compliments

You have a beautifully regal neckline and your collar bone is stunning. -Carol

You are a great writer. -Marc

I think so highly of you and I would love to work with you again in the future. –Brenda

 

These are all compliments I’ve received in the past. I’m sure the people who paid me these compliments don’t even remember saying them. But I remember.

A couple months ago, I was getting ready with my sister. We were at my apartment putting on our makeup and we started talking about blush. She explained that she likes putting on blush because of a compliment I gave her. Apparently several years ago at my mom’s wedding, I told her, “You do a great job applying your blush – your cheeks always look great!”

I don’t remember paying my sister this compliment, but six years later she still does. It’s funny how a seemingly simple compliment can have such a positive impact. The praise becomes ingrained in us – a part of us. We are touched at the sincerity and flattered by the attention.

So, then next time your mom gets a stunning new haircut, or your coworker delivers an eloquent presentation, be sure to tell them. It will make their day and it may even stick with them for life.

the sicko

Sorry for the infrequent posting last week – I’ve been feeling a little under the weather. I spent most of the weekend sniffling, sneezing and sleeping which doesn’t make for very exciting posts.

I should have known this was coming. Every year, there is a point in the cold/flu season when I stop feeling sympathetic for “the sicko” and start getting mad. I usually wake up the next day sick – which is what happened this time. It’s karma. 

In my defense, I’m never mad at the newly sick or the mildly sick. I get angry at the sicko.  You know who I’m talking about. There is a sicko in every office. If you haven’t identified yours yet, they aren’t hard to find. Just follow the sound of constant nose blowing and endless coughing. The sicko is the person who has been hacking and complaining about being sick for three weeks straight. They provide daily updates on the color of their phlegm and their rising fevers. Despite everyone’s advice, they are still coming to work and they still have not gone to the doctor. It’s like they want an award for working while sick – like they are so important and dedicated. 

I believe the sickos of the world enjoy being sick. They savor the sympathy. They relish the attention. And they thoroughly enjoy hashing out the details of their ailments.  They are too self-absorbed to realize that everyone else is totally grossed out. Please sicko, I beg you, go home. 

Now that I’ve written this post, karma is probably going to hit me with pneumonia or something horrible.  Oh well, it had to be said. 

work friends

Let’s be honest.  Work is work.  Sometimes the work is exciting and fulfilling. And sometimes the work is boring and mundane.  But at the end of the day, it’s still work.  You wouldn’t be there 8+ hours a day for free.

But, since you have to be there for the majority of your day, shouldn’t you like your team? This evening, I had drinks with a couple work friends and it reminded me of how much I like the people I work with. Talk about a group of smart, capable and REALLY witty people – love them. Work friends are so important – they keep us sane. They play a different role than “outside” friends. In fact, sometimes you see your work friends more than your “outside” friends. Work friends understand the company dynamics and individual personalities. They provide an outlet for venting. A reason to laugh. And an excuse to take a break.  For me, it’s the people that make work enjoyable – hearing their stories, living their drama and celebrating their successes.  Even though today was an especially hectic work day, I feel lucky because I work with such fabulous people.

proud to be a seattleite

What a fantastic place to live! Seattle was recently ranked #8 on the greenest cities list by Popular Science. It also was the home to 3 of Esquire Magazine’s “Best Sandwiches in America”. A green city with delicious sandwiches, what more could you want in a city?!

valentine’s day

Unfortunately, Derek and I had to spend Valentine’s Day apart this year so I don’t have a romantic story to share. Instead, I’d like to share one of my favorite love songs. It’s “The Book of Love” by Peter Gabriel.  You can listen to it by clicking here. The lyrics are simplistic, sincere and moving. It makes me cry every time. Enjoy!

dental update

As you may remember from yesterday’s post, I was having extreme anxiety about going to the dentist. Well, today I was brutally reminded why I don’t go to the dentist.  Here’s the short version of the story. 

Stats

• Cavities: 1
• Crowns needed: 1 (aren’t crowns for grandparents? Just hand me a cane too while you’re at it)
• Hours for deep cleaning needed: 4 (need to schedule that appt – fun)
• Braces Needed: Yes (but not likely going to happen anytime soon – boo, hiss, snarl)
• Baby Teeth Remaining: 5
• Extra teeth in mouth: 1
• Wisdom Teeth: Nope (never had ‘em.  I swear. They called me “especially evolved”)
• Plaque condition: Good
• Gum condition: Fair

Highlights

• Nitrous Oxide (overall, it’s pretty decent stuff)
• The staff was friendly
• The hygienist actually described himself as “smokin’ hot”.  Hilarious.

