Lawyers v. Hairstylists

I think I might be going into the wrong profession.  Why?  Because lawyers can't dress however they want to when they meet with a client or go to court.

I got a haircut today and seeing my stylist reminded me of how the other half lives.  Bee's really nice and I love the way she does my hair, but like most creative people, she's a little out there sometimes.  First, she's named after either a bug or a letter (by choice), I haven't quite decided which.  Second, up until today every time I've seen her she's had blue hair.  Third, she was wearing a red sequin top and that matched her ruby-red strappy heels.  Since her black hair now has red streaks, she was dressed in red and black from head to toe, literally.

Seeing her, it hit me that never again will I be able to dye my hair purple like I did in college, and I can't wear sequins in the middle of the day for no reason without getting some weird looks.  Not that I would dye my hair blue or red, or wear formal wear to go to work at noon, but I would like to have the option.  This being a lawyer thing better have some other perks.

Texas Drivers

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel through most the of US.  Through my travels, I've learned a few things -- 99% of all people are very warm and welcoming, locals can always give you better recommendations for lunch or dinner than Chili's or McDonald's (not that there's anything wrong with either of these), and just about everyone thinks Texas has the worst drivers.

I admit that I think speed limits are merely suggestions and rolling stops are my specialty, but I've never thought Texas drivers are that bad.  After the last couple of weeks, I might have to agree that Texas drivers are not necessarily the best around.

Example 1:
I pull up to an intersection and stop.  The cross-traffic does not stop at this particular intersection.  I look to the right and no car was coming.  The cross-street is a one-way street, so there was no need to look in the other direction.  I start to pull out.  Just then, I hear a car horn and turn just in time to see a car coming from my left.  I slam on my breaks, but he's coming pretty fast so he still has to swerve to miss me.  As my heart skips a few beats, I can't help but notice that the driver is flipping me off as he drives by!  I guess he hasn't yet figured out that he's driving the wrong way down a one-way street

Example 2:
I'm stopped at a green light (yes, a green light).  There are 2 stoplights that are not synchronized -- my light is green, but the next light is red, so we can't move.  There's a car in front of me whose driver has been considerate enough to not pull into the intersection, knowing that when our light turns red, if the other light hasn't turned green he will be stuck in the middle of the intersection and will block the cross-street traffic.  Everyone is happy until our light decides to turn yellow.  This is when the considerate driver ahead of me decides to pull into the intersection.  Of course, our light turns red, the light ahead is still red, and the cross-traffic is blocked.  This leads to blaring horns and angry fist waving, to which the guilty driver responds by giving the universal where-do-you-want-me-to-go-I'm-blocked-too wave/shrug.

Like I said, Texas drivers might not be the best around, but I'm still not convinced we're the worst.  :)

Grammar snob

I don't usually care when people make grammatical errors, but lately it's been getting on my nerves.  I'm not talking about little kids, people who speak English as a second language, or anything along those lines.  I'm talking about people who (supposedly) should know better, people who make a living speaking or writing or generally informing us about what's going on in the world.  In the last 2 days, I've heard or seen the following grammatical errors on the news or posted in an online news story:

• "...refreeze again..." -- This was spoken in the context of water possibly freezing overnight causing dangerous driving conditions the following morning.  Technically, this would not be a grammatical error if the water had actually frozen before (refreeze) or frozen multiple times (refreeze again).  However, since the water had not previous frozen, I find it hard to see how it would refreeze, much less refreeze again.
• 6,500.  There are multiple ways of saying this number which are correct.  Six thousand five hundred works.  So does sixty-five hundred.  I've even heard six and a half thousand (which I guess is technically correct, although weird).  However, this is not sixty-five thousand. 
• "Conversating" is not a word.  The word you're looking for is "conversing."  When you're talking to someone, you are "conversing" or having a "conversation;" you are not "conversating."  I think this is my new pet peeve, replacing the ever-so-common (and annoying) "irregardless."
• Last but not least, "...banks can charge fees of up to $35 or more."   Thank you for letting me know banks can charge these fees, but usually when you say "fees of up to..." we assume that the next number will be the maximum fee they can charge.  What's the point of putting "up to" if you're going to follow up with "or more"?

I've never considered myself a grammar snob, I just expect a little more from certain people.  Oh, and any grammatical errors you see in this post are actually just typos.  ;)

Getting Organized

I've always known I'm a little unorganized, but last night I realized exactly how unorganized.  I have a paper due this afternoon, and I started on it around 10:00 pm last night.  Luckily, it's a very short paper, but it's a paper nonetheless.  I was chatting with family last night when I suddenly had a feeling that I had forgotten something.  So I checked my Outlook.  Nothing.  Then I checked by planner.  Nothing.  Then I checked the calendar in the pantry.  Still nothing.  Thinking I must be wrong, I went back to chatting.  But I couldn't get rid of that feeling.

