Learning to Deal with "Others"

I have never