Text to Talk

It is very annoying to me that people depend so much on technology to say what they need to say. I see it in my students, I see it in my friends, in people I don't even know, in languages I don't speak. What happened to picking up the phone to ask someone out on a date, calling your friend to set up a lunch, or calling someone to I don't know… TALK?

I think we lose some of our humanity when we hide behind all these new forms of communication. It empowers us when we don't have to actually talk to someone face to face, so much so when we actually do see someone in person, we can't converse in a normal way, at least at first. Suddenly, the witty don't have that hilarious line on the tip of their tongue it usually takes them 10 minutes to think about on Facebook chat, as they pretend they are preoccupied and so NOT thinking of a response to what you said. Through text, it can take up to an entire day to have what would be a five minute conversation in person.

Everything has a time and place, don't get me wrong. But enough is enough. It almost needs to be an active exercise to remember to try to talk to people, if just to maintain the ability to talk!

I have a small list of No-Nos that are just wrong to approach in technology land. Receiving the following through text, Facebook, or any other media that allows people to bypass talking on the phone or God forbid in person is a complete cop-out and not appropriate!!

The No-Nos
asking someone on a date
breaking up
notifying people of an engagement (unless they count as acquaintances on FB, then go for it)
expecting someone to know something about you because it's on Facebook
being surprised that someone knows something about you because DUH it's on Facebook
canceling a date
invitations to weddings

Anybody have anything to add? I know I'm not the only one this annoys.

AND What is the world coming to when people start writing "u r 2 cute 4 wrds"!? Really, you couldn't include the "O" in words? REALLY?? That whole sentence would take an extra two seconds of typing to write out. Even autocorrect didn't want me to write that!

For goodness sake people, don't forget you have a voice for a reason! Use it. And for heaven's sake, your is possessive, you're is YOU ARE in a contraction.

 From me, to you :)

Hats and Bracelets and Shoes… OH MY!

This is what happens when we get bored. You go to the upscale mall down the road, grab a Starbucks, and proceed to try on half the accessories in the mall. And find funny signs to take pictures with. Enjoy.

Pink

or blue?

Bangles are such an interesting accessory, and paired with these glasses - hello DIVA!

I feel like I need this reminder every day.

Just had to throw this one in there.

 We could probably fill 10,000 of these journals with explanations as to why coffee is so beneficial.

SO APPROPRIATE 

Sometimes life is so interesting, you just have to write about it!

 Funniest sale sign I've ever seen. EVER.

Hats are awesome. They are almost certainly the best accessories ever. The end.

Love.

You Look Tired!

Things we like to hear pretty much any time of the day, even if they aren't true. 

Complete the phrase…

"you look _____"

beautiful

radiant

fresh

hot

fit

Things we don't want to hear, even if they are true.

Complete the phrase…

"you look _____"

Fat in those jeans

pale in the face

a hot mess

raunchy

tired

Have you ever had someone say to you, "man, you look tired"! This phrase, no matter how you spin it, travels through the air as what you said and into the ear of the allegedly "tired" person as "you look like shit". There are two reactions that inevitably come from the person being told this.

1. They aren't tired and are now offended that someone would call them out on their shotty application of concealer that morning.

2. They really are tired… thus most likely grumpy and not made to feel better by some bozo pointing out the obvious. 

So, next time you feel like you should inform someone they look tired, consider the information itself. Is it really necessary to point out exhaustion? Unless you are planning to do something about the person's sleepy demeanor, why bother saying anything? 

*tip* use the phrase "how are you doing" in place of "you look tired". You'll sound interested in their life and most likely get an answer to your true burning question in their response. Two birds, one stone. BAM.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee - 6 Types of Starbucks Drinkers According to Moi!

 Let me preface this blog post by saying there are always exceptions to EVERY rule. But in general, this is what it is. The way I see it, there are five different types of Starbucks drinkers. The following are the six categories.

1. The One Night Stand Drinker - this is person that picks up a Starbucks about once every six months to a year. If you ask them if they like Starbucks, they'll say "ya, it's alright, but I'll take a McDonald's McCrappe too". This person clearly thinks the two are comparable in some way and should have their taste buds tested for defectiveness.

