Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Matter of Choice

Did you ever stop to think for a minute about choices? The choices you make that impact your life, changing your pattern or course. The choices that others make that impact your life, changing your pattern or course. The list of various choices you make just to get up in the morning or order a cup of coffee. Life simply put in a series of choices.

Each morning, you make a least 10 choices before you leave the house.
Hit the snooze?
Shower?
Thong or full butt?
Pants or skirt?
Button down, sweater, polo?
Man’s fossil, swatch or ladies fossil?
Color of ladies fossil?
Bobbie pin?
Boots or heals?
Go back to bed?

You haven’t even left your bedroom yet!

Let’s talk about Starbucks; right, I know what you’re thinking, Tom Hanks went over this same topic in an email to Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail. It bears a big truth. Even the most indecisive person can feel extremely decisive with one cup of coffee. Everyone knows that Starbucks is not just a cup of coffee but a place where you have to understand the menu, the ordering lingo and make 5 decisions in 2.5 seconds. Grande, non-fat, sugar free, caramel, extra hot, no foam.

What about those choices that have a greater impact then the color watch you wear or the amount of foam in your morning latte? I’m talking about those decisions that in an instant can change your fate. Your college choice, your 1st through 50th job, buying, presenting and accepting a diamond ring, saying I do, picking a house…the list is endless. Each choice, in a specific and unique way, changes your course, modifies your end goal and impacts yourself and those around you. You have control over these choices. You are driving the bus. Don’t get me wrong, decisions like these require a multitude of thought and consideration, but it’s your course; change it as you see fit.

There are choices that you make with others; choices you have a fifty-fifty stake in. Honeymoon destination, Saturday night movie, bread of dog, name of child, number of children, color of the living room…also an endless list. Choices made in a partnership can also impact your course, but in an effort to comfort you, the choice impacts the other person’s course equally.

There are choices that others make that directly impact you; might not even impact them or to the same degree. My roommates’ parents chose what college she went to. This decision, I agree a sick injustice to my roommate, impacted her course in a far greater way than her parents. The start of her adult life was chosen by someone else, with what I believe was little consideration of her feelings in the matter. Not only did her parents make choices her whole life molding her into the person they expected, but also now, this choice, to some, the first choice a child makes thrusting them into adulthood, was made by someone else; someone with little stake in the outcome. It really only impacted her parent’s checkbook.

Lastly, there are choices that impact your course, modify your faith, where you aren’t even in the passenger seat. You may not even know the choice maker at all. These choices can have the greatest impact on your future.

Life is a series of choices, made by you and made by others; some you can control but the scariest are the ones you cannot.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

1999


This was orginially posted to my Facebook, borrowed or stolen from my friend Kate. It’s certainly more expaned here.

This is the summary of my senior year in high school. For those who knew me then, you will find it amusing and full of good memories. For those who didn’t know me then, it might give you a better picture of where I came from.

“Knowing where you come from is as important as knowing where you are going.”
Did you date someone from your school? No, I didn’t really date a lot in high school. I was obsessed with my friends. The boys in my group were the only ones I would have considered dating. We were such a tigh group of friends that dating would have just made things weird. Just ask Emily and Mark.

Did you marry someone from your high school? No. For those of you who know me, I’m sure you can think of the one person from high school I wouldn’t mind marrying. Too bad he now lives on the other side of country.

Did you car pool to school? No – that’s part of the charm of South Jersey – hanging out in parking lots. To get the most out of that expereince, you had to have your own ride. Car-pooling didn’t make it as cool.

What kind of car did you have? 96’ Purple Chevy Caviler that I bought from a friend

What kind do you have now? 07’ Jeep Compass

Its Friday night..where were you? I spent a lot of Friday nights at Mark’s house. Of course in the land of diners, we were usually on our way over the bridge for some late night grilled cheese and tomatoes! You can't get more Jersey

It is Friday night...where are you now? At happy hour with friends, desperately seeking Mr. Right Now.

