good awkward run-ins lately?