My female crush

I'm ready to admit to everyone and anyone that I have quite a large female crush on Chelsea Handler. She's busty, Jewish, crude, and drinks heavily - everything I'm not. I can't get enough of her.

Seeing her live is hilarious and her show makes me laugh out loud, but it's her books that steal my heart (go figure, I'm pretty nerdy). Her book "My Horizontal Life" made me appreciate my own lovely dating life. Right now I'm finishing up "Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea." Pure ingenius, not just the name (who doesn't still silently chant, "I must, I must, I must increase my bust" and think of Margaret).

Further evidence of our compatibility is her appreciation for the Landmark Forum. She actually has a blurb in it in this last book:

"...Lydia joined the Landmark Forum, one of those life-enhancement seminars, and she already had a completely new lease on life. She had become increasingly sympathetic and supportive, and it was already becoming intolerable."

Yup, that's my girl...making sympathetic and supportive intolerable.

Today I'm grateful for being in communication, boldness, and optimism.

Great minds think alike

Here's a great article from AP (Associated Press for those of you who weren't journalism majors) about grammatical errors on Facebook. I just might officially be a Facebook convert...MySpace used to rock my world. Now if only I could get King Soopers to change those darn "12 items or less" signs...

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June 27, 2008
Facebook to users: Let's cut grammatical errors
The online hangout Facebook is getting more serious about grammar. No more should users see jarringly incorrect declarations such as "Debbie changed their profile picture."
Users who haven't specified their gender in their Facebook profiles will be asked to do so in the coming weeks. That way, Facebook doesn't have to default to "their" or the made-up word "themself," as it had been doing.
While not knowing someone's gender poses grammatical challenges in English, it has created even larger headaches as Facebook expands to other languages, where a gender-neutral option isn't available in plural form.
"People who haven't selected what sex they are frequently get defaulted to the wrong sex entirely," Naomi Gleit, a Facebook product manager, wrote Friday in a company blog.
Transgendered people and other users who find the male-female distinction too limiting will still have the option of removing gender entirely from their profiles.
This isn't the first time Facebook, one of the world's most popular social-networking sites with some 80 million users worldwide, has had to confront grammar.
At first, members were restricted in what they could say in "status updates" for their friends, as in, "Nick is wasting time on Facebook." Each update had started with the member's name and "is," followed by a blank box.
Late last year, Facebook quietly dropped the "is," allowing users to supply their own verb and write updates such as "Nick just wasted time on Facebook."
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Today I'm grateful for my new running shoes, upcoming Communications Course, and Friday evening happy hours at Nosh!

Just call me "awesome"

Sometimes I wish I had my own reality TV show just to share things like this. (And yes Rachel it would be called "Farrar From Reality" as you suggested several years ago.) I just had a hilarious moment I had to share (the picture above describes how I feel at this exact second)...I was typing an email at work and just finished saying the "new plan looks AWESOME!" When I picked up the phone I said, "Good afternoon this is Becky Awesome." Really, I said that. One of the best examples of a positive Freudian slip, ever.

Am I awesome? Yes. Good at multi-tasking? No.

Today I'm grateful for being in communication, my new running shoes, and my contract proofreading job!

My my how time flies!

Tomorrow it will be two weeks since I got back from my lovely trip. I've heard before that once you get back from vacation is when you really need one...I couldn't agree more! Since I've been back I've been really dragging and not feeling like doing much (besides attend Camptacular and hang out with cute boys, of course). Below are some photos from London, Marbella, and Markgroeningen. =)

Today I'm grateful for my car, hot showers, and college friends.

Would you like me to spell it out for you?

I have become more and more aware that there's a trend in spelling words out in songs. So now when I'm singing along to songs I get to combine two of my favorite pastimes - singing in the car and practicing for my next spelling bee.



This is a V-E-R-Y exciting trend for those of us who were in fact Spelling Bee champs throughout middle school. (Apparently after that I discovered boys and was far too distracted to "bee" spelling, but up until then I had great potential.)

After some thinking and a quick Google search (notice I didn't say quick thinking...) I found several of the songs that enhance my spelling skills:

*"Damaged" by Vanity Kane ("Can you fix my H-E-A-R-T? Cause it D-A-M-A-G-E?)
*"Independent" by Webbie, no comment on name (I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T, do you know what that mean?)
*"Fergalicious" by Fergie (no need for explanation here, we have all heard it)
*"Glamorous" by Fergie
*"Bananas" by Gwen Stefani

Fergie has a monopoly so far on this industry with songs such as "Fergalicious" and "Glamorous." I can't help but wonder what she's compensating for, is she awful at geography? Perhaps she is a fellow spelling bee champ and through music found a venue for expressing it. Maybe that's why she sings, so she can spell...

Could these songs be an attempt to increase national reading level from 5th to 7th? Increase the percentage of Americans who play Scrabble from .002% to .5%? Bring back the glory days of Tori Spelling (lame, I know - I couldn't resist)? I applaud these artists' efforts, but wonder if the words they spell are really the ones we want the youth of our country learning. How important is it for little Susie to know "retarded" or "Fergalicious?" On the other hand, most five-year olds need to know "bananas" and "glamorous" for snack time.

