worst gift giver ever

I am the worst gift giver ever. Unfortunately, it’s that time of year where gift giving is most prominent, and I am in total agony.

I always want to be the one to give personal, creative, meaningful gifts. But it usually ends up that I give them something stupid or they just don’t get it and I get the fake, “no I really like it” smile.

Don’t get me wrong, I love giving gifts. Nothing brings me more joy. Too bad I completely suck at it. Occasionally, I’ll have a miraculous moment and find the most perfect gift. Of course then I can’t wait to give it to the person and I don’t wrap it and hand it to them in the bag it came in, completely ruining the whole gift giving process.

I can’t really remember all the bad gifts I’ve given. I remember getting an ex a blanket one year for Christmas because he was always complaining that it was cold in his apartment. He didn’t appreciate it as much as I thought he would. Maybe I should’ve just paid his heating bill.

Now that I’m getting older and have realized my complete lack of creative gift giving, I just admit it and tell everyone if they want a good gift they need to just tell me what they want or they’ll be getting nothing because I’m not wasting my money on something they’ll hate.

Ha, well I’m not that mean but it’s pretty effective.

i know, i’m old

The differences between college life and working life:

College: I stayed up to all hours of the night depending on my homework/partying schedule. There was a time I could stay up partying til 5 a.m. and go to work at 9:30 a.m. Ha, those were the days.
Work: I go to bed at 10:00.  No. Matter. What. I can’t even stay up for Project Runway.

College: I moved around. A lot.
Work: I sit. All the time.

College: I always had something to do, whether it be school, hanging out with friends or work.
Work: I go to work. That would be about it.

College: No money.
Work: I’m rollin’ in the dough. (not really but you catch my drift).

College: someone asks me “wanna go out Thursday night?” my response “is that even a question? duh!”
Work: someone asks me “wanna go out Thursday night?” my response “are you kidding? I have to work in the morning! And I go to bed at 9:30.”

I know, I’m old.

I still need to adjust to this big girl working lifestyle. And for all you college kiddies out there, hang on to this while it lasts!! Being a grown up is not all it’s cracked up to be.

P.S. I’m now officially a big girl with a big girl job. Whoop! Whoop!

these are a few of my favorite fall things

Everyone has their favorite season.

Mine just happens to be fall. Everyone has their favorite things about fall, but I love everything about it.

It’s a magical time of year for me with the weather getting chilly and the leaves changing.  Between the months of October and November, I am the happiest I am all year.

While I love everything about fall (I really don’t see a bad side), here a few of my fall favorites:

The colors
Reds, browns, oranges, they’re everywhere.They’re on the leaves. They’re on clothes and used in stores. And as you can see, I’m using one of my favorite fall colors for this fall-inspired post.

The fashion
I love outerwear. Jackets, coats, vests, boots. I love it all and fall is the best time because it’s not too cold so you can wear more for looks than comfort.  And let’s not even mention the fashion shows!

The food
Pumpkin is my fall staple food. Every fall, if it has pumpkin in it, I will order it. From Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks and pumpkin pie to my grandma’s pumpkin roll, it all tastes fall to me. Plus, pumpkin beer! Delish.

The smell
I love the smell of fall. The crispness of the air combined with the smell of fires burning. It takes me back to being a kid and really warms my heart. Not to mention the smell of pumpkin baking.

The holidays
Halloween and Thanksgiving. Need I say more? Two holidays focused around food, fun and family (maybe not so much Halloween but still). Halloween is your chance to dress up, scare yourself silly and eat tons of candy, and Thanksgiving just gives you an excuse to eat until you pass out. Who doesn’t love that?

I’m going to stop here because I could probably go on and on gushing about my favorite season, but I’ll spare you.

What’s your favorite season and why?

a constant state of transition

My life is in a constant state of transition.

My living situation
Still live with my mom (no Mom it’s not a bad thing).  But it’s not permanent (hopefully).

My job
Being an intern is the best opportunity yet it’s an uneasy feeling not knowing whether or not you’re going to have a job in a couple months. And let me tell you, the job situation isn’t too pretty ’round these Ohio parts.

My love life
Ugh, I hate dating. And that’s a whole other post.

My friends
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still have my friends and I love them to death, but it’s different now. But everyone’s grown up and moved on, and I still feel stuck.

My looks
Most people talk about the freshman 15. But what about justgraduatedcollegeandhavearealjobwhereisitallday 20? I’m so used to walking to class, walking around at my job and just being overall busy and now I sit at a computer. All.Day.Long. I really, really love my job, but the sitting gets tiring after awhile.

Is it really possible to have everything in your life be in a constant state of transition? The only thing is constant is the state of transition.

Isn’t something supposed to be constant?!

It seems like I’m at a fork in the road in each area in my life, and I can’t seem to make any solid decision to move my life forward.

Yes, some of it’s out of my control, but it doesn’t ease the constant knot (ohh another constant!) in my stomach of where is my life going?

