I was having a conversation with my hubby a few weeks ago and he commented on how he wishes that he could do a lot of the things that I do, paint, write, decorate. He also commented that he wishes he could learn as fast as I do.
“I would be a millionaire several times over if I had your talent.” he commented while shaking his head.
“I know that I am good at a lot of things,” I replied, “I just get bored very easily. I really don’t have a passion for anything.”
Well, you would have thought that I had said that I didn’t believe in God, or that I was planning on setting the house on fire.
My hubby was literally floored. He couldn’t understand how I have lived for 39 years and not have a passion for anything.
“You have to be passionate about something!” He exclaimed rather passionately.
“Nope! There is absolutely nothing that I have done that I want to keep doing forever or for any length of time for that matter. Everything that I do gets boring after a while. That is just the way I am. That doesn’t mean something is wrong with me.” I said rather defensively.
“Lady, you have a year to find your passion.” He declared.
“What?”
“You heard me, you have whole year to figure out what you’re passionate about.”
I guess I should explain. Sometimes the Army deploys its employees overseas, in case you didn’t know. And my hubby is not exempt. He has been gone for almost a month. His deployment is for a year give or take a month or two and he thought this would be the perfect time for me to “find my passion.” As if being an Army wife isn’t enough work.
So what is my passion? More important, why don’t I have one? Is there something wrong with me? Or am I like a lot of people who are content with moving from idea to idea and never settling on any one thing?
Is it design, art, singing? Who knows? I like all of those things, but would I do any of them for a living? Would I be okay if I never did any of them again? For many years, I thought it was my family, my kids, my household. But kids don’t stay forever. They leave and start lives and pursue passions of their own.
Whatever the case, I have a year, give or take a few days to figure it out. To figure me out. So why do I just want to pull the covers up over my head and hide out in the safety and tranquility of my bed for the next 360 plus days? Now that is something I can be passionate about.
Days 3-6 have been all about exploring. I am usually really great at figuring out a place in the few days, but I have to admit, manuevering around the NOVA area is going to be just a tad more difficult than learning my way around Seoul, Korea. Who knew? Today on a morning coffee run I accidentally took a wrong turn and headed across the river toward D.C. It was absolutely beautiful! All of the buildings and the people walking around going on about their Sunday morning business. I really wanted to go into that area of D.C. and explore a little bit since I have never seen it from that vantage point, but I didn’t have time. I will be doing it for sure in the near future.
I also ventured out to the S. Columbia Pike Farmers Market to see what they had to offer. This one was very small and I have the feeling that it has not been around for too long. I am sure when the area has fully undergone a complete revitalization, the Farmer’s Market will be awesome. I am just optimistic like that.
On Saturday, I went to McLean Virginia to check out what was going on there. They have a really good mall called, Tyson’s Corner. Just about any store that you would find in any major city is there. I met this extremely funny, extremely charming young lady named Kerri who works at West Elm, a furniture store. She was helpful with ideas for places to go in DC for decorating and art and the like. She is also a transplant from Vermont who really seems to enjoy the area, and she assured me that I would as well. It was a pleasure meeting her, she was a ray of sunshine.
The overall area seemed a little more suburban and relatively more upscale than Arlington. But who really knows if that is true? I went there primarily to see the different stores there and what that area had to offer, but I couldn’t help but notice the biggest thing there as well as in Arlington, the diversity when it comes to the people. If there is actually such a thing as a melting pot, the NOVA area is it.
The area that I live in is definitely hopping at night. There is a second run movie theater and Drafthouse on one corner and lots of restaruants and shops all around. I have notice that the tow trucks are very tow happy. There were at least 8 cars towed just last night. After midnight, a lady’s car was being towed and the alarm was going off. She managed to run out and stop the guy from taking it. I just thought, “Boy, was she lucky.” There are lots of sounds and things to look out and see at night. The traffic, and people walking, and waiting for buses are all really interesting to me since I have primarily lived in the suburbs for most of my adult life. In many ways, it is very calming. Strange, I know.
Mainly for the last few days, I have just been driving around and washing clothes and hanging out in my apartment clubhouse waiting for my furniture to be delivered. Sleeping on the floor is not comfortable at all, and I will definitely pack an Aero Bed the next time I move, I am not 20 anymore. In all, I am enjoying my new surroundings and I can’t wait to really get out and meet people. I would love to have a wonderful social circle of real friends here in the area. Especially because I know that any circle of friends here will be a very diverse one.
Until next time, take care and remember, change can be really good for the soul.
