Why can’t I read a book like a normal person?

Somewhere around 4:30 a.m., I finished 50 Shades of Grey. While every other 23-year-old single woman was busy getting her erotica fix, I was circling typos and making notes on the writing style. This is my life. I can’t read a book without finding something to criticize. Although it was a great read, and I did find myself literally aroused at times, I couldn’t get past the author’s word choice.

E.L. James is a British author, and she obviously didn’t study American dialect. The story is set in Seattle, but some of the lingo is English. For example, an American generally doesn’t use the word “surname.” An American definitely doesn’t say “Shall we?” I just wish I could have been the editor working alongside James.

I’m sure my sister is going to love all the highlighted passages and dogeared pages when she borrows the book.

spare time

Lately, I’ve been running around like a crazy person. There’s no time for anything, ever. No exercise, no Glee, no seated meals. All I want is a nap. I’d like to go to dinner and drinks with a friend like they do in the movies. Today is the last day of my internship at D Magazine, so maybe this will all be possible soon. The past few months have consisted of working Downtown for 6 hours a day (unpaid, I might add), and then trying my hardest to beat traffic back to Plano to work the remainder of the evening in retail. I’m exhausted and I’ve learned that traffic makes me crazy. I’m not talking normal person road rage, it’s a type of anger that would scare the most deranged killer. I would like to live in a place where I don’t need a car, and can merely chuckle at the people driving by blaring their horns. What I’d really like to do is read 50 Shades of Grey. Have you heard anything about it? I’ve heard good things. I’m a sucker for an erotic love story, and apparently this is the book to read for that sort of thing.

This busy lifestyle is great, though. I’m really not complaining. As my internship comes to a close today, I am thinking about my next steps. I have a part-time job, but it’s time to start thinking about a career. My resume is polished, my cover letter complete, and interviews scheduled. It’s funny how things fall into place, right? That’s how things happen. Life is all about timing and chance. I don’t think I believe in fate. I don’t believe in karma either. I highly doubt there’s someone up there calling the shots. Good things happen, and bad things happen. Bad things happen to good people, and vise versa. Ever since I was little, I’ve been a complete organizer. My mom used to catch me in her closet color-coding her shoes. Then, when I found out there was an entire career field dedicated to closet styling (courtesy of MTV’s Newlyweds), I became obsessed. I would LOVE to get paid the big bucks (even just a couple bucks) to organize celebrity closets. So when I landed an interview at one of my favorite style consultants, I had a mini-heartattack. I will fill you in with details later! I interview this afternoon.

With summer quickly approaching, I’m feeling inspired in so many ways. As long as I’ve got a base tan, I’m ready to roll.

xxBB

Stormy Weather Memories

I love a good storm. Tornadoes, thunder, lightning, even the deafening sound of baseball sized hail. Bring it on. However, a few years ago during summer vacation, I had a complete mental breakdown. We were in Florida taking an airboat ride through the Everglades. It was easily one of the coolest things I’ve done…. in Florida. Not really a fan of the place. It has that tacky Vegas vibe that I don’t really appreciate.

Sidenote: My family is notorious for vacation fighting. On a normal day, we appear to be a loving family. The second we head to the airport, things take an epic turn for the worst. It’s like Maury without the pregnancy scandals. It usually starts with my dad running late. Then we’re dysfunctional. For any reason, someone will begin to yell. Someone will cry. When we get on the plane, everything is fine again.

Anyway, we’re on this airboat, cruising through the Everglades. A small storm is forming, no reason to panic. There are exotic birds, huge crocodiles, and beautiful photo ops. It seems like everyone is having a good time. I start to get nervous, though, because the airboat driver is thoroughly intoxicated. He’s hanging over the side of the boat, getting way too close to the alligators. He didn’t seem to care at all. He drank Sailor Jerry straight from the bottle. The storm is getting worse. We see lightning strike nearby, and the drunk driver (I’ll call him Jerry) tells us that lightning touches down in the Everglades more than anywhere else on Earth (whether that is true or not, I still don’t know). This terrifies me. I start to feel the symptoms come on. I can’t swallow because I’m scared that I’ll swallow my tongue. If I let go of my composure, I know I’ll start to shake. At this point, I’m crying hysterically because it’s pouring down rain and lightning strikes the water all around us. If one volt hits our metal boat, we’re probably dead or permafried forever. To make matters worse, my family is laughing and filming me as I’m sobbing. The 20 other people on the boat were getting a kick out of it too. It was tragic.

