Thursday, February 24, 2011

Rumors

I honestly find it amazing how quickly rumors spread among supposed friends of an individual. Although it's happened to me a few times, I'm more concerned about a friend of mine. Recently, she went out with some friends to a concert in Denver. She didn't know that many people, but she talked to a few friends of friends, had a good time, and nothing out of the ordinary happened.


However, about a week later, people were acting strange around her. After a few days, realizing that it might just be her imagination, she asked one of her closest friends what was up. As it turns out, someone had told someone who told someone that she'd met up with a guy from the concert the next night and she'd gotten a venereal disease. (I'm trying to be vague here...I don't really want to comment on the person, but moreso the situation.)

How is it that a person can go out among friends and instead of being initially asked if something is true, it has to be spread around before the person even finds out what was said?

There's something wrong with that situation. I told her she needed to find more respectful friends. It's mind-blowing that rumors can affect a person's life after high school. Why is it that some people don't grow up? And what the hell is the motivation for saying something so awful about someone?

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Apologies, Morbid Things are on my Mind

This morning on my drive to work after dropping off the two loves of my life at school and daycare, I was thinking about the importance of interactions ending positively. I mean, what if I had been in a crash and killed on my way to work this morning? As I was thinking about this, I ran through people in my head, deciding whether or not it would be a more positive goodbye or something more tragic.


(Obviously, it's never positive when someone you care about dies, but it's interesting to think about the very last affect you'd have on someone if they disappeared from the land of the living.)

When it comes to my kids, this morning, my daughter said she loved me, kissed me on the cheek, and waved to me smiling as I dropped her off. My son, walked me to his room, showed me a book, and gave me a big hug before I left. I hope that if anything ever happens to me, it would be after a sweet morning like that, and not one where there had been unrest and/or fighting.

Other family members might be a little harder. I had a good conversation with my mom yesterday, got to see my grandfather for his birthday, and hugged my brother after spending some time together last weekend, but I didn't get to hug/say goodbye to my dad. Granted, there hasn't been any fighting for awhile, so it would be one of the saddest moments of their lives if something were to happen to me, but at least we're close and love each other.

Most of my friends and I are on great terms, enjoying open conversation and crazy smiles. I feel a lot better about my social interactions and I feel like if something were to happen, people would be more likely to remember me as a nice girl they cared about than some girl that was around sometimes that they didn't really care about. I didn't feel that way even six months ago.

There are two or three people that I wish our last interactions had been better. Granted, you're not going to leave every situation and conversation on a good note, but considering that any conversation could be the last I have with someone, I would like to strive harder to end every encounter on good terms.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hey Sunshine

There's a moment in the morning where you're the only thing on my mind, but that's usually because you're blinding me.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Lyrics: Soul Decision - I Don't Need Anyone (to tell me I'm wrong, I know that you love me)

I think the title is a little misleading, but I think this is a great song about remembering that those who matter don't mind and love you no matter what, but the others can keep on moving because they don't really matter.

So here are the lyrics for all of you that I really love and who have taken the time to know me. For those trying to mess with my life, it's never going to work because I'm amazing and I will always take care of the people I love before worrying about your opinions :)

The lyrics:

I know that you love me

I'll be there when you need me
When all my so called friends tried to mess with my life and
They tried to bring my dreams to an end
But when they try to knock me down I get up again
No they see me as a star on the screen
But they're not the same know as they use to be
I don't know what they want from me
I don't care, ah ha that's the way it's gotta be, yeah
I don't need anyone
To tell me I'm wrong, I know that you love me
I don't care what they say
You were there from the start
I'll be there when you need me
So why do they always have something to say
I don't know, I guess they think they understand me
Why do they think they can treat me this way
It's my life, they don't control me, no
You are the one who always believed
When I tried to be myself, they would laugh at me
But they don't understand the way that I feel
You were the only one, who ever knew me for real
Now they see me as a star on the screen
But they're not the same now as they use to be
I don't know what they want from me
I don't care ah ha, that's the way it's got to be yeah
I don't need anyone
To tell me I'm wrong, I know that you love me
I don't care what they say
You were there from the start
I'll be there when you need me
So why do they always have something to say
I don't know, I guess they think they understand me
Why do they think they can treat me this way
I don't want to see them 'cause I can't believe them
They were not the ones who were there for me
When I needed them
I don't understand what they want from me
I don't care, ah ha, that's the way it's got to be
I don't need anyone to tell me that I am wrong, I know that youlove me
I don't care what they say
You were there from the start
I'll be there when you need me
(Chorus)
So why do they always have something to say
I don't know, I guess they think they understand me
Why do they think they can treat me this way
* Written By Trevor Guthrie

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Pretending not to care...

is one of the things I am best at.