Days one and two of my great big move to Northern Virginia has been all about apartment hunting and an awesome test in patience. The NOVA area is indeed a wonderful place in my humble opinion. The area has a great deal to offer. If one is interested in the arts, politics, good food, shopping, and even nature, it is all here. There are cute little walking areas, business areas, regular city-like areas and wonderful malls. It would seem that everything that a person could need is right here in Virginia, with Washington, DC right on the otherside of the Potomac.
In the past two days, we looked at several properties for rent. The first was a very brand new property, The Alexan Carlyle located near Carlyle Square in Alexandria, VA. It appears that once these apartments are finished, they will be very cute and very modern. At this point the first building is nearly complete, and they are currently only renting on the 1st and 2nd floor. It is within walking distance of a cute little roundabout of shops, cafes, and restaurants and located behind the Patent and Trademark Offices. It would have been a good choice, but they had only rented to three other residences and we would be the fourth, and there was dust and construction everywhere and I didn’t see an end in sight.
We went to the Clayborne in Alexandria, which was nice, but only had a 2 bedroom 1 bath available, and then to The Linc in another part of town. The Linc did have a den, if it could be called that. It looked more like a nook or a place to put a window seat. Pretty much it was just an extra space. In addition, we were being shown the apartment with two other ladies who I can only assume were mother and daughter. They both seemed to be on the snobby side and were whispering to each other and staring at us with funny looks on their faces every time we asked the leasing agent a question. I hope this isn’t an indicator of the way people act in this area. I do know for sure that I had no desire to have either of them as neighbors. This is not a judgement on the place itself, but perhaps the management staff should consider giving separate tours to prospective tenants. Ultimately, The Linc was too small and the look of the apartments seemed more like a hotel than an apartment home.
We looked at the Monarch, which seemed ideal. I was really drawn to the Starbucks and Boxing Gym on the ground level. The area seemed to be thriving and there was lot to do within walking distance. I definitely need to make a note to go back and take one of the boxing classes. The exercisers could be seen through the window working out with the big punching bags. Looked like a whole lot of fun and a great way to work out some aggression.
Alexandria had some very interesting things to offer on day one. On day two, we set out to look around in Arlington. Our first visit was to the Gramercy at the Metropolitan Park. All I can say is, “Wow!!!” This apartment building has everything one could even think of wanting in a place to live. The retro style building has a beautiful pool and outdoor lounge area, huge fitness center, state of the art business and conference center, a movie theater, hardwood floors, a huge clubroom that can be rented for parties, and the amenities go on and on. They even had a two bedroom with den available and the den was actually den-sized. And the best part of all, this community was within walking distance of the wonderful Fashion Center at Pentagon City. Of course all of this luxury comes with a price that was at the higher end of our price range. I have to say though, in spite of price, this beauty would be hard for anyone to pass up. The Gramercy is most definitely a contender.
We stopped by The Halstead Tower and The Avalon at Arlington Square, but aparently they weren’t really interested in renting any apartments, because the The Halstead Tower was having some kind of training, so “all” of their people were too busy to come and talk to us, even to make an appointment. The Concierge only talked to us, when she realized that we had been standing there waiting after she passed by us to go to the water cooler and to talk to some other people. And the people at The Avalon decided that it would be a good idea to just take the day off. So that was that, there was no need to look any further. I will say that the lobby of The Halstead Towers was very artsy and cool, but of course that was not enough to make me go back on the off chance that someone may or may not help me.
IO` Piazza was extremely cute. There was no pool though, and the building seemed overly animal friendly. The draw to this particular place was the cute little walking area of Shirlington with lots of shops and places to eat and what looked to be like a really decent library. This building was built initally as a building of condos to be bought rather than rented, so there were a lot of extra nice fixtures and touches that you don’t normally get in an apartment community. There were hardwood floors throughout, the bathrooms boasted slate tiles and the appliances seemed to be on the higher end. Of course, we were looking at the model, so that could have a lot to do with how pretty and perfect everything was. Overall, it was very cute and met our needs at the right price, so it is definitely on the list.
We ended the day by looking at the Halstead at Arlington. A very chic, very new building with lots of extra amenities like Sunset Yoga, Pet Appreciation Day, and Virtual Golf, at a price somewhat below most of the properties with similar features. Coming from a very suburban place in California, the surrounding neighborhood appeared to be a little seedy, but I couldn’t find anyone who had anything really bad to say about it, so perhaps looks can truly be deceiving. And I knew that when I chose to move to the city, everything wasn’t going to be perfectly new and manicured like the suburbs, that would defeat the move to a city in the first place. I must say that I was rather surprised at the number of people walking around the area visiting the local diners and businesses in the evening. This was definitely a plus.