Thankfully, I’ve grown up a little since that vacation. I refuse to be “that girl” again.

lady gaga’s mint green prophecy

Last year, Lady Gaga predicted mint green as the most popular hue on the spring runways.  Boy, was she right. Say what you will about her personal style, but she is a fashion genius. Mint is everywhere and I’m loving the pale pastel.

I saw this dress on D Magazine’s ShopTalk blog, and immediately ran over to pick it up at Milk + Honey. M+H is a fantastic shop on E. Henderson. It’s affordable, adorable, and local. I couldn’t ask for anything more. The dress is still available in some sizes, as of today.

I am so in love with this simple little dress.

The color has appeared in nearly every spring collection from Jason Wu to Marc Jacobs. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Milan Fashion Week

GCB, ya blew it.

Good Christian Bitches, or GCB for you good christian bitches, premiered last night on ABC. Based on the high-society “Christian” women of Highland Park, the show is guaranteed to make a splash in the Dallas community.  I won’t lie, I was looking forward to it for a couple of different reasons. My mother grew up in Highland Park, I know a handful of women portrayed on the show, and I love Kristin Chenoweth. Well, I thought I did.

I fell in love with her when she starred on Broadway. She played Glinda, the adorable, yet extremely self-centered, good witch in the beautiful production of Wicked. Then I fell harder watching her guest star on Glee as April Rhodes, an alcoholic widow searching for a comeback at any price. Her renditions of Fleetwood Mac, Cabaret, and Bruce Springsteen made me doubt the original quality of the songs (OK, not really. You can’t compete). However, she can do any variety or genre with ease. She is outstanding. When I found out she was born and raised in Tulsa, I nearly cried. Surely all that talent couldn’t come from Broken Arrow.

So at 9 p.m. sharp, I announced via [broken] intercom to my roommates that I would be hosting a watch party in the den. My roommates are my parents and my deaf rat-terrier, Lucky. Everyone was late, which irritated me. How could you not care about this? Then, my dad screwed up the DVR and stopped recording, which caused a riot. I missed the first 3 minutes of the pilot, which makes me a phony-fan. My dad gave up after 10 minutes. If it doesn’t involve a competition, count him out. Drama is not his style, but he is a man, so you already knew that.

The show was an hour long, and I felt uncomfortable the entire time, with only commercial breaks to calm me down. It was a completely over-the-top, inaccurate depiction of Dallas. I planned on on writing my own review, but apparently I had my mind read by Laura Kostelny. She is a writer here at D. Her review it spot on. If you care, give it a read here.

GCB Recap: Episode 1 (3/4/12): Get Ready Dallas, Here Comes ABC’s Take on Kim Gatlin’s Highland Park | FrontRow

Until next time. xx

part two

College ruined me. I’m not sure how it happened, but somewhere near the middle of June 2008, I woke up a rebel child.  I wish I could put my finger on it.  Perhaps it was moving off-campus and into the wildest apartment complex in Stillwater.  My landlord was even an alcoholic.  The day I moved in, there were three kegs tapped for a total of 15 people. Hello, college. Maybe it was the fact that I started dating a guy that couldn’t function unless he had taken a rip from his bong.  Or maybe it was just time to let loose and have some fun.  I’ll never know.

Life is so bizarre. We are born a blank slate. Our surroundings make us who we are. I am a firm believer in genetics, but there are some things that only your environment can shape. I was brought up in a Baptist home. A very laid back Baptist home.  We went to church at First Baptist Richardson every Sunday. I don’t think I missed a Sunday school lesson unless I was out of town at Pine Cove Christian Camp, which is church on crack cocaine, ecstasy, and steroids. It is literally a circus of Christian acrobats. It was the highlight of my summer. I accepted Jesus into my heart as a 4th grade camper.