Once upon a time, I wore everything on my sleeve. I was frank about what or who I liked and my reasons, my heart bled out my throat as I backed causes, researched injustice, sang in church, and wrote in my notebooks. The problem with being so openly passionate is people figure out exactly how to hurt you. It's not hard with me. Despite the fact I have a tough chick side, I'm probably more susceptible and more sensitive than I would ever want to admit.

I often write about why I can't meet someone worth my time and I think the honest truth is, so many misconceptions and ridiculous boxes people put me in make it impossible to be seen for who I really am. Guys are comfortable with me. I have a lot of friends who are male because they can "talk to me" because they "would never date a girl like me".

What is a girl like me? A lot of things. I'm a mother and that's terrifying apparently. I mean I can understand that kids provide a challenge, but I think it's amazing that I'm in the non-consideration pile for dating because I have children. The funny thing is, it's usually because the guy has dated someone with kids before and things "went badly". I know the various circumstances, but honestly, I think if they really examined it, her having kids wasn't the issue, her being crazy and getting back with an ex or always looking for a better handout was the issue. So to mothers that are cruel to the genuinely nice guys that would be worth dating, I really dislike you when I hear these stories.

Another things I am? Divorced. The big D word. I understand the stigma, I understand why people want to know why, and I really wish that a choice I made hadn't turned out so badly, but it did. I think it's an admirable thing. I saved myself from a situation. I stood up, said no more, and protected myself and my children by doing what I thought was best. And here I am, in the no-dating pile. I must be crazy or desperate. Right...if I was crazy and/or desperate, I never would have dug myself out. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

In other news, my inability to go out on a whim is a problem. Sometimes being a gamer or liking certain types of music is a problem. Where do people come up with these lists? Oh right, I made my own :)

Well, we all try, and seems to me, a lot of us fail. So to all of the lonely hearts out there, I hope you are having a lovely night. Netflix, videogames, and Wii singing and dancing are good friends for a night alone. Chocolate seems to help too <3

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Where's the Middle Ground?

I want to be a nice person, open and talking to whomever. I want to come off kind, never desperate, sweet but never easy or stupid, and strong but not overbearing. I am missing something in the balance though. I give people the wrong signals constantly or I'm fascinating enough that people want to follow me around, spam text me, and try to date me vigorously.

I do wonder why there are so many guys with no tact, lack of decent grammar and/or punctuation, and that have NOTHING to offer stalking women.

Why is it never the successful, hot, single lawyer type that tries so hard? Because he doesn't have to.

The people trying to find dates in a bar are desperate and therefore creepy. I hate making the generalization. I think it's particularly difficult because a part of me wants to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Where are the freaking lines?

Monday, February 14, 2011

How to Get Punched in the Heart by Wishing Someone a Good Day

All you have to utter is Happy Valentine's Day to piss somebody off. It's interesting. I've never gotten chewed out for wishing someone a Happy St. Patrick's Day or Happy Friday the 13th or Happy Make a Friend Day. Hell, even the made up crazy kid's holidays about popcorn or bubble gum don't get me as attacked. It's just today, February 14th, Valentine's Day.


If you knew me well, you'd know I love letting people know I care about them. I love making cards and sending candy and surprising people. It's nice to have a day to say, hey, we may not be lovers, but I love and care about you. Everyone has someone that cares about them, even if they refuse to realize it.

So there's a lot of venom. This holiday was created so card, candy, flower, and jewelry companies could make more money. It's fake and stupid and meaningless. It's just a Single's Awareness Day so that people can rub their cute love in everyone's face and we can all be depressed.

Really, well thank you for ruining my day when I was trying to make yours better. Thank you for being so cynical and cruel to the optimism and passion I have to say I care about you.


