Shit Girls Say

Episode One.

Brilliant.

Cheers.

Oh, Ugh.

 

I’m officially a fashion victim.

For years I’ve hated Uggs. I’ve thought they were ugly and unflattering and just all around awful. They don’t look good on ANYONE and yet everyone wears them. I always refused to get them. I refused to partake in such a horrible trend. Fashion magazines ripped them apart. Talked about how awful they were and how no one should ever buy them, but celebrities continued to wear them and the masses
followed. I couldn’t understand it.

That is, until I tried a pair on.

A friend of mine had just ordered a new pair of Uggs and they arrived when I was in her home. I immediately turned my nose up at them and told her how disappointed I was that she continued to follow the horrible trend.

Her response?

“Try them on.”

I tried to refuse her offer, but the moment the soft fur touched my feet, I was a goner. I was hooked. They felt like magic. Warm. Cozy. Soft. Like no other pair of shoes I’d ever worn.

I was devastated. For years I’ve made fun of these horrible shoes, and now I wanted nothing more than to have a pair to call my own. So what did I do? I swallowed my pride and purchased a pair. And then another. And another. Yes. That is right. I now own three pairs of Uggs. Two different styles of boots and
a pair of hard bottom slippers. I am beyond disappointed in myself…

…But I forget the disappointment while prancing in my cloud-like Uggs.

*Hangs head in shame.*

I’m such a sellout.

Do you have any fashion trends that you are ashamed to love?

Cheers.

As always, life is more than a little hectic

I’ve been a bad blogger. I’ve not stuck to my goal of posting every week!

I swear I’ve got reason. I know I gave you all sorts of excuses about traveling for my job, blah blah blah. Well, my new excuse? I got a new job! In the past 8 weeks I’ve been balancing traveling for work, interviewing, being offered and accepting a new job (!!), putting in my notice, and starting at a new job. It has been insane to say the very least! While I am beyond excited to be in this new role with a new company, it took a lot to get me to this place. I wasn’t sure I would get the courage to leave my old job. I had been with that company for 6.5 years and I am only 26 years old. It has been a huge transition and I am still nervous now (a month into the new job) because I am still learning something new every day. I am also still getting to know my new co-workers. In my old role, I knew so many people with the company. I had friends all over the place, no matter what location I was in. With this job, I am still learning names, job titles, rank, etc. It is a ton of pressure.

I’m more than a little excited about this opportunity and I hope it continues to go as well as it has so far.

Three things I’ve learned from this experience:

1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. Sometimes you HAVE to take a leap of faith.
3. Be humble, gracious, honest, and hard working. It WILL get you places, despite what some people in corporate America want you to believe.

Here’s to new adventures!

Cheers.

Who doesn’t love a good deal?

Ok I know I’m way behind the masses on this, but can I just tell you how much I LOVE Groupon and Living Social?

For those of you hiding under a rock, Groupon and Living Social are websites that offer exclusive deals for fantastic local businesses that you buy ahead of time and cash in on in the coming months. They deals are only offered for a few days and generally don’t expire for several months. In the past couple of weeks I’ve cashed in on a bunch of great deals:

Walnut Grill – I’m a fan of walnut grill in Pittsburgh and so I bought two Living Social deals that I used over the last month.

• For $10 I got $20 to spend on lunch at Walnut Grill
• For $20 I got $40 to spend on dinner at Walnut Grill

Great deal-got to spend some good times with my dear friends

Dean of Shadyside – I had not been pleased with my hairdresser so I jumped at the chance to try the always chic Dean of Shadyside (voted best salon in Pittsburgh on more than one occasion) at a discounted price by purchasing a Groupon. Again, I bought more than one deal:

• For $50 I got a cut, conditioning treatment, color treatment, and mini manicure (polish change) for myself
• For $25 I got a cut, conditioning treatment, and mini manicure for my best friend. Merry Christmas!

Totally worth it to spend some time with my best friend and have us both walk out looking FABULOUS! (P.S. You can read my full YELP review of my Dean of Shadyside experience HERE. I was more than pleased and I’ve already set up my next appointment. I think I have a new hair dresser!)

Old Navy – I love baby clothes. I am NOT ready for a baby. Luckily for me, my best friend has a darling little boy and I love getting him outfits! Groupon to the rescue!

• For $10 I got $20 to spend at any Pittsburgh area Old Navy

I can’t wait to head over to Old Navy and get him some cute clothes!

