There comes a time in every single-girl's life when she has to find a way to stay warm at night in the winter. Or at least every single-girl who decides to live in a spacious yet drafty loft which is mad expensive to heat, and therefor keeps the temperature at a brisk-somewhere-in-the-'50s range. (It doesn't help having an equally competitive roommate so that neither of you wants to seem like a wimp and turn the heat up. You just put on another sweater and have a cup of tea and stop complaining.)
I have an electric blanket, and a heavy down comforter, but sometimes it's still not enough. A couple of years ago, my Mom gave me and my sister matching pairs of pajamas for Christmas. These pajamas are Christmas themed; they're bright red with snow flakes, they're made out of flannel, and they are SO WARM. While at my parent's house this past week, I found these flannel Christmas pj's, and decided that they were coming back with me to Pittsburgh. Because they're SO WARM!
Thus begins the dilemma...
Maybe some of you are thinking, "it's pajamas, not that many people are going to see them, what's the big deal?" To which my answer is, it's like underwear. True, only I see them, but if I like them, I feel better, and my clothes look better too. True story.
Trading in my cute camis and slips for a pair of flannel pajamas feels a lot like giving up entirely.
But. SO WARM!
So, last night I wore them. I was brushing my teeth and the bathroom door was open and Precisely walked by.
He paused, "What are you wearing?" he asked.
I turned around.
He burst out laughing. Like doubled up, and can't talk he's laughing too hard laughing.
"They're really warm!" I yelled.
"Omg. I thought".. he laughed..."there's no way she's wearing Christmas pajamas".. laughs... "but you are! Those are snow flakes!" Dissolves into another fit of laughter.
I rolled my eyes. "They're flannel and they're warm, and I have no one to impress but you."
"Which you are not. At all." he emphasized.
And you know what? I'm not going to apologize for being warm.
It could be worse, at least I haven't bought a cat.
My real life.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
26.2
On Sunday I had the amazing opportunity of checking off an item on my Life list. I completed the Philadelphia marathon.
It was hard. It was incredible. It was totally and completely surreal.
I woke up energized and excited, which was awesome considering that for the 2 weeks prior, I was a nervous wreck. The weather was perfect. I had carbo loaded the night before. I had loaded up my iphone with Girl Talk's latest album. I was as ready as I was going to be.
We took off, and the first 8 miles flew by. Around the museum, up through the city, down south street, by the zoo, we hit a hard hill around mile 9, but umm, I'm from Pittsburgh.
At mile 12 I started getting nervous again. In one mile the half marathoners would be splitting off to finish. The rest of us would be going on to complete the next 13.1 miles of the course. I entertained the idea of just stopping at the half. 13.1 miles is still an accomplishment I reasoned. I was starting to feel tired. This was only half way.
But, as we came up on the museum for a second time, there were more people cheering, I grabbed some gummy bears from a bystander, and as I turned the corner towards mile 14, I saw my parents jumping up and down and waving. Sheryl Crow came on my ipod, and I continued down to the Schuylkill river.
Mile 15 I was feeling fatigued. Or I was getting bored. It's hard to tell at that point. One of the best pieces of running advice I've ever got, and one that I frequently give, is to ask yourself if you can run one more step. If you can, you're not tired, you're bored. Keep going. I grabbed some Gu, gave myself some short walking breaks, and kept going.
Around mile 17 it hit me. "Oh my god! I'm actually going to finish this! I am really going to do this." Mile 17 and 18 were fun. It's entirely possible that I was just really high on endorphins at this point, but hey, that's one of the benefits of running.
The first cramp happened around mile 19, as we came up to Manayunk. It wasn't the dull pain I had gotten used to on my long runs. It was sharp and searing just above my knee in my thigh. ow! And then my calfs started clenching causing me to trip a bit. ok, time to walk.
The final 6 miles were spent alternating walking and running, and are kind of a blur. Finally we hit mile 25, the crowds picked up again, I saw my Mom and Dad again right before the finish line, and then, it was over. The line was crossed, someone was slipping a medal around my neck, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or fall over.