Then it hit me -- I have to write a paper!  Great.  At this point, I wasn't too worried; after all, I've written papers in less time.  However, a problem immediately presented itself when I couldn't remember exactly what the paper was supposed to cover.  So I grab my notebook and start flipping through it.  Nothing.  No mention of the contents, no mention of the due date, not even the slightest mention of the paper itself.  Luckily, I have friends and one of them was able to bail me out.

So what did I learn about this experience?  First, me having (and using) Outlook, a planner, and a calendar do absolutely nothing to get me organized.  Second, since I'm pretty sure I threw out my notes on the paper when I did a little "spring cleaning," I really shouldn't clean.

Creativity

I've always liked how creative people can be when selling their products.  Whether it's talking reptiles or spelling-error prone cows, you have to admit there are some pretty creative people out there.  Since starting law school, however, I've noticed that most people that advertise their products for law students can't necessarily be described as creative.  Basically, if it can be made into a gavel, it is.  If it can't be made into a gavel, it's not made into anything.  Case in point, check out the pencil and flash drive below. 

Olympics

Over the last few Olympics, I've discovered that what I like to watch has changed considerably.  My favorite event used to be figure skating.  I'm not sure why, but I just don't find it very interesting anymore.  It could be that there are no good characters left (remember Nancy v. Tanya?), or that they completely jacked with the scoring (remember when 10 was perfect?), or the "wonderful" commentary by NBC, or for no reason at all, but it's just not very entertaining.

Lately I've been watching snowboarding and speedskating, specifically snowboard cross and short track.  I think what draws me to these events is they combine the best of two worlds -- no judges and direct competition.  I've never liked the idea that you can do better than everyone else but still lose because the judges don't give you the scores you deserve.  It always seems like the bigger stars get better scores simply because they're bigger stars.  Sure, they're bigger stars because they have performed well in the past, but that doesn't mean the performance they just gave deserved the score they got. 

Which brings me to snowboard cross and short track speedskating.  They're simple enough to understanding -- finish first and you win.  But unlike the other skiing or skating events, you're not going up against a clock, you're going head-to-head against your competitors.  You're required to go as fast as you can while staying on your feet and avoiding those (possibly) crashing all around you.  I'm pretty sure they don't go as fast as some of the other events, but it's more entertaining to watch. 

New Shoes

It's official, DFW just had the most snowfall ever recorded in a 24-hour period.  With all this snow, I've discovered something very important -- I don't have the right shoes to wear in the snow.  I own a lot of shoes -- sandals, flip-flops, boots, sensible heels, not-so-sensible heels, sneakers, crocs, slippers, name it, I thought I had it.  But I don't have anything that I can walk around in and not feel like I'm about to bust my butt.  The way I see it, I have two options: 1) stay home, or 2) go buy some shoes.  I think #2 is the way to go.

My plan was to go shopping for some appropriate snow day shoes as soon as the snow melted, but that's what the internet is for.  So here are my top choices:

Photos by Jimmy Choo and Michael Kors.

Snow day!

North Texas is covered in snow today.  When I was in college, people from anywhere other than Texas would always laugh when it snowed because not only were classes canceled, the entire city closed down.  They always said it was because Texans didn't know how to drive in the snow.  What they never seemed to understand was that most Texas cities were simply not equipped to deal with the snow.  There are no snow plows here, and I heard somewhere that there is one salt truck for the entire DFW metroplex (I have no idea if this is accurate).  What that means is if it does snow, we have no way of preparing for it or getting rid of it.  Now why wouldn't a city have snow equipment available?  Because it snows once a year (maybe).  I think the taxpayers would be pretty upset if the city spent a ton of money on snow removal equipment for one inch of snow a year.  So that means we stay home where it's nice and warm and wait for it to warm up outside.  Things should be back to normal tomorrow.

Health Eating -- Pizza

In case you've ever wondered, one of the greatest healthy eating discoveries is pizza.  I can already hear the snickering, but it's true!  Think about it for a minute.  What are the basic food groups we're supposed to include with every meal?  Grain, dairy, protein, fruits, and vegetables.

• Grain means bread.  Pizza crust is bread.  Check.
• Dairy means milk.  Cheese is milk/dairy.  Check.
• Protein means meat.  Pepperoni (or sausage or beef) is meat.  Check.
• Fruit means fruit.  Tomato is fruit, and tomato sauce is tomato.  Check.
• Vegetable means vegetable.  Onions, bell peppers, mushrooms are all vegetables.  Check.

So pizza is a well-rounded meal.

Super Bowl Sunday

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and I can't remember a year where I've cared less about the game.  I'll admit that my team hasn't been in the Super Bowl in quite a while, but there's always at least one team or player that I pull for.  That's just not the case this year.