Lowlights

• Nausea that followed the appt – probably from the nitrous oxide
• The staff reassuring me that I am a freak and a modern medical miracle. 
• The really fun and detailed dental plan that they put together for me – complete with a budget.  As if my parents didn’t spend enough freaking money on my teeth, now I have to too. Awesome. Effing awesome. 

dental anxiety

I am ashamed to say that it has been a little over five years since I’ve been to the dentist. I’m not really sure where those five years went and I have no excuse for not going. But now that it’s been so long, I’m really nervous about going.

I suspect that my dental issues are deep rooted. As a child, I had mangled teeth. I’m talking ugly, crooked, buck teeth. As if that wasn’t torture enough, I had a severe overbite. I suffered through five years of orthodontics during which my mouth housed every possible dental contraption known to mankind: braces, retainers, spacers, head gear (2 different kinds), rubber bands, etc. I had one retainer that I still remember vivdly – it was called a Bionator. I know, it sounds like a weapon of mass destruction. It clamped my upper and lower jaw together at all times, so I had to learn how to talk without opening my mouth. Not very much fun for a 4^th grader. One dentist actually turned my mouth into a case study to discuss and ponder at his weekly dental meetings. I think he thought this would make me happy, but instead I recoiled in disgust.

In 9^th grade, they finally removed my braces and I cried all day. Of course I was happy to get them off, but I felt like I was losing a part of myself. Without them, I looked different and my teeth felt slimy.

I’m sure tomorrow will be fine (I’m hoping they can give me nitrous oxide to curb my anxiety). I know I need to break my dental boycott before all of my teeth fall out. I fully suspect that I have a mouthful of cavities. They will marvel at my five remaining baby teeth and doubt me when I tell them I’ve never had wisdom teeth. I hope my kids get my husband’s teeth.

change

Change is a weird thing. I’m sure everyone can relate to this. Perhaps it’s your brother, daughter or childhood friend.  A loved one who chose a life path that shocked you. The path you least expected. They “changed”.  

I recently met up with a friend who has morphed into a woman that I could have never predicted.  She has changed. Certainly not in a bad way – just different from what I expected. After our meeting I started wondering, how could she change so much? Is she betraying herself?

When I see her, I feel like nothing has changed. Same easy laugh. Same sparkling eyes. And the same warm heart. We slip into our familiar banter easily as if no time has passed at all. As if we were still best friends.  But in reality, a lot has changed for us both. We live very different lives.  She has chosen a path that feels foreign and extreme to me.  And conversely, I’m sure my life seems unfulfilling and slightly trivial to her. Despite that, we remain friends. We can still relate to one another.  We have changed and yet we are still the same. 

After much thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that she hasn’t “changed”. Life isn’t black and white – there is a lot of gray mixed in there. This lifestyle and these beliefs have always been a part of her. But until recently she was suppressing them and hadn’t made room for them. She had allowed other facets of her personality to reign over her.  She hasn’t changed; she is just allowing a different part of her to shine through.

I’ve decided that it’s possible to “change” without denying or betraying oneself, because it’s not really changing. Rather it’s allowing different ideals, goals, and personality traits come forward and develop. People are complex. We each harbor our own conflicting beliefs, inconsistent personality traits and mismatched priorities. As we move through life, different versions of ourselves emerge – some of these versions are predictable and some of them are unexpected.

*A special note to “my friend”: I know you read my blog and I’m sure you’ve deduced that you inspired this entry. I hope I didn’t offend you in any way – I hold you in the highest regard and value our friendship.  I’m so happy for you and I trust that you have chosen the right path for yourself.

wine rack

Is this not the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen? They’re calling it the “wine rack”.

entrepreneurial spirit

Two qualities that I deeply admire are creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.  My friend Shelby recently started a company with a few friends and has proven that she has both. I am so impressed and proud of them for acting on their idea. For turning their passion into a reality. For taking risks. And for working hard to fulfill their dream. 