Since we're coming up on Thanksgiving, I'll do the thankful stuff now. I'm so thankful that I could do this. That my body stayed healthy, and strong, and I didn't get injured or sick. I'm thankful for my amazing friends and family for their support, and encouragement, and for putting up with my incessant talking about running over the past few months. I'm thankful for the other runners I've met and instantly bonded with, who gave me advice and told me I'd be ok. I'm thankful that I work in an office where there is a shower so that I could run over my lunch break, and that I work for an organization which is flexible enough to let me go for a run over my lunch break. I'm thankful for all of the people who cheered, and helped organize the race, and who volunteered. Thanks.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
1st Blogiversarry
Today marks one year since I started So Type A, while sitting in my old room at my parents house waiting to come home to Pittsburgh. Coincidentally, I'm at my parents house again tonight. Normally I would celebrate this occasion with cake and champagne, because really, I'll celebrate just about ANY occasion with cake and champagne (birthdays, job offers, Mad Men, days that end in -day...) BUT I am running a marathon tomorrow, and have limited sugar and sworn off alcohol for the past week, so I'll have to wait till tomorrow to properly celebrate. And then I will have 2 BIG THINGS to celebrate, which means twice as much cake and champagne probably.
I started blogging more than a year ago for work, and liked it so much, that I started thinking I could do a personal blog. But it wasn't until I was talking to someone at a work event and he said, "Do you have a personal blog? I would totally read your blog if you did." that I actually took the thought seriously.
So now it's been a year. A lot happens in a year! And I'm really glad that blogging was part of it. I love this blog. I love writing for it, I love that I'm responsible for it's existence. It's taught me a lot.
First of all, the blogging community (which I'm much more involved with as a reader) is so great. It's filled with some of the funniest, most creative and talented people I "know" and by know, I mean, I read their blog so I have some insight into how their inner-mind works. I've met very few of them in real life. Last year, I would have highly doubted that I'd be taking fashion advice from a 14 year old, or stealing recipes from a Mom living on a ranch, or laughing so hard my cheeks hurt at drawings done in MS paint.
Yet that's what's happened this year. What's keeping me motivated to keep this blog alive? For starters, blogging makes you learn a lot about yourself. Suddenly you're trying to explain yourself in a way that makes sense, and that doesn't make you seem as crazy as you're pretty sure the inner workings of your mind is.
So what have I learned? I've become closer to my family and friends. Especially those I don't live close to. I've learned to be honest and forthcoming. And I've learned that exposing pieces of yourself don't weaken you, it makes you compassionate, it makes you relatable. I've learned that yes, we all feel this way. We all get lonely, and feel insecure, and question our life choices. I've learned that all states are temporary, and I've learned that when I write something and hit the post button, it's time to let it go.
I blog for a lot of reasons; to remember, to process, but mostly to connect. Thank you, so much, for reading.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Irrefutable Signs That I am Indeed, A Grown-Up. Maybe...
I think one of the interesting events of the quarter life crisis is being grown-up, while not quite being an adult. The constant juxtaposition of these two extremes can be liberating, frightening, funny, and quite frankly exhausting. Lately I've found myself experiencing some things that are irrefutably "grown-up" yet they are quickly followed by another event which is undeniably childish. For example:
Grown-up thing: I receive emails notifying me I've been "payed dividends", and I'm not playing monopoly.
Childish Contradiction: I still consider giving up groceries for a week in order to buy shoes a perfectly reasonable way to maintain a budget.
Grown-up thing: As much as I love my Ikea bed, I'm kind of starting to wish it was a little higher off of the ground.
Childish Contradiction: I make my bed roughly 14 times...a year.
Grown-up thing: I used to go out with waiters or musicians or students, usually after meeting them at a bar or at house parties. Now, I find myself hanging out with accountants and flirting with doctors while being introduced to professors at fundraising events, and getting invitations to meet lawyers over a game of squash.
Childish Contradiction: Still being too self-centered for any kind of "serious" relationship. Also, do musicians ever stop being appealing?
Grown-up thing: I live with only one other person in a nice apartment with real furniture that we did not inherit, but purchased.
Childish Contradiction: I'm pretty sure that getting house plants might be too much responsibility.
Grown-up thing: I'd say a good 2/3 of my wardrobe now could be considered 'professional attire'.
Childish Contradiction: I only do laundry once a month. Actually, it's probably more like once every 5 weeks. I have bought new underwear, sheets, and pants to avoid laundry. When I do, do laundry, I separate nothing, throw everything in the dryer and hope for the best.
Grown-up thing: I've lately been buying wine by the box. This is convenient since a box lasts much longer than a bottle. Also, it's fiscally and environmentally more responsible than buying by the bottle.
Childish Contradiction: Inevitably you get to the end of the wine, and have to pull apart the box and take out the bag to squeeze that last glass out. This never, never, never feels remotely like an adult thing to do.