2. The Limited Access Drinker - this is a person who doesn't live or commute to work near/within 20 miles of a Starbucks. If you ask them if they like Starbucks, they'll say "yes! wish I could go more often but I never get around to it". This is OK - sometimes geography sucks.

3. The Catch Up Drinker - this a person who uses Starbucks as a social watering hole or a place to "catch up". This can usually be associated with A) a casual/trying to find out if the other person is a creeper before committing to a real date, date or B) Gal pals out for a day of shopping that find the mall Starbucks a great place to rehydrate and recuperate from spending all that money! or finally C) someone who has an iPhone that has discovered the "pay with your phone" app that Starbucks developed for a quick, speedy, and what the hell FUN way to check out! If you ask them if they like Starbucks, they'll say "sure, let's meet there later and catch up!" This is very good. Why? Because they like to catch up at classy establishments!

4. The Nile Drinker - this is a person that is in deNILE about their growing addiction to Starbucks. If you ask them if they like Starbucks, they'll pretend like it doesn't mean much to them, but 15 minutes later, you can catch them at your local Bucks downing a double shot espresso, all the while shouting "I swear, I like McDonald's coffee just as much!!!!!" This person needs to admit that they are coming to the dark (roast) side. HA!

5. The Not-So-Secret Obsession Drinker - this is a person that knows what they want in life, and darn it, they want a STARBUCKS. No other coffee will do for this determined soul! If you ask them if they like Starbucks… then you don't know them very well! Because this person probably had one before they started talking to you about the Bucks and will probably have one after. If they aren't drinking it, they are fantasizing about drinking it. Don't offer this person McDonald's coffee… ever.

6. The Golden Drinker - this is a person that is everything #5 is but can also smell a Starbucks a mile away (and would walk that mile, or two in severe cases, to get it), has an app on their phone for finding Starbucks, plans road trip stops around various Starbucks locations, and in profound situations has a Starbucks personalized Gold Card.

This ladies and gentlemen is the honest truth. So help me Starbucks.

Can you guess which one I am? Should be easy since I just spent an hour blogging about it!

DIY Craze - Melty Crayons

Lately, I have been on a do-it-myself kick. I, like many others I know, have been sucked into Pintrest, Stumble Upon, Tumblr, basically sites that make you feel like no time has passed at all, you can still finish that mile long to do list... and then you look at the clock and realize it's 3am. Let's just call it what it is: addiction.

Anyway, I've been DIY-ing and have a little project I'd like to share with EVERYONE, mainly because it involves crayons and melting things so it'll appeal to the child within and make you forget that you have to be an adult (that person we all wanted to be when we were little who we now realize has to do something that we NEVER, EVER want to do: pay the bills).

All you need for this project is a canvas, a box of crayons, a hair dryer, and a hot glue gun. And maybe an artsy roommate that is willing to sketch and paint the silhouettes at the bottom of your melty art so that you can have something redeemably artistic about your indulgence in childhood mayhem.

1. Hot glue crayons to canvas wherever you want the melting magic to begin.
2. If you'd like to paint a silhouette or words at the middle or bottom of your creation, sketch it out but do NOT paint it yet.
3. Melt the stew out of the crayons until desired magic is obtained. Do this outside or surrounded by newspaper. Spattering will occur and although it's pretty, it's not the desired outcome of this particular mayhem. Note: if you turn the hair dryer to the side, you'll end up with cool streaky marks. If you want globs of color, try aiming the dryer to the lower half of the crayon and angle it down to encourage the wax to go straight down.
4. Observe the awesomeness of your creation!
5. If you sketched something, you may now paint it.
6. Go run and tell all your friends how awesome of an artist you are!

…and voila!

Crayon Melty Art

So, if you know you do not possess one artistic bone in your body but still like to have fun with a lot of colors and melting things (beware of splattering, it happens!), then you'll enjoy this little project. And if you want cute silhouettes, google images can be a great resource!

Happy melting!