What kind of job did you have in high school? Growing up on LBI, the only real job anyone could have was a summer job – and there were plenty of them. I worked at a local tee-shirt shop owned by a close family friend. I spent many hours with the stero cranked up sizing racks of LBI shirts or outside working on my tan. I should have used the time to read some books, but I always found better things to do.

What kind of job do you have now? I’ve been a corporate recruiter for a weight loss company for the past three years. I recently got promoted to HR Manager.

Were you a party animal? Heck no – but I made up for that in college. I was friends with too many “goodie” kids to be a party animal, but we made our own fun.

Did you play any sports? Varsity soccer

Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? 7th grade drop out

Were you a nerd? I certainly wasn’t a nerd, I didn’t always have my head stuck in books and I always had friends to hang around with. I stuck close to my good friend Nora my senior year. I had a lot of friends that didn’t go to my high school. I was certainly more popular in my head.

Can you sing the fight song? With all the football games I attended, I have no clue what the fight song is. I’m not even sure we have a chant. Needless to say, I didn’t go to the games for the football, but it was the place to see and be seen.

Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mr. Jim McCabe because he was a normal person. He was our theater teacher, aren’t they always the best? He did sometimes rub his beard in a kind of creepy way, but everyone forgave him.

Where did you sit during lunch? I’m sure I sat at the same table every day, but almost 10 years later, I have no idea where that was.

What was your school's full name? Sounthern Regional High School

When did you graduate? June 1999

If you could go back and do it again, would you? I would go back if I could take the knoweldge and expereince I have gained since. Maybe 10 years isn’t that much life expereinces, but through college, being in a sorority, completing gradudate school and spending 3+ years in the “real world” you certainly learn some things. High school was an amazing coming of age story but I’m not certain that returning now it would be that great. I think I would be much more cautious and less likely to wear my heart on my sleeve.

If you could go back and do it again, what would you change? I would have purchased a flat iron and I would not experminted so much with my hair. I would have held on tigher to the friends that really mattered.

Did you have fun at Prom? Of course, I didn’t spend the night crying in the girl’s bathroom. We dropped our case of beer in the street on our way to prom. We didn’t rent a limo, I drove. I was co-chairman of the prom committee and we showed up late, smelling of beer. My date didn’t go to my high school. I had to wait in line for pictures. My date fell asleep in the backseat on the way home. We saw Austin Powers the next day. My date was the only one who was awake through the whole movie. I guess his nap was helpful!

Do you talk to the person you went to Prom with? I don’t talk to him everyday but he’s a great guy. If I needed him, I think he’d totally be there for me.

Are you planning on going to your next reunion? 10 years – why the heck not? I’m somewhat successful, I’d like to show that off. I went to college out of state which really hurt my high school friendships following graduation. I’d like to see everyone again, meeting spouses, kids, etc. It will be an exciting time. I’d love to see who is still holding a grudge against me too. It’s been 10 years – GET OVER IT!

Do you still talk to people from high school? Thanks to facebook.

What are some of your favorite memories?

My parking spot right next to Nora Cunningham
My 18th birthday party at Mark’s house – first time I bought a lottery ticket
Visiting Ron on his boat
Following Mark and Emily into “the field”
Our mission trip
Away games

Friday, February 13, 2009

One Stop Blog Boutique

I’m sure you have heard of the Style Network’s homegrown reality series Peter Perfect, featuring style guru Peter Ishkhans. For those of you scratching your head, here’s the high level synopsis: it’s a business/image makeover show. I understand that reality shows are the heart and soul of American TV land, but this concept of a business/image makeover show – haven’t we made over enough?