The spelling bee champ in me can't help but be excited for the future of this trend. Parents everywhere will begin learning pig latin or sign language because their 4-year old now knows how to spell "cookie." Perhaps there will be no room left for words, only a constant stream of letters used for emphasis.

Either way, I think combining spelling and singing deserves R-E-S-P-E-C-T (that spells respect, for those of you who don't know my dear friend Aretha.)



Today I'm grateful for payday, 80 degree (Farenheit, not Celsius) weather, and sundresses.

No one, and I mean no one...

should wear spandex in public, let alone on TV. Alas, I am a hypocrite...feast your eyes on my latest SpringsTV story about Bike Month. Click on "Click here to watch," I'm about 6 minutes and 14 seconds (to be exact).

http://www.springsgov.com/Page.asp?NavID=6445

Today I'm grateful for coconut pie, being uber productive, and my lovely tan legs.

Take it from me...size matters!

So the age old question still stands, "Does size matter?" I have often contemplated this (okay, not really "often," just after a particularly intriguing Sex and the City episode or after occasional conversations with some of my girlfriends), but have yet to answer it. I'm beginning to think it does, but not in the same way I used to...

A delightful ditty by Natasha Bedingfield, appropriately titled "Size Matters," offers an excellent explanation that reflects my sentiments exactly. Here's a blurb:
"Random acts of kindness flow; Like compassion from a hand I like to hold;
It does it for me and I can't get enough; Oh...don't confuse me when I say;
Oh don't take this the wrong way; You can lead a heart to love;
But you can't make it fall; I'm tired of loving small because;
Size matters, but not how you think; I'm talking about your heart;
and what you do with it."

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen...size does matter, but not how you think...I'm talking about your heart and what you do with it. The size of someone's heart turns me on considerably more than the size of his...um...er, car. :) And that settles that, indeed.

Today I'm grateful for rental cars, butterflies, and guac.

F-word...feminist

One of the last nights of my trip I watched Hilary Clinton's speech about leaving the presidential campaign. I haven't been that inspired by a politian in a really long time. I used to think I was fond of her simply because she was a woman in politics who played like a man. Recently I realized I am fond of her simply because she is so idealistic (which I admit is what keeps me a Democrat). She talked about it someday not being remarkable for a woman to run for president, gay rights, and universal health care - it brought me to tears (not that it takes considerably a lot).

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the "f-word," FEMINIST. It seems to be considered somewhat of an insult these days and I can't figure out why. What is wrong with being a feminist? When did it become a bad word? (For the record, feminazi is a derogatory term and comparing someone to a nazi is very poor taste.) The word seems to describe bra burning, hairy legs and armpits, and man-haters. But I don't have any of these characteristics (okay, at least most of the time), and I consider myself a feminist. The definition I learned just means someone who believes in equality of the sexes. Who wouldn't want that?

What is a feminist, or in this case, a modern feminist? Is she someone who is anti-abortion or pro-choice? Is she a stay at home mom or a businesswoman? Is she more like Charlotte or Miranda? Does she wear a wedding ring or a right-hand ring (by the way, mine would be two carots if it were real diamonds)?=) I think she can be both, and anything.

I think a feminist is anyone, men included, who believes women can truly have and become whatever they desire. It is making your own choices for your own life, regardless of what others believe you should do.

I remember several years ago driving home from college with all my things several days after graduation at 3 a.m. listening to a DJ on the radio talk about how the U.S. would never have a woman president. It broke my heart. The only time in my life I called into the station and told him I hoped he never had a daughter or children for that matter (yes, I was a tad harsh) because I hated to see the cycle of such ignorance be repeated. He called me a bitch and hung up the phone.

I can't imagine having a parent who didn't believe I could do and be whatever I wanted to be. I admit I haven't done everything in my power to be the most incredible person to grace the planet, but I know I'm capable of anything I set my mind to. If that makes me a feminist...I'll claim it!

My hope for the United States to have a female in the most powerful position doesn't feel as far away as it used to and for that matter - I may decide to continue living here...as long as a Democrat gets elected next. ;)

Today I'm grateful for my parents, Landmark Education, my salary.

Hello mates!

I've been enjoying the London lifestyle now for two days and learning all sorts of wonderful slang to take back to the U.S. Watch out, chavs!! So far the highlight has been catching up with "hot Canada boy" (Nicco). Realized this year we celebrate 10 years since we met on a boat in the Caribbean, how time flies...whenever I seem him though it feels as if nothing has changed. As if I have stayed exactly the same. Only I realized this time, that's not true at all.
Today I enjoyed dinner at an amazing Indian restaurant near Hyde Park after leaving Nicco's residence. For the first time in my life I went to dinner alone and didn't feel I needed to distract myself with something - no phone, no book, nothing. It was absolute perfection. How wonderful to enjoy my own company in such a way. I couldn't have done that a few years ago. I drive a lot of times without the radio and enjoy the silence. When did I become so peaceful and just at home on my own? (Rhyme intentional by the way.)

What an incredible life I lead where I no longer feel a slave to proving myself to anyone and enjoy the company of me. I can just be so present in the moment that everything feels amazing and I can actually do what I'm doing instead of thinking or worrying about being or doing something else. That is quite possibly the greatest gift to ever receive, and I gave it to myself. =)

Today I'm grateful for mango lassis, H&M!!!!, and Nicco.