So I imagine that some of these habits will change as I continue to navigate the weird phase of being a twenty-something. Someday, I will buy a car, and won't eat crackers and hummus for dinner so often, and will maybe even start to think of myself of being an adult instead of an adolescent with a credit card. Other things though, like the office dance parties I hope I never grow out of.
Grown-up thing: I receive emails notifying me I've been "payed dividends", and I'm not playing monopoly.
Childish Contradiction: I still consider giving up groceries for a week in order to buy shoes a perfectly reasonable way to maintain a budget.
Grown-up thing: As much as I love my Ikea bed, I'm kind of starting to wish it was a little higher off of the ground.
Childish Contradiction: I make my bed roughly 14 times...a year.
Grown-up thing: Being introduced by someone as their "boss".
Childish Contradiction: Daily dance parties at my desk complete with hair flipping when my boss is out of the office.
Grown-up thing: I used to go out with waiters or musicians or students, usually after meeting them at a bar or at house parties. Now, I find myself hanging out with accountants and flirting with doctors while being introduced to professors at fundraising events, and getting invitations to meet lawyers over a game of squash.
Childish Contradiction: Still being too self-centered for any kind of "serious" relationship. Also, do musicians ever stop being appealing?
Grown-up thing: I live with only one other person in a nice apartment with real furniture that we did not inherit, but purchased.
Childish Contradiction: I'm pretty sure that getting house plants might be too much responsibility.
Grown-up thing: I'd say a good 2/3 of my wardrobe now could be considered 'professional attire'.
Childish Contradiction: I only do laundry once a month. Actually, it's probably more like once every 5 weeks. I have bought new underwear, sheets, and pants to avoid laundry. When I do, do laundry, I separate nothing, throw everything in the dryer and hope for the best.
Grown-up thing: I've lately been buying wine by the box. This is convenient since a box lasts much longer than a bottle. Also, it's fiscally and environmentally more responsible than buying by the bottle.
Childish Contradiction: Inevitably you get to the end of the wine, and have to pull apart the box and take out the bag to squeeze that last glass out. This never, never, never feels remotely like an adult thing to do.
So I imagine that some of these habits will change as I continue to navigate the weird phase of being a twenty-something. Someday, I will buy a car, and won't eat crackers and hummus for dinner so often, and will maybe even start to think of myself of being an adult instead of an adolescent with a credit card. Other things though, like the office dance parties I hope I never grow out of.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Dating, Narcissism, and other stuff happening on the internets
First of all. Did everyone watch last week's 30 Rock? Did you catch that great line by Avery Jessup when she told Jack she didn't need a mentor?
"I'm fine! I sleep 4 hours a night, eat 1,200 calories a day, and my closet has been on the cover of organized living twice!"
I have a lot of work to do...
Today, one of my best friends, who I will refer to as Fair Lisa (b/c that was her nickname in High School) sent me the following the text message.
Don't take this the wrong way but last night I went on a date with the male version of you and didn't like him! The whole time I was thinking... I would like him better if he was just Kelsey.
This was so intriguing to me! My male counterpart... was he good looking? Was he funny? I kind of want to meet him.
No you're better looking she wrote back But his mannerisms and speech patterns were spot on. It was so wack.
Then I started wondering, what would it be like for me to go on a date with this guy? I guess it would essentially be dating myself. But would I like myself? Would I discover I do things I think are charming that are actually totally obnoxious? Would we have non-stop witty banter and intelligent debate? Or would we sit in aloof silence asking polite small-talk-type questions.
Finally, I decided my wanting to go on a date with someone who was described as "the male version of you" is just about the most narcissistic thing I've thought lately, and got back to work.
Speaking of dating. It can be hard right? I think there was a Seinfeld episode where he was whining about first dates because when you go out and you're at a restaurant, everyone else there knows you're on a date! And then you get past the first couple dates, and it's not so awkward but it doesn't necessarily get easier. There's the meeting of each other's friends, and the re-working of your weekend plans to fit another person into the schedule, and figuring out how you greet one another (do you kiss hello?) and if you're the type of couple who holds hands or links arms or doesn't touch when they walk down the street. Then eventually there's compromise and sacrifice, and discussion of life goals and core values, and where are we spending holidays?...ok, no, I've never made it that far, but that's what I've heard happens.
