January's WINNING-est!!

Here they are!!! The three most winning-est things I've seen this month!! ENJOY!

3) At the end of my street there is a diner that looks adorable, but we somehow have not managed to get to yet. Outside of this diner are a bunch of free newspaper bins, one of which belongs to Philly's famed, independent "CITY PAPER." Ben and I used it once to wrap each other's Christmas presents, and hey, who could have known that it would go so well?? Turns out there are several pages of...ahem...."adult" classifieds, complete with pictures and vivid descriptions. Christmas wrap AND a good laugh? What more could you want from a free newspaper?? I have the answer. THIS. Now, I'll admit, there are a couple of these that are very sad and/or heartfelt, and to the people who submitted those, I hope everything works out for you. To even fewer- THANK YOU for being so positive!! BUT THE REST OF YOU: how awesome must it feel to have your road rage, complete with a wish that all of this reckless driver's children die of brain tumors, in print?? And the woman who was scored by Kenneth, the man that spews lies, GOOD FOR YOU! Your publication of his flaws will ABSOLUTELY do something other than make you seem like a crazy person. I mean, I'm sorry he dumped you, but get some wine and watch the notebook like the rest of us. I can't really decide who this is more of a win for- CITY PAPER, which came up with this idea, or for me, because now I get to read them all. Who knows, maybe these love/hates are a good way for people to blow off steam so that they don't become violent. But if you ask me, it's just a way for them to blow up the newsprint and make themselves look like idiots. That I can laugh at, of course.

2) I know that some might say that Gingrich was the winner here, but trust me, I'm pretty sure Jon Stewart won this debate, which is quite a feat, considering he was not in attendance.

1) Melissa McCarthy, who has been nominated for an Oscar for her work in "Bridesmaids." I think that's freakin' awesome. She was hilarious in that movie. cha-ching!! WINNING!!!

Monday, Monday, Monday

HERE is a song about Mondays that will get stuck in your head and (hopefully) make you feel less sucky about the day. If nothing else, the creepy-ass monkeys in the video will give you something to talk about.

It was gross here today. The clouds were lingering quite close to the ground, just barely missing the slush that is still everywhere, and while it wasn't really raining, the air was so thick and heavy, you could probably chew it if you wanted to.

It was one of those days that makes me euro-sick, that is- one of those days that reminds me about my trip to Ireland years ago, where the weather was always like this and you wouldn't have to go too far before you found a nice grassy knoll where sheep were grazing (with colored patches on their wool so that farmers could differentiate). The fog and the damp and the almost-rain always remind me to promise myself that I'll return to Ireland one day. I feel like I will appreciate everything more now that I am out of high school. That's just the way some things are- or, okay, almost everything is.

Today is Monday. I got to thinking about it as a boarded the bus to Greene Street this afternoon. Everybody was a little droopy, perhaps because of the weather, but maybe also because it's Monday. Have you ever known somebody whose favorite weekday is Monday? I doubt it. Nobody likes them. Just ask Garfield. I think almost everybody chalks all the Monday blues up to social norms. People have hated Monday for as long as we've known, why mess with a good thing? Hell, it feels GOOD to throw a little hatred Monday's way. But did you know that there are studies that provide conclusive (ish) evidence that Mondays are ACTUALLY the most depressing day of the week? It's true. I googled it! And there are a freakishly HUGE number of articles related to this topic.

According to one article (linked here if you'd like to view for yourself), on average, people do not smile until 11:16 am on a Monday morning, and that nearly half of employees are late for work (though I think that seems rather high...) and will only log 3 1/2 hours of actual productivity (THAT, on the other hand, seems about right...). However, this article also includes a testimony from a clinical psychologist which suggests that perhaps the workplace IS the best place for you on a Monday morning- humans tend to have tribal instincts and really DO feel much better once they have reconnected with the tribe in their office, school, what have you. Once we have re-established a connection, we are more apt to get our work done, which might explain the dip in productivity that day. Though I do wonder what the numbers are like for Fridays- I feel like there's not a lot being done on those days either...

There is another study (this one) which explains that the key to avoiding the Monday blues is simple- just stop sleeping in on the weekends! Yeah, I know, what a ridiculous notion. Unfortunately, it does seem to be rooted in actual fact. Apparently, when we sleep in for a couple hours on Saturday and Sunday, we are actually giving our brains a little bit of a jet-lag, so we are not as sleepy Sunday night, and certainly not ready to hop out of bed bright and early on Monday morning. This is a very interesting point, but I'm gonna level with you- I like sleeping in on the weekends, so I'll just go with denial. Hey, that study was conducted using samples of saliva and measurement of hormones and questionnaires. Since WHEN have ANY of those things been helpful?

Regardless of what you think about Monday OR any of this silly Monday research, I feel like I should mention some cures for the Monday blues that were included in the first article (TRUST me, they needed a team of trained professionals to come up with these)....