Their company is called FiveHumans. Their mission is to raise awareness of life threatening diseases through interesting and inspiring apparel. The diseases they have chosen are asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart disease – although they hope to add to that list in the future.  Their t-shirts feature bold facts and statements to spark interest and start conversations (click here to view heart diesease example). In addition to spreading the word and raising awareness, they have identified charitable organizations for each of their causes and will be donating 10% of the sale price to those organizations. 

So, check out their website – spread the word. Support a local Seattle business and help raise awareness of diseases that impact us all.  And for goodness sake, if you have a business idea – go for it.  Don’t be afraid to follow your dream. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

my weekend

This weekend I flew over the mountains for a snowy weekend with Derek. We had a fantastic 2 days together. Highlights include: the delicious French 75 I had at the martini bar; the countless games of Mastermind; our cooking adventure; lunch with friends on Saturday; a cozy evening watching The Green Street Hooligans; our snuggle-fest; and Super Bowl at Shari’s. 

Lowlights of the weekend include: TSA throwing away my face moisturizer and saying goodbye to Derek. 

When I got off the airplane, I was feeling sorry for myself. It’s always a little depressing to say goodbye.  Stacy and Andre were nice enough to pick me up and when I got in the car, there was a bouquet of flowers and a card sitting on the seat. The card had my name on it. Talk about full-service friends! I was a little puzzled by the flowers and I blurted out something like, “What’s this all about?”  They laughed and told me to read the card. 

The card “officially” asked me to be bridesmaid in their wedding. Hooray! I can’t say that this came as a total shock to me – I suspected that I was being nominated for the role, but I wasn’t positive. I’m honored and excited to be a part of their special day. I promise to fulfill my bridesmaid’s duties to the best of my abilities. 

Overall, I’d say it was a pretty great weekend. 

crazy neighbors update

Ding Dong the witch is dead! I am happy to announce that the psychos that lived above me are now gone. HOORAY!! I can’t even describe how elated I am. I emailed the following complaint to my landlord about 2 months ago and I thought I would share because it’s kind of funny how worked-up I was. Sorry, I know it’s long.

Dear XXXX,

I’m writing to complain about the residents above me (apartment #XX). I’ve been wanting to write this email for a long time, but I’ve restrained myself. I finally realized that I have to tell you guys about this, or you’ll never know.

My biggest complaint is the constant, non-stop stomping. These people stomp around in circles all night long. From the time I get home, into the early hours of the morning. They stomp around – back and forth. I don’t know what they could possibly be doing just walking back and forth, back and forth. The worst part about the stomping is that it’s so fierce it shakes and rattles all of the light fixtures in my apartment. I can’t emphasize the stomping and rattling enough. As I type this email, someone up there is pacing from one end of the apartment to the other end, over and over. You would think they would tire after a couple hours of pacing, but no! They never stop.

My second complaint is their daily routine of feeding the seagulls and crows. The throw food off of their balcony over onto the roof of the new place, which creates an instant bird frenzy. Now, the birds are so used to it, they just perch out there and cry until they get food. It’s annoying; it’s not healthy for the birds; and it’s creating a huge mess of bird crap on all of our balconies and windows. If you look on the roof of the new building, you’ll see it is covered in bird shit – which I’m sure the owners appreciate. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part, he talks to them. He sits out on his balcony and has conversations with the birds.

My third complaint is their 5am sex ritual. I’m not kidding. They do not have sex any other time of the day/night- except 5am in the morning. Who has sex at 5am? It wakes me up (over my fan and over my earplugs). They are on some serious drugs.

My last complaint is they always seem to be moving furniture. I hear frequent crashes, bangs, wall shakes, etc. that lead me to believe they are banging furniture against the walls.

By the way, those are just my 4 biggest complaints – there are more, but I won’t bore you with all of them. They are horrible neighbors. I would go up there and talk to them in person, except they are totally crazy. I’m sure they are abusing drugs and/or running a meth lab up there. I pay a lot of money to live here. It’s not like we are living in a slum where I would expect to be dealing with this. Anytime I’m away for a weekend I’m nervous they’ll burn the place down.

Is there any chance their lease is up soon? Do you have enough strikes against them to terminate their lease? I think we all remember the damage from the water/flooding incident. I have put up with this for 9 months now. You can’t possibly want them as tenants; I can only imagine what their apartment looks like.

Thanks.