People choose to make this day positive or negative. I prefer positive. Just remember, if I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, you might want to follow the rule that if you don't have something nice to say, it's best to not say anything at all.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Defining Men

Aside from the fact that I'm starting to believe that having a Y-Chromosome is a disorder, I decided to type in a few searches about what men are, a man is, and what a man can be. I have to say, with my recent experiences with the crazy, cruel, inappropriate, and downright rude, I'm fairly amused right now. 

Men are like...
This is a fun category, these are my favorites:

Men are like place-mats; They only show up when there's food on the table.
Men are like chocolate bars, sweet, smooth, and they usually head right for your hips.
Men are like used cars; both are easy-to-get, cheap, and unreliable.
Men are like commercials; you can't believe a word they say.
 
Another interesting thing I came across was a list of traits a "real" or worthy man would have.

The list includes:

A man can make decisions and understands and respects the power of choice.
A man puts his principles first, never his relationships. "A man who claims his #1 commitment in life is his relationship partner (or his family) is either too dishonest or too weak to be trusted. His loyalties are misplaced. A man who values individuals above his own integrity is a wretch, not a free thinker...Whenever the man sacrifices his integrity, he loses his freedom… and himself as well. He becomes an object of pity."
A man knows what failure is and is willing to make mistakes to learn.
A man is confident, isn't afraid to love and express it, and allows his sexual energy to "explode through his heart, not just his genitals".
A man faces his fears and understands them.
A man honors the masculinity of other men. "A man can handle being knocked down many times. For every physical setback he experiences, he enjoys a spiritual advancement, and that is enough for him".
A man accepts responsibility for his relationships, he chooses his friends, lovers, and associates and never blames others for his relationship problems, holds himself accountable for the relationships that belong or do not belong in his life, and "teaches others how to treat him by the relationships he’s willing to allow into his life. A man refuses to fill his life with negative or destructive relationships; he knows that’s a form of self-abuse".
Lastly, a man can die well, because a "real" man lives well.

I do know men like this, who follow principle, pick their relationships carefully, and devote their lives to principles, never faltering and who strive to live well. One of these men is my father. I wish there were more men with conviction and drive and reliability my own age. Sometimes I think that responsibility is a thing for older generations. I want the boys to wake up, buck up, and learn from their fathers.

Good quotes I came across:

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. -MLK, Jr.

A man is what he thinks about all day long. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
 





Friday, February 11, 2011

Living in the space between seconds on the clock

I don't think it really matters how much I have to get done, do get done, or may have been able to get done. It seems that if I feel on top of my tasks, others step out from the shadow to remind me there's simply more tasks than time.

Prioritizing is one way to handle, but it's sad that there's never a time that my brain can take pause, a time where I don't feel guilty about sitting or sleeping or enjoying a little time to myself. I need to learn to let go when I'm getting overstressed. Maybe I would actually get more done that way.

Marking things off a list generally helps, but generating that list gives me a panic attack.

How can there be so many things that need doing? Am I that far behind?

No, you're just a mom that works. That's two or three full-time jobs, love. Chill. 

Now if I could actually get myself to chill, we'd be set.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Please Fight...Not for Me, But For You

social doors closing
embracing a loneliness
but not really
just unhappy
unaware
what do I do?

You have to face life,
start moving forward.
Doesn't matter what they think.
Change what you think of yourself.
tough love?
i will erase you from my life
not concerned 
with your advice
with your ideas
just shut up
and leave me alone
How immature...this isn't tough love.
It's called reality.
Should I be done helping you
receiving this abuse?
Even a friend can only handle
being pushed around so much.
But it's not abuse
I try to help you
I want to better your life.
Our paths 
need to diverge.
Pissed and shutting down again?
I was trying to help and you,
between the problem and sarcastic comments
my attempt to encourage
all you can do is push me out,
run away,
like you have no desire to fight
for yourself
or anyone else.