"the best way to beat those Monday blues is by indulging in activities like watching television, having sex, online shopping, buying chocolate or make-up, or planning a holiday"

oh, okay. if you insist!

happy monday, everybody! :)

at least we're over the hump...

Remember all the way back when Grey's Anatomy didn't suck? It used to be a medical drama based around a group of (somewhat) likeable characters and their experiences as surgical residents. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes sad, sometimes exciting- would the patient pull through? You could relate to those people- they were like someone you knew. I liked that. Now it's just a bunch of whiney "doctors" who do nothing but sleep around and continue to be totally shocked when one terrible thing after another happens at their hospital- bombs, car accidents involving emergency vehicles, floods, crazy people with guns- who knew Seattle was such a violent place>? I don't watch it anymore- too much stress. Plus, there's just something about the interview decorum of series creator Shonda Rhimes that rubs me the wrong way. That whole "Oh, haha, I know what's going to happen and YOU don't!" "Better watch this week! Someone's gonna DIE!" Yeah. No. I'll pass.

But I digress...

There is one particular moment from those early episodes that has always stood out to me- a moment I can really sympathize with. George O'Malley, who is aggravated, upset, and visibly flustered, bursts through a door and thrusts himself down amongst his friends. "Who here feels like they have NO idea what they're doing?" he spits, and everybody raises their hand. I'm with you, George.

I think, if I were totally honest with myself, I dont know what I'm doing about 75% of the time. This usually doesn't include the easy stuff, like my commute (although sometimes it does...you'd be surprised.) I know what I WANT to do in the future, I think I know the steps I have to take to get there- and yet, sometimes I feel so totally lost- how is ANYTHING I'm doing going to help me get what I want? Am I already too old to get on the right track? Is any of what I've done even CLOSE to the track I want to be on? Most of the time, I am able to rationalize the steps I have taken so far, and realize that rushing right into grad school is not the best choice for me right now. I have to keep plugging away and taking whatever opportunities I can get. I need more life experience than I have right now. I feel like if I rushed back to get my masters, it would feel like undergrad: round two, and I would end up trying to teach a group of college students who are still around my same age, most of whom wouldn't take me the slightest bit seriously. I know I wouldn't. But still. This week has been one of those weeks- where I've felt lost approximately 100% of the time. There are still a couple of days left though. Maybe I'll come around.

Not about Grey's Anatomy, though. Nowadays it just plain sucks.

love me some jack hodgins...

...and lance sweets, of course.


i'm watching bones and doing chores while ben tries to sell over priced clothes at the third most-robbed banana republic store in the country.

i'm having computer issues- or power cord issues, i guess. fortunately, i have a mac that is less than a year old, so i'm hoping that a fairly simple trip to an apple store will provide with me a new power cord and solve all my problems. i know that issues with technology are not usually that easy, but that seems to always be the case with apple and mac products, so i'll dare to dream.

being without a computer does strange things to my brain, which doesn't say much about my ability to survive without technology, but really, who can nowadays?? i just mean that i want to write and research and record things and listen to my podcasts, and i can't. sure, there's ben's computer--and his desktop, but they don't have all my STUFF. plus the lap top is a dinosaur and i can't relax on my bed and use the desktop at the same time. *sigh* i'll just have to be patient.

while i was home (in maine, that is...), i had to field several questions about how i was liking philly, and you know, my answer was far different than it was around thanksgiving. in november i would have told everyone that the city was nice but that i was going to be ready to leave it when the time came. now, i still feel like the city is nice, but more and more i feel like i am finding a niche here. i'm starting to feel like i'm establishing myself in a way that i can actually see getting bigger and better. i have a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood, and across the street from my house is an amazing thai restaurant and a deli which makes THE best cheesesteak in philly (and i really do know, i've tried all of the "big three" and a few others...). we live near a main street full of bars and gourmet food stores and consignment shops and all kinds of awesome. we also live near pretzel park.

i have a job that allows me the freedom to embrace my hobbies. i get to work with kids who i love, and get to flex my educational muscles as well as my motherly ones. also, working with kids= the best birth control ever. in the world. who has two thumbs and will certainly not have kids until she's totally ready? THIS girl!

i have an internship at one of the more prominent theatre companies in philadelphia, and i hope that within the next few months, i'll be able to start teaching theatre classes too-- i start assisting teachers next week!! :)

i feel like i've built a pretty good life here- and i will be sorry to have to leave it, because in all likelihood, i WILL have to. there are avenues that could be explored where i DO stay here, but the thing about those is, i'm not wild about the other things that they entail- i.e. ben being in new york and me not being allowed to live in student housing and unable to afford to live in new york by myself. but i guess, in that scenario, at least i have this city to cheer me up. i like it here.