The deals just go on and on. It all seems too good to be true, right?

Well there are a few catches. One such catch is that you have to read the fine print. VERY few exceptions will be made for Groupon and Living Social users since they are getting such deep discounts.

These vendors are also coming under fire because they have caused some headaches for business who use their services.  What happens is Groupon and Living Social users love a good deal. When they see a good deal, thousands of deals are purchased. Sometimes more than small businesses can handle. This has caused issues like a car detailer being unable to keep up with increased business and a cupcake baker to lose a substantial amount of money due to having to hire an entire staff of temps to keep up with the huge demand after offering a deal on a dozen cupcakes.

Both vendors offer the option to business owners to limit the number of deals sold, but unfortunately I don’t think that business owners see the dangers of not setting limits until it is too late. Luckily for business owners, even if the sales get a little out of control and they lose some money on a Groupon or Living Social deal, they still have the chance to reach an entire community of customers who they may not have reached otherwise. Even if only half them turn into returning customers, they can make a huge profit on those returning customers.

Have you used Groupon or Living Social? What are the best deals you’ve found?

Cheers.

The Friendzone

The FriendZone

We’ve all been there. You’ve got a friend. You have a blast with them-always laughing, joking. No pressure. Just friends. Or so you thinking. Next thing you know, feelings start to creep in. Either you or your friend catch feelings. Now comes the dilemma-do I share these feelings? Do I keep them bottled up? Will it ruin the friendship? Do they feel the same way?

MTV to the rescue. MTV has introduced a show called “The Friendzone.” It chronicles the friendships of people who are stuck in the friendzone. They show the two interacting and interview both friends. Johnny  is in love with Mary. Mary has no idea. Johnny tells Mary that he is going on a blind date and needs a “wing man” to help him get ready and make sure that he is prepared for the blind date. Little does Mary know, her friend is about to reveal his true feelings for her.

In theory, this show is brilliant. There is nothing more beautiful than when two friends become lovers and everything works out. It’s like a fairy tale. They are already best friends and know everything about one another. Why shouldn’t they be in love? And sometimes this is how the story goes. Johnny reveals his feelings and invite Mary on the date that he led her to believe was for a bland date. They kiss. They live happily ever after. MTV shows a follow-up interview with the happy couple a month later and they are blissfully in love.

However, this is not how it always works. Sometimes Mary doesn’t return Johnny’s feelings. Sometimes Mary just wants to stay friends. Sometimes Mary is upset with Johnny for bringing her on television to reveal such a huge secret. She feels hurt. She feels betrayed. The lies about the blind date have her confused and angry. She feels stupid and does not want to go on the date with Johnny. In these cases I feel so bad for Johnny. He wanted to do something romantic for the girl of his dreams, and he gets shot down. It is so sad! And often, when the feelings are not reciprocated, the friends no longer hang out at the “one month later” MTV update interview.

I am not sure what my thoughts are. I think it is really romantic that these people have such strong feelings for their best friend, but I understand how starting a relationship based on a lie (being a wingman on a bland date) would not be ideal, and it is very possible that you could be putting your best friend in an awkward, embarrassing position on national television.

What are your thoughts? Have you see “The Friendzone?” Have you been in the friendzone in real life? How would YOU react if your friend revealed their love for you on MTV?

Cheers.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

I was talking to a friend the other day about her difficult co-workers. She told me about the bad attitudes, backstabbing, and downright deplorable manners that take place everyday where she works. I was appalled! Do adults really act like this? It got me to thinking…is it true what they say? Did I really learn everything that I needed to know in kindergarten? I was reminded of the poem by Robert Fulghum:

Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don’t hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup — they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think what a better world it would be if we all — the whole world — had cookies and milk about 3 o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

It all seems so simple, doesn’t it? But the more I read this simple list of things learned in kindergarten, the more I think that if my friend’s co-workers simply followed these rules, they would have a much better work environment.

Don’t get me wrong-I am forever grateful for the opportunity to get a complete college education and to have the valuable work experience that I’ve gained over the years, but even with the bachelor’s degree and the years of experience in the banking industry, without these life lessons, where would I be? And when you encounter someone who CLEARLY did not learn these lessons in kindergarten, don’t you automatically wonder what kind of parents they have? You wonder “Wow. Their mother never taught them how to share. Sad.”

Make your mom and dad proud. Live by these simple rules.

Cheers.