Do you think you're the only one 
with struggles in life?
The only one that has to fight?
You are so willing to release me from your life it hurts.
i don't know how to fight.
Fighting is trying
even when everything is overwhelming.
Attempting to rise:
fight and try and bleed
and refuse to fail.
That is who I am.
I stop for rests.
I move for hope.
I refuse to be pushed down by challenges.
It isn't easy,
but it's worth it.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Dream After Dream

I'm exhausted this morning. I am trying to figure out why knowing a dream is in black and white makes me feel so disturbed and caught off-guard. I had the same dream four or five times last night. I usually remember colors, sensations, and a few details from my dreams, but this dream felt so awkward and empty. I'm still trying to figure out what to make of it.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

These Hazel Eyes

not defined by pop culture
behind eyes so experience-aged
unrecognizable to grade school playmates
hardening experiences
softening hope
mysteries swirled in changing colors
an outfit, a mood, an extreme
reflecting darkness, mesmerizing light
curiosity envelopes an onlooker
unaware, the danger lurking underneath
breaking passionate ice
left in shards wanting wholeness
finding pieces
never
welded, blended, burnt, or sewn back
together

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Good Advice and Notable Observations

I cannot take credit for the following list, but I've compiled it from lists that I really liked (with a few alterations to spelling word choice, and grammar). I added a few things, but I enjoy having lists like these when I'm having a day where I take myself too seriously or forget that I should be taken seriously.
  1. Never stop thinking. This is important. If someone ever says to you ‘You need to stop thinking so much,’ call them ignorant in your head and keep thinking deeper. It is this mentality that breeds stupidity and sheeple. Your mind is the most important tool you have, if you stop using it, it will atrophy. Question everything.
  2. Never compromise your standards for anyone, do it for you.
  3. Stare into space blankly and don’t mentally punish yourself for doing it, even if it is for that split second. If you have a problem with staring blankly, think of it as daydreaming.
  4. Promptness shows respect.
  5. You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences. 
  6. The first person to use the expression “Get a life!” in any dispute is the loser.  
  7. The medium is not the message. Those who issue blanket condemnations of any form of communication—be it TV, tabloids, text messages or blogs—simply aren’t paying attention.
  8. Root Beer sucks after having spicy food.
  9. You'll never make new friends staring at a computer or television screen.
  10. Everything is going to be just fine. If you worry about acne, you’re going to get a fucking pimple.
  11. Don’t be afraid to talk about anything. You shouldn’t be afraid of reality.
  12. Be there when people need you, because in order to have friends you must first be one.
  13. Everyone is a hypocrite.
  14. Empathy is the greatest virtue. From it, all virtues flow. Without it, all virtues are an act.
  15. The Golden Rule is the greatest moral truth. If you don’t believe in it, at least try to fake it. 
  16. You are all original. Every life experience is case sensitive and unique. Every time you wake up or go to the bathroom or quote someone else, you are becoming more you than anyone has ever been.
  17. Don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, and so are everybody else’s.
  18. Do pointless things. Don’t actively restrain or hide yourself from the redundant.
  19. Stop rushing. Shut up and embrace the sound of silence.
  20. Religion shouldn’t be taught, it should be found. No one should tell you what to believe except you.
  21. Don’t be restrained by one religion. People change every moment of everyday. Minds grow and evolve. Religion has no law so feel free to mix and match. Make your own.
  22. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
  23. Going to the bathroom is not a right nor a privilege. It’s an act of nature.
  24. Talking to yourself is healthy. Is there anyone that you have more in common with?
  25. It’s not “political correctness” that dictates that we try not to insult others’ beliefs and identities. It’s common decency.
  26. There is no such thing as time. The sun never sets or rises. Days and years don’t exist. There is only your life. Earlier today you were born and death is predicted later in the evening.
  27. We will always be in a transitional phase. Look outside and know that everything will be replaced at some point. This existence is temporary.
  28. Its not half empty or half full. Its half a glass.
  29. Give all forms of creativity a chance, each artist brings something new to the table. With an open eye and mind, you never know what the heart may find.
  30. Every now and then take something that you see everyday and try to see it in a different light. Renew its existence.
  31. Be happy, but don’t force it.
  32. It’s never a shame when you admit you don’t know something, and often a shame when you assume that you do.
  33. You will always succeed in trying.
  34. Have dreams and goals. If you don't have places you'd like to go, you'll never go anywhere.
  35. We are all crazy. Every person you read about in the history books had some kind of ‘disorder’, they just knew how to use it.
  36. Don’t waste your breath proclaiming what’s really important to you. How you spend your time says it all.
  37. We are all about as similar as we are different.
  38. Ideas are just as valuable as people. Why do you think we keep making people?
  39. If you’re in a conversation and you’re not asking questions, then it’s not a conversation, it’s a monologue.
  40. Numbers don’t have to go in order.
  41. Enjoy your body, and use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
    think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. Dance even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
  42. Words will always be just words. Love is just another four letter word, only the feeling is real.
  43. Ask a child for advice. They may not know much, but they know what is important. 
  44. Prove you’re alive. Do anything from dancing in the supermarket to screaming ‘Fuck’ during a moment of silence. Remind the world you are still here. 
  45. You can tell more about a person by what he says about others, than by what others say about him.
  46. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
    ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
  47. You can be anything you want to be by making conscious choices each step of the way.
  48. Whatever your passion, pursue it as though your days were numbered. Because they are.
  49. Readers love lists. You got to the bottom of this one, didn’t you?
  50. Don’t take anything, even this, too seriously.