So how did I end up in this "predicament"?  First, my Packers lost to Arizona.  Then Favre lost to the Saints.  So now, no matter how hard I try, I just can't make myself care about either team this year.  I know they're both good teams with great players, and they both worked rally hard to get to this game, but it's the Saints and Colts.  Therefore, I'll be watching the commercials this year and reading for my classes during the game.  I'm pretty sure neither team will be too upset by that.

Good luck to both teams.

 

V   

Sonic

Sonic Happy Hour.  Enough said.  :)

Colorado

I've never been a fan of cold weather; I think it's mainly because I get cold anytime the temperature drops below 80 degrees.  But over the last few years, I've discovered that cold weather isn't that bad when you have a warm coat and a nice view.  My favorite cold weather view includes snow-capped mountains.  Unfortunately, there are none of those around here.  The nearest snow-capped mountains are in Colorado, so it's a good thing I like the Rocky Mountains.

The last time I was in Colorado, my brother took me snowboarding.  Up until then, I had never been snowboarding or skiing, but I'm a relatively coordinated and athletic person, so I was convinced that I would be able to pick it up pretty easily.  Actually, I told my brother that it would be a piece of cake, but I knew better.  Things are never quite as easy as the people on TV make it look, and it took all of about 30 seconds for me to realize just how hard this really was.  I fell constantly, my body hurt, and I was very frustrated.  For the life of me, I couldn't understand why people actually enjoyed doing this.

After I'd fallen for about the hundredth time, I was sitting in the snow trying to catch my breath, feeling very disappointed in myself and thinking maybe this had been a mistake.  Just then, my brother glided over on his snowboard (yes, glided; he's much better than I will ever be) and sat down next to me.  I hadn't said anything, but I think he knew that I wasn't having the greatest time.  He just looked over and said, "Look around you.  This is why people like skiing."

So I looked around.  It was a crystal clear day and I could see the snow-capped mountains all around us.  People were going by on skis or snowboards, or sitting in the snow enjoying the sights like we were.  I couldn't help but feel like we were one top of the world, and it finally made sense.  This was the picture perfect postcard, and I was in the middle of it.

At the end of the weekend, I ended up with a lot of sore muscles, a few bruises, and a lot of great memories.  I haven't been in Colorado since, but I'm thinking it's time for a vacation.

Rainy days

Today is a very cold, overcast, rainy day.  I don't particularly mind rain, as long as the sun comes out eventually.  But when it's cold and overcast all day long, it kind of puts me in a funk.  Aside from the frizzy hair, I don't like days like this because they make me want to stay in bed all day, where it's nice and warm and dry.  This doesn't allow for much productivity.

On days like today, I find myself looking for ways to make it a brighter day.  On my incredibly long 5-minute commute today, I saw a bright yellow VW Beetle.  Why does a bug make this a brighter day?  Well, I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but yellow Beetles look like little chicks.  And by little chicks, I mean cute little baby chickens, the kind that are tiny balls of yellow fuzz.  This one happened to drive by as I was at a red light, and just like that, I had to smile.  :)

New Discoveries

Random things I’ve recently discovered (or recently rediscovered):

• A 5-min. commute is not long enough for the heater to kick in
• Coffee after 6 pm makes it really hard to get to sleep at night
• After a week of sub-freezing temperatures, 50 degrees feels down-right balmy
• Playing tennis can make your butt muscles sore
• Starting a blog is a good way to spend an evening when you don't want to do real work
  
• Coming up with a writing topic for school can be a daunting task
• Chocolate is great, but chocolate with peppermint is heaven on earth
• Little kid hugs are the best thing since sliced bread
• It's a good thing babies, puppies, and kittens are adorable, or nobody would ever want one

Intro

So I decided to give this whole blog-thing a try. Why? No reason in particular; it just happens to be a Monday and I don't feel like working on actual work. Actually, I love to write and don't give myself any time to do that anymore. And since it's the first of the month, there's no time like now for a new-month's resolution -- I will give myself time to write again, even if it's only 10 minutes a day.

So a little about me....
I am a 30-something year old TX girl, born and raised. After doing the adult-thing for a while, I decided to go back to school. I am currently a 2nd year law student and loving it! I can only hope that this love continues once I'm done with school and back in the "real world." I'm also a new aunt (love you 'lil B!!) who doesn't get to see her little niece as often as she'd like, but I'm hoping to remedy that real soon. :)

I think this blog will be mostly for me, which makes me wonder why I bothered to introduce myself.... Well, it's there so I'm going to leave it -- you never know when or if I'll decide to open this up for others to read. In the meantime, as the title suggests, this blog will mainly be random ramblings. For those that know me, I can be pretty random.

So welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. :)