So relationships are complicated, yea? And they're totally worth it, but sometimes you need a second opinion...or six. Love of Friends (my passion project remember?) has started a new project in which we're allowing you, or the general public, to write, type, or tweet your relationship queries to us, and we will answer them for you on our website www.loveoffriends.com
What are our qualifications for this you ask? Well, officially none. Other than the six of us having been on a lot of dates, and involved in a lot of relationships of varying levels. You might get some conflicting advice, since between all of us there's bound to be some differing viewpoints, but our hearts are in the right place. Also, 50% of the team is in a relationship and 50% is single, and so you're getting a nice balanced view of your question. At the very least, we'll give better advice than Cosmo. (Cosmo, if you're at all interested in hiring us to write an advice column we can totally talk).
So send us your questions about love, dating, friendship (relationship advice is not limited to romantic relationships) or just send us the story of the worst date you've ever been on, or the best, or the strangest, and we can compare.
The strangest date I've ever had? The Artist and I once went on a date with the same guy... at the same time. It's a long(ish) story, which I won't get into here, but would be happy to share in more detail next time you see me at a party.
Speaking of the Artist. She's blogging! And it's awesome of course. Check it out, subscribe, comment, add it to your Google Reader, be totally jealous of the fact that I have a bunch of her original pieces in my house.
"I'm fine! I sleep 4 hours a night, eat 1,200 calories a day, and my closet has been on the cover of organized living twice!"
I have a lot of work to do...
Today, one of my best friends, who I will refer to as Fair Lisa (b/c that was her nickname in High School) sent me the following the text message.
Don't take this the wrong way but last night I went on a date with the male version of you and didn't like him! The whole time I was thinking... I would like him better if he was just Kelsey.
This was so intriguing to me! My male counterpart... was he good looking? Was he funny? I kind of want to meet him.
No you're better looking she wrote back But his mannerisms and speech patterns were spot on. It was so wack.
Then I started wondering, what would it be like for me to go on a date with this guy? I guess it would essentially be dating myself. But would I like myself? Would I discover I do things I think are charming that are actually totally obnoxious? Would we have non-stop witty banter and intelligent debate? Or would we sit in aloof silence asking polite small-talk-type questions.
Finally, I decided my wanting to go on a date with someone who was described as "the male version of you" is just about the most narcissistic thing I've thought lately, and got back to work.
Speaking of dating. It can be hard right? I think there was a Seinfeld episode where he was whining about first dates because when you go out and you're at a restaurant, everyone else there knows you're on a date! And then you get past the first couple dates, and it's not so awkward but it doesn't necessarily get easier. There's the meeting of each other's friends, and the re-working of your weekend plans to fit another person into the schedule, and figuring out how you greet one another (do you kiss hello?) and if you're the type of couple who holds hands or links arms or doesn't touch when they walk down the street. Then eventually there's compromise and sacrifice, and discussion of life goals and core values, and where are we spending holidays?...ok, no, I've never made it that far, but that's what I've heard happens.
So relationships are complicated, yea? And they're totally worth it, but sometimes you need a second opinion...or six. Love of Friends (my passion project remember?) has started a new project in which we're allowing you, or the general public, to write, type, or tweet your relationship queries to us, and we will answer them for you on our website www.loveoffriends.com
What are our qualifications for this you ask? Well, officially none. Other than the six of us having been on a lot of dates, and involved in a lot of relationships of varying levels. You might get some conflicting advice, since between all of us there's bound to be some differing viewpoints, but our hearts are in the right place. Also, 50% of the team is in a relationship and 50% is single, and so you're getting a nice balanced view of your question. At the very least, we'll give better advice than Cosmo. (Cosmo, if you're at all interested in hiring us to write an advice column we can totally talk).
So send us your questions about love, dating, friendship (relationship advice is not limited to romantic relationships) or just send us the story of the worst date you've ever been on, or the best, or the strangest, and we can compare.
The strangest date I've ever had? The Artist and I once went on a date with the same guy... at the same time. It's a long(ish) story, which I won't get into here, but would be happy to share in more detail next time you see me at a party.
Speaking of the Artist. She's blogging! And it's awesome of course. Check it out, subscribe, comment, add it to your Google Reader, be totally jealous of the fact that I have a bunch of her original pieces in my house.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Daylights Savings Time Cannot Come Soon Enough
This whole being pitch dark at 8:00 am is messing with me completely.
Me: I don't know what happened
I was fine this morning
somehow between leaving the house, and getting on the bus
I fell into a downward hate spiral
that has rendered me completely useless as a human this morning
Precisely: haha
Me: I have no interest in any of this and I'm going to die alone
wanna come over here and slap some sense into me?
Precisely: Nope... eating candy.
Me: Fair enough.
Luckily I found some left over rice krispie treats from our office potluck yesterday, and the refined sugar rush seems to have pulled me out of my doldrums.
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