You Are Coming Off Creepy If...

Here is a helpful list of things that guys do that make girls think you're a creeper. Don't do these things unless you want to be seen as a creeper. If you do not see how this things could be construed as creepy, get a therapist and ask him/her about it, you probably need more help than I can offer in this list. (Feel free to add to the list in comments, ladies)

  • Walking up to a girl, introducing yourself, immediately asking if she has a boyfriend and/or trying to touch/hug her
  • Making sexual jokes as an opening line or the first time a girl agrees to go out with you
  • Becoming devoted before there has been any significant dating--this is not a point you should reach for at minimum a month, but usually more like six or eight months. Even if you're thinking it, pushing a relationship to "I love you, I would never leave you" usually comes off as creepy
  • Finding out where a girl lives, works, hangs out and/or likes to shop without being told this information. We do not like surprises that prove to us that you're stalking us. If you're not invited, don't show up. 
  • Looking at anything in our purse...big thing, if you take a girl's phone out to find her number or look at her license for her address, you are not only stalking but violating the law. If you want a number, ask for it. If she refuses, try starting with a friendly friend request on facebook.
  • Creepy on facebook: do not reply, like, and/or comment on every status update, shared info, etc if it is not intended for you. Although a girl may have close friends that do that, you need to know her better before being so button-happy on her facebook page. You will be seen as creepy, limited, and then deleted.
  • If you give compliments and she's not saying thank you, she's not flattered. Your compliments are probably either creeping her out or you're being too invasive. Start with a compliment about the way she looks and limit yourself. She may have beautiful eyes, hair, body, clothes, accessories, everything, but if you go for too much too fast, you seem obsessive and creepy
  • If she walks away from you and is talking to someone else, do not follow her unless you've been invited
  • Do not bring her a drink from the bar without her being present at the bar or telling you what she wants, she will think you've drugged the drink if you randomly walk up and hand her a drink, even if you know it's what she has been drinking all night
  • Do not dance with a girl by grinding on her uninvited. Party boy may be a good joke, but it makes you creepy.
  • Never talk about imagining her naked body or masturbating around a girl you like. It's not flattering. It's creepy.
  • Try to find out what she's into and then model your humor around that. If you make a bunch of random jokes she doesn't get, she'll get annoyed and eventually creeped out. If she has a common geek type and you make jokes she gets, you're much more likely to avoid the creepy category.
  • Do not ask her to give you a ride home the first time you meet her.
  • Do not get completely trashed the first time you meet her.
  • Do not mention girlfriends and all of the problems you've had before--you sound like a hopeless wreck and before long, you're a creeper.
  • Never corner a girl.
  • Don't show her your knives or firearms the first time you meet her.
  • Avoid talking about your emotional history and any mental issues you have ever had when you first meet a girl, even after that, unless you're going to be together a long time, you can set yourself up to lose her nearly immediately. Bit by bit. An overload of information will scare her away.
  • Try to avoid using words other than her name. Introduce yourself and get her name before starting with hun, baby, darlin, sexy, hottie, etc. It's flattering sometimes, but it usually sounds creepy. 
This list is getting long, but I think you get my general drift. Some things may seem sweet or appropriate in a guys head, but I really wish they had a "Creeper Check" button in the brain. I think the creeper factor may be why some nice guys finish last.