They don’t teach you this in college. There’s no class on how to transition smoothly into the real world from the bubble that is college.

And the biggest problem? There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

Any suggestions on a way to return to a (semi) state of constant?

Note: And just to have more change in my life, what do you think of my new blog look?

she’s not a morning person

Apparently, I need to come with a disclaimer before 10 a.m.

On Sunday, my mom and I volunteered at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund’s Walk To Cure Diabetes at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. It was amazing to see all the families who came out to walk in support of their loved one with Type 1 diabetes.

It’s a great cause and I was more than happy to help out, but here was the kicker: We had to be there at 7 a.m. AHH!

I’m not a morning person, and I guess I can’t hide it very well. We left at 6:15 a.m. and I hadn’t had any coffee yet, so obviously, I wasn’t exactly cheery. I guess when I haven’t had my coffee, I have a rather “stay the f*@& away from me” look on my face.

So to every person we met, my mom would say this: “She’s not a morning person. We try to stay away from her until she’s had her coffee.”

Thanks, Mom. These people probably now think I’m a psycho.

a serious case of the douche bags

It seems like douche bags are everywhere these days.

I’m pretty sure 2009 will go down in history as “The Year of the Douche Bag” especially since Jon Gosselin dumped his Kate plus 8 and started rocking Ed Hardy and a giant diamond earring.

Hopefully, the douche bag trend will end with 2009, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Here’s a video to honor all you who rock Ed Hardy shirts and Von Dutch hats.

Word to your face.

my least favorite month

I hate the month of September. I realize “hate” is a strong word, but “truly dislike” doesn’t really cover my feelings toward September.

I think it might be because the ever-so-short honeymoon period with school as ended (I don’t think it lasts past the first week).

Or mabye because it’s so effing hot and yet the day starts out so cold I have to use turn the heater on in my car. It’s like it’s teasing me with my favorite fall-like weather.

Plus, no good holidays in September. Labor Day just doesn’t compare to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Two good things that will get me through September: Fall fashion issues of my favorite magazines and Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. Thank God for the little pleasures in life.

Obviously, I can’t give you a clear reason of why I have such an aversion to September. I just hate it for no reason.

Kind of like how I hate Hilary Swank, I don’t know why I just do.

summer reading

I love to read.

It’s one of my favorite pastimes. I was one of those dorky kids in school who loooooved summer reading books (one of my favs was October Sky for 8th grade English class).

But now that I’m out of school, no more required summer reading. It’s time for reading for fun again!

Here’s what I’ve been reading this summer. I won’t summarize the plot for you — you can find that on your own. I’m just gonna tell you what I think and if a few plot tidbits happen to sprinkle through, so be it.

My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Piccoult

I wasn’t so sure about this book at first — thought it was just another sappy story — but my best friend read it and absolutely insisted I read it. So I kept it for a couple weeks then gritted my teeth and sat down and read it.

Oh. Em. Gee. It only took me six hours to finish on a sunny Sunday.*

What I loved most about this book is all of the different perspectives on the same situation. I love when books have a 360 degree view of the situation. It makes the book that much more complete and changes the pace.

Let’s also not forget the ending. The ending pretty much makes this book, without the ending this book is just another sappy story. (and all I have to say about the movie is HOW COULD THEY CHANGE THE ENDING?!)

Final verdict: Read it. Cry your eyes out. Don’t see the movie.

L.A. Candy
By Lauren Conrad

This book I bought and read because of a nudge from Miss Lizzy Marie from the fab-tastic blog It’s Unbeweavable! (read this blog, love this blog. I certainly do).

This book was the easiest read by far. It only took me two hours while in the car to Michigan.*

L.C. isn’t a bad writer, surprisingly. L.A. Candy was actually quite entertaining, but you could tell she tried very hard to be too similar to her life on The Hills — it would have been more entertaining had she just done a memoir because people want to know what life on The Hills is really like.

Final verdict: Good beach read. Don’t read if you’re looking to get an inside glimpse of the girls of The Hills.

The Time Traveler’s Wife
By Audrey Niffenegger

This book took me a while longer to finish because it could be so damn confusing — you know with all the time traveling and such. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a-MAH-zing.

As with My Sister’s Keeper, this book is also told from different points of view (so is L.A. Candy but it wasn’t as effective in my opinion). There are so many elements to this story line that it’s hard to put into words, let alone into a movie script so I’m sure the movie will be interesting?

Final verdict: You’ll fall in love with the love story and bawl when it’s over. Movie verdict? You tell me.

What have you been reading this summer? Or if you hate reading, like many do, favorite summer pastimes?

*You should not judge your reading time with mine. I read incredibly fast due to the fact that I skim the parts I feel unnecessary, which is why I love to reread.

a prada dress has never broken my heart before

I have to start off with giving credit to Fergie for my ever so clever title. It’s from her song “Labels or Love” from the Sex and The City movie.

You should probably listen to it while you read this post because I think this has become my life.