Over the years, I’ve lost that innocence. College was so much fun.

I needed to take three sciences during my last semester to complete my degree and graduate from OSU. I decided to have some fun and learn some last-minute trivial knowledge before I entered the real world. When I found out about a class called Human Evolution, I knew I had to enroll. Growing up in the church is not exactly a tell-all beliefs seminar. It’s close-minded. It judges. It interrupts and ignores.

The Big Bang Theory always sounded crazy to me.  On syllabus day, my professor blew my mind. Why was I in the dark for so long? Sure, they touched on the theory here and there in high school in a fictional way. They almost mocked the idea. “So, if you want to believe that we came from monkeys, go right ahead. Particles collided and formed the Universe. Sure.” They weren’t very convincing, so I continued to read my Bible every Sunday and hope for the best.

Halfway through the course, I was in shock and disbelief that no arguments had started in the classroom. Stillwater is in the Bible Belt of America, for God’s sake. Our professor gave us plenty of opportunities to speak up and voice our opinion. Nerves coursing through my veins, I raised my hand. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but sure enough, it started a debate. From that day on, I really started to wonder if what I’ve learned my whole life is true. Science has helped me understand things that religion couldn’t explain.

Ask questions. Be curious. Think for yourself. Don’t let the things you learned as a child hold you back from what you truly believe.

WordPresser Documents Her Mission to Overcome Agoraphobia — Blog — WordPress.com

WordPresser Documents Her Mission to Overcome Agoraphobia — Blog — WordPress.com.

I suffer from anxiety, but debilitating panic attacks are once in a blue moon. This is an incredible story.

ArLynn Presser didn’t leave her neighborhood in Illinois for 13 years.  She vowed to visit every Facebook friend she had, and as of 2011, has traveled to 13 different countries to visit 292/325 friends.

Take a minute.

post-graduation blues, a series. part one of 1,703.

This has been a long time coming.  While getting my Bachelor’s degree in journalism at Oklahoma State University (OK, that felt weird to say), my professors stressed the importance of blogging. I didn’t believe them. I convinced myself that I didn’t have time to formulate the craziness that goes on in my head. There was literally no way to get it all down in a readable format.

After a recent interview with Jessica Nunez, Dallas-based social media guru and founder of Nunez PR Group, I have changed my mind.  That being said, I am very easily-swayed.  For example, things I once despised are now things I can’t go a day without.  I hated Glee with every ounce of my being before my sister forced me to watch it halfway through the second season. Fast forward 11 months, and every episode makes me weep with joy and happiness.  I was once very hesitant to hop on the dubstep bandwagon, but now I can’t walk to work or exercise to anything but deafening “womps.” I’m very wishy-washy, if you want to put a scientific name on it.

Back on track, now. Nunez informed me that blogging is absolutely necessary if you want your ideas heard by someone other than the bartender at your favorite happy hour.  This sounded all too familiar to me. Our brains are constantly being penetrated with new information.  We have to leave room for our own thoughts and most importantly, document them. Some of the world’s greatest ideas are most likely forgotten over time, and therefore, never published or executed.

I started my internship at D Magazine just over one month ago.  I am an editorial intern, which is a fancy synonym for “fact-checker.” However, in just one month, I’ve been exposed to more opportunity than my entire 23 year existence.  It’s unbelievable what goes on in this city. As you could probably guess, I once loathed Dallas.  I was born and raised in Richardson, a suburb of North Dallas.  It made me sick to think that people would choose to live their lives in such an awful place.  What did people see in this land of zero lot lines, high school football fanatics and “Good Christian Bitches?”

I’d like to say I’ve matured a bit. Lately, I’m trying to see the beauty in all things. I’m discovering events, people and places I only dreamed of.  Dallas is not as bad as I once thought.  In fact, just yesterday, I began looking at apartments near White Rock Lake.

Who knows what the future will bring? Let’s face it, there are bigger and better things than Texas. If you can’t admit that, you haven’t seen enough of this beautiful world.  This is my place to criticize, praise and collect my thoughts. We’ll see what comes of it.