Let’s recap – we have:
What Not to Wear (can’t get enough of Stacy and Clinton)
How Do I Look (hosted by Blossom’s stepmother)
Queen Eye, formerly Queen Eye for the Straight Guy (so popular it changed names)
The Swan and Extreme Makeover (a way to promote plastic surgery in the US)
Extreme Makeover – Home Edition (hosted by former Trading Spaces carpenter Ty Pennington)
We Mean Business (like we didn’t get enough of Bill Rancic on The Apprentice)

And the newest edition – Peter Perfect. Peter Ishkhans, a British American reality star (sound like another else…), consider a Hollywood stylist to the stars, in 2007 opened Peter Ishkhans at Joseph Martin Salon in Beverly Hills.

I’m not saying that Peter Ishkhans isn’t a valid reality star; he’s a great character – kind of like a mini Sergeant Pepper (okay so I stole that image from a business owner who appeared on his show last week), but it’s a really good mental image. One would assume that Sergeant Pepper would have a reality show about running his salon.
Come on, that is a receipt for success when it comes to reality TV. Those of you who remember Blow Out on BRAVO know what I’m talking about. Jonathan Antin is a big a character as Peter Ishkhans – can’t get enough of that dude! “Ya know what I mean, chick?”

So what crazy network executive came up with the bright idea that Sergeant Pepper should have a reality show where he breezes into town in a stretch limo, gray suit, cobalt blue shirt, bring pink tie, two inch rolled pant cuffs and brown high heel boots? Pepper is an image consultant who believes that if you change your image you change your life. Great speech Pepper, but can you deliver?

In the most recent season, Pepper seems to turn every struggling business into a One Stop __________ Boutique. Let’s turn the world of retail into a One Stop __________ Boutique. You know that everyone needs to utilize a One Stop Party Boutique, a One Stop Sprit Boutique, a One Stop Auto Boutique and a One Stop Coffee Boutique every day! If it’s one stop, why do I have to do to 5 different places?


Now that’s Peter Perfect!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Latex Toys


Ellie, who can be often times found half out of her sweater, has an OCD obsession with 3 latex dog toys. 1 pig, 1 fish and 1 chicken. On any given day, she can be seen carrying any of them or all of them in her mouth. Each latex toy has a built in squeaker that Ellie can control by clamping down causing air to be released from the small hole at the pig, chicken and fish butt. Those of you who have dogs can understand the high pitch frequency those squeakers can cause. It’s like an SSSUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAKK.

The pig and fish were a gift to my dogs from my small neighbor, one for each them. Presley quickly realized that she is not a fan of latex toys and opted to not play it. She much more enjoys a soft and floppy toy that she can pull apart and eat the stuffing. Ellie adopted the pig into her family of latex toys. I’m not sure where we got the chicken, but you’d think that having a pig and fish would be enough.

Ellie used to strongly favor the pig. She is able to fit her whole mouth around it’s belly and has pretty much worn it thin. You can see a clear difference in coloring between the head and butt of the pig and it’s belly. More recently, she started carrying around the fish more. Squeaking it, throwing it in the air, chasing it. Let’s discussing chasing it. When it comes to any of Ellie’s latex toys, she takes on an almost retriever like quality. Ellie has no problem dropping her latex of choice at your feet, sit, stare, stretch, tap and eventually groan for you to throw it. You try to postpone reaching down to throw this toy for as long as possible, but sooner or later you get tired of listening to the groaning and give it; exactly according to her plan.

The fish works best because you can grab it by the tail, shake it a few times, make it squeak a bit and throw it as hard as you can across the house. It’s times like these that I wish my house was longer. It would take Ellie longer to retrieve it, return it and wait for a repeat. This retrieve, return, throw and repeat is an endless pattern that I must endure for hours and hours, day and night.
I’m thankful that Ellie doesn’t bring her latex to bed, but don’t you know, first thing in the morning, after a good long stretch, she is right out the bedroom door and right to the latex – never fails; no matter where she leaves it, she remembers, finds it, and brings it right to your feet, even if those feet are on the bathroom floor, while your drying your hair.