I love fashion, I’m a girl, duh, so I’ve decided – maybe decided isn’t the right word, it just sort of happened – to replace love with shopping because “a prada dress has never broken my heart before” and “I’m always happy when I walk out the store” or click out of the browser because I’m an online shopping ADDICT.

It’s amazing the rush you get when you get a new pair of jeans or two – buy one get one free from Express, love – or a new bag – way cute Juicy Couture – along with a hot pair of pumps – Christian Siriano for Payless, hello!

I haven’t felt that rush about a guy in well a very, very long time. Obviously, nothing can replace the feeling of a new love, but I’m sure gonna try.

Therefore, I choose labels over love.

Here are the lyrics because Fergie sings it way better than I could ever write it.

Shopping for labels, shopping for love
Manolo and Louis, it’s all I’m thinking of
Shopping for labels, shopping for love
Manolo and Louis, it’s all I’m thinking of

I already know what my addiction is
I be looking for labels, I ain’t looking for love
I shop for purses while I walk out the door
Don’t cry, buy a bag and then get over it
And, I’m not concerned with all the politics
It’s a lot of men I know I could find another one.

What I know is that I’m always happy when I walk out the store, store
I’m guessing Supercalifragi-sexy, nothing to be playing with
I love him, hate him, kiss him, diss him, try and to walk a mile in my kicks

(Chorus)
Love’s like a runway but which one do I love more
No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior
Love’s like a runway, so what’s all the fussing for
Let’s stop chasing them boys and shop some more

I know I might come off as negative
I be looking for labels, I ain’t looking for love
Relationships are often so hard to tame
A Prada dress has never broken my heart before
And, ballin’s something that I’m fed up with
I’mma do the damn thing, watch me do the damn thing
Cause I know that my credit card will help me put out the flames
I’m guessing Supercalifragi-sexy, nothing to be playing with
I love him, hate him, kiss him, diss him, try and to walk a mile in my kicks

[Chorus]

Gucci, Fendi, Prada purses, purchasing them finer things
Men they come a dime a dozen, just give me them diamond rings
I’m into a lot of bling, Cadallic, Chanel and Coach
Fellas boast but they can’t really handle my female approach
Buying things is hard to say
Rocking Christian Audigier, Manolo, Polo, taking photos in my Cartier
So we can’t go all the way, I know you might hate it but
I’m a shop for labels while them ladies lay and wait for love

[Chorus]

Lyrics, courtesy of Just Jared.

the things i think about when i’m bored

It’s been awhile since my last post. Probably because my life has been B-O-R-I-N-G.

I actually think my mom has a more active social life than I do these days.

Although, I did go to Maryland last weekend to visit some college friends. That weekend can really be summed up in one word though, no need for a whole post. DRINKING. Oh yes, reliving my college days.

my friends and I in MD

Since my life is so boring, I’ve been listening to CDs I’ve made in the past few years – I do this thing where I make a CD every month just so I can remember what I’ve been listening to and how I was feeling at that time. Yes, it’s weird but I have to document my life somehow.

It’s really funny to look – listen? – back and remember what I was feeling at that particular time. Let’s rewind to two years ago, September 2007, and here’s what I was listening to. See if you can guess how I was feeling.

1. When You’re Gone – Avril Lavigne
2. F.U. Right Back – Frankee
3. Stupid Boy – Keith Urban
4. You Give Love A Bad Name – Bon Jovi
5. I’m Not Ok – My Chemical Romance (are we seeing a pattern yet?)
6. Because Of You – Kelly Clarkson
7. Broken Wing – Martina McBride
8. Who Knew -  Pink
9. Leave The Pieces – The Wreckers
10. Everything I’m Not – The Veronicas
11. So Small – Carrie Underwood
12. Let U Go – Ashley Parker Angel (yes, I listened to the pretty boy from O-Town. He had his own show, hello)
13. Big Girls Don’t Cry – Fergie (hell no Fergie! big girls don’t cry, they listen to sappy music and feel bad about themselves)
14. What’s Up Lonely – Kelly Clarkson (two Kelly Clarkson songs on one CD, oh how I do love her!)
15. Picture – Kid Rock and Allison Moorer (because the Sheryl Crow version just isn’t as moody and country)
16. Life Goes On – LeAnn Rimes
17. Over You – Daughtry
18. Your Winter – Sister Hazel

Well, if you haven’t figured it out yet you’re either really dense or have never heard of any of these songs. But yes, a break-up. It’s crazy how some songs can take you back to a place and these take me back to my car and just singing these songs with such emotion, I think is the only way I can really describe it.

In the essence of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that I broke up with him. But that doesn’t mean I still wasn’t hurt by it. If you ask him though, he’ll probably tell you that I have a black heart and had no right to be hurt by any of it. Oh the joys of relationships gone wrong.

If you listen to what I’m listening to now, you’d think all I do is drink and have sex – haha, just kidding! That’s completely far from the truth. Like I said my life is boring.