The price range for a two bedroom, two bath was $1700 per month, on the lower end at The Linc, in Alexandria, to $3800 per month on the higher end at The Gramercy at Metropolitan Park on the higher end.
This area definitely has a lot to offer, from the diversity of the people to a wide range of housing choices and amenities. There seems to be enough to appeal to most everyone.
I will not say which property we actually picked for obvious reasons, but I do believe that just about any of the places on the list would be a great start if one is looking to live in the NOVA area. With all that has been built here and that will be built in the future, any prospective move to this area could be a truly satisfying experience.
Until next time.
In my efforts to avoid unnecessary arguments with the people in my life, I have decided to no longer engage them in their negativity or indulge them or encourage them in their constant nitpicking, complaining and whining. There always seems to be those few people that find a problem with every situation or who can’t help but point out the fault in something, no matter what it is. This drives me crazy, thus this is a complaint about those who constantly complain.
I used to debate these people, try to get them see things in a different light, I have even gone along with them hoping that my lack of resistance would prove boring to them and they would see how silly we really sounded crying over nothing together. But alas, misery loves company so none of my ploys seemed to work.
So now I am keeping my opinions to myself while I bristle in silence and save my feelings for my special place, my blog. No amount of breath expended is going to change a complainer’s ways. They have to see it for themselves. And besides, why should any of us waste our breath on them anyway, we may need those breaths one day.
So having said all that, I commence to complain about the complainers and hating on the haters.
The other day, like many other people, I am watching the Michael Jackson memorial service. I decide it would be cool to watch it with my friends on Facebook since most of us have known each other since childhood, during the time when all of our musical sensibilities were being molded and shaped by the King of Pop before he earned the title. We were all logged on posting our updates and generally watching respectfully together, when the complainers started. It was ridiculous.
First one friend posted:
“I know i am going to get flack for this but wtf 4 million we as tax payer in Los Angeles to pay for a service, for this cat that got money his family got cash too. and i cant get in the service without a wrist band.My mom ment a whole lot more to me them him and i would not let yall pay for her so he can moonwalk his self over and kiss my black never mind.”
Okay, even if you agree with these sentiments, couldn’t it have waited until after the ceremony. The funny part about this statement, when I chose to ignore his update, and posted my own update, which was the beginning lyrics to “Man in the Mirror” this friend then commented on my page and asked me if I read his update. Apparently he was very proud of his negative comments.
I replied, “i read it…not feelin it…but its your page…and you’re entitled to feel that way…we’re all different, you know.”
To which he replied, “yes but why do we have to pay for this most (SIC) folks would not had wanted it it they knew we had to payfor. (SIC) the shut off a freeway so over 300 of his friends and family can go to a private service we paid for that. thats what i am talking about.”
So not only was he complaining but he was dragging me into his madness and I didn’t want to be there. So I told him that he could be as mad as he wanted to be, but to let me watch the memorial.
He said, “Ok!”
I believe he was rather reluctant.
Then, when the service actually started, another friend complained that things seemed disorganized.
So I guess the fact that this whole thing was planned in a few days and that thousands of people were descending upon downtown Los Angeles en masse, were really just factors to deal with and any ordinary person…like herself…could just pull the whole thing off without a hitch. NOT!!!!
She then went on to say how there should have been a huge processional with a horse and carriage like they had for The Notorious B.I.G and Aaliyah.
Wow, one person complaining that we are spending too much money and now another one saying it is not enough.
She went on and on and on…so I blocked her.
In fact, I blocked at least five people.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough. Another friend who didn’t get the opportunity to watch along with everyone else caught up with the rest of us by watching it later. Hours later, after we had all cried and laughed and were generally spent. And she had the nerve to post this:
“Okay is it just me or did Michael’s daughter seem like she was acting…sorry”
Seriously! Have we really become that cynical?
Several people responded to her both in agreement and disagreement. I noticed that a few who agreed are pretty cynical and complain a lot as well. I guess what they say is true, “birds of a feather….” you know the rest. But there were just as many who tried to appeal to her and get her to see it differently. I did not respond either way.
The way I see it, the people who feel these things and say these things are definitely entitled to their opinions. And we all have seen things in life that don’t necessarily jive with our spirits or seem authentic. But with these particular people, and many others, I have noticed a definite pattern, and I don’t have any desire to be part of the repeat.
I am all for keeping it real, but my mother always pointed out two valuable lessons to me. There is a time and place for everything and if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all. Of course have modified the last one because I believe people should be able to express themselves, but it is still all in the way you say it. Anything can be said in a way that doesn’t hurt people are tear things down. But most people are not skilled in that subtle art. Perhaps it is something that can be taught when children are young. It would certainly alleviate a lot of conflict.
In any case, when you think about it, what purpose does it serve to broadcast negativity and always focus on the bad? I don’t know about you, but I don’t need those kind of people in my life. I want to be a giver to the world, not a taker. When you focus on the negative, you ultimately receive negativity in return.
Today, July 8th, in 1889, The Wall Street Journal began publication.
In 1950, General Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of the United Nations forces in Korea.
In 1958, The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the first official gold album. It was for the Oklahoma soundtrack.
In 1907 Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first “Follies” on the roof of the New York Theater in New York City.
And today, in 2009, I made it to level 40 of Sorority Life on Facebook.
If that is the highlight of my life, man am I in trouble.
If we choose not to remember greatness because of alleged shortcomings, then no one will ever be worthy of remembrance. RIP Michael Jackson!!
Hypothetically speaking, your man ( I am talking to the women in this instance) has the nerve to tell you that he is thinking about or has been cheating, and you don’t do the typical female thing and freak out. Instead, you say calmly, “Oh really, how is that working out for you?”
What do you think would happen?
What do you think would happen if you said, “Oh that’s nice honey, why don’t you tell me all about it.”
Or even more out there, “Ooh next time, can I watch?”
How do you think that will go over…hypothetically…of course?
I know it’s counterintuitive and goes against everything we have been taught morally and otherwise, but when you think about it, it is the most unexpected response. And typically, the unexpected yields the unexpected.
Cheating is less often about love, lack of something in your relationship, or even sex and more about getting away with something that is considered taboo.
When we freak out, cry, scream and lose our minds or even give off the possibility that we might do so, we fuel the whole secretive, taboo nature of the act and we actually ensure that the person re-cheats. Not an issue if you plan on leaving, but can cause problems later on down the road, if you plan on staying in the relationship.
So hypothetically, what if you just brought it all out into the open? Just lay it all out on the line? All of a sudden, it is not a secret. There is no thrill and chances are, the guy will get bored with the whole thing, realize it is not as much fun if it is not “taboo” and go find some other equally dumb, yet relatively harmless thing to do, like hiding purchases in the trunk and sneaking them in the house when no one is looking….or something like that.
Of course, if you do choose to adopt the I’m-an-empowered-woman-I-don’t -give-a-damn-what-you-do-with-other-women-and-I- am-staying-because-I-just-don’t-feel-like-looking-for-another-man-just-yet attitude, you probably have to get over the whole broken heart thing, and the whole “he cheated and destroyed my fairytale” mentality. And you should insist that he wears condoms if you plan on continuing to have sex with him, especially because what you signed up for was a monogamous relationship and that would not be what you would be getting. Yeah, this is not for the faint of heart.
Or you could just leave…but what would be the fun in that?
I don’t know, I kind of like the idea of giving him enough rope to hang himself, watching him writhe in confusion, and generally having total control of myself and the entire situation.
That’s all hypothetically speaking…of course.
For the last two weeks, I have been tormented by birds. It started out with a gathering of birds outside of my bedroom window serenading me with a strange barrage of tweets. Not necessarily a bad thing at anytime other than 3 AM. I managed to be awake several nights in a row because of this and the lack of sleep caused me to declare an instant disdain for the little winged creatures. A disdain that lead me to declare on my Facebook update that I hate birds. Well apparently birds don’t like being hated or called out on Facebook. So yesterday they awarded me with my very own bird-doo trophy. Apparently, this flock of seagulls, bevy of quail, or whatever type of aviary escapees these happened to be, must have eaten a large animal before pelting my car, and me inside of my car with a massive amount of bird shit. Suffice it to say that I won’t be posting, “I officially hate birds,” on my Facebook update again, but you best believe. I am thinking it.
I have said it before, and I will say it again. All men cheat. They may not be currently cheating on their mate, but they have cheated on someone at some point in time. Why are we so surprised when someone comes forward and admits that they have been having an affair? The question should not be if a man is going to cheat on you, but when? And what are you going to do about it? And men are not alone in this, more and more, there are women in relationships who cheat too. But in my opinion, most, if not all men cheat on somebody.
So when are women going to stop allowing this to be the be all end all of our lives? When are we going to start realizing that it will probably happen to us in our lifetime and decide here and now that we are not going to beat ourselves up about something that has absolutely nothing to do with us and what we are not doing, and everything to do with the man and who he is?
Ladies, stop treating a man’s inability to be faithful as a knock against something you aren’t doing right. If a man cheats, that is his problem. If you choose to stay with him, then help him work out his problem. If you choose to leave him. Then do so and don’t look back. But don’t spend your life waiting on a man that is never gonna cheat on you, because chances are, that is a miracle that will never ever happen.
When I was a little girl living in L.A., we went to Vegas at least once a year, sometimes more. It was usually a few hot days hanging out around a hotel pool watching the adults take turns coming in and out from gambling to keep an eye on us. The highlight of the trip would always be the Circus Circus Flying Balloon act which had obvious sexual undertones and which I could probably perform myself after the first three consecutive trips to see it. Not very appealing and yet, for whatever reason, I always looked forward to that trip year after year.
Fortunately, I am glad to say that along with almost everything else in the world, Las Vegas has changed for the better and has actually become a place where people of all ages can have a good time. Now don’t get it twisted, there is still a lot that one must shield young eyes from. But overall, it has turned into a pretty interesting place.
On a recent trip, I had the opportunity to see Las Vegas in whole new light. I had driven through several times while they were blowing up the old hotels we remember from Dan Tanna’s Vegas and replacing them with the Mega-Resorts we have come to associate with CSI, but usually I was just passing through long enough to catch some sleep and a hot meal before proceeding on the next leg of one trip or another.
Maybe I am a little late in my realization, but Vegas has turned into a pretty cool place. My attitude turned from, “Oh my gosh, what am I going to do in Vegas for 5 days” to “Wow, I can’t wait to go back and explore that place some more!”
While I was in Vegas I went to an Art Show, an Andy Warhol and Friends Retrospective at the Bellagio. After the Art Show, I wandered around the hotel.
I loved the architecture, especially the atrium area, which was undergoing some sort of construction for an upcoming event.
The lobby ceiling covered with Dale Chihuly blown glass was impressive and there was plenty of interesting artwork scattered throughout.
The highlight was venturing outside to see the massive expanse of water where the now infamous Bellagio Water Show is displayed and the Vegas Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe sitting conspicously across the street. I honestly thought that these would be cheesy, but they were all actually pretty impressive.
I also took the time to visit some of the upscale stores in the Bellagio. Saw a really expensive Dior purse that was to-die-for. I wandered around Tiffany looking at all of the sparkly things and the staff in the Chanel store were all very nice and eager to help. I popped into Hermes just to see what all of the hype was about and ended up being followed around for the full 5 minutes I spent there. This was particularly funny to me because the store was literally the size of my foyer and living room and everything was under glass. I am not sure what it was that the attendant thought I could possibly steal. When I do make an extravagant purchase, it won’t be from them.
The nightlife is obviously a highlight in Vegas. I didn’t go to any clubs, but I did happen to peek in the very sexy club Pure in side of Caeser’s Palace,which has a Pussycat Doll Lounge inside and stripper poles outside of the club that the dancers come out and dance on from time to time. Another club inside of Caeser’s is club Poetry. We passed by this club on our way to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. There was a line for this club, but it went down pretty fast, and from outside the club, the music was thumpin. There was an enclosed catwalk that we had to pass under on the way to the exit, and we could see the people inside the club. It looked as if they were having a really good time. Poetry and Pure are both definitely on our list of clubs whenever we go back and maybe I’ll even attempt to take a swing around one of those stripper poles. *WINK*
My favorite part of the trip was the Miracle Mile Shops attached to the Planet Hollywood Casino and Hotel (what can I say, I like to shop). This is an indoor mall made to feel like an outdoor shopping experience, featuring ceilings painted like a sky and an indoor thunderstorm attraction. This thunderstorm feature may seem a little gimmicky, but is actually refreshing when considering how hot and dry it gets in Vegas. The mall has high end and middle of the road stores and restaurants. There is a Sephora (one of my favs), a Guess store where I opted for a cute white bag which cost a whole lot less than that Dior one that I was salivating over. There is also a Fat Tuesday’s, if you want to have a drink while you shop, and Aromi D’italia, a really good place to get Gelato.
Places that I didn’t get to visit, but wanted to, The Venetian and the Titanic Artifact Exhibition in the Luxor. Both of these attractions will definitely be on my agenda for my next visit. I would venture to say that no matter what you do while you are in Vegas, if you plan just right, you will have a good time. There is so much to see and do, I can’t imagine anyone being bored, unless they just want to be. Las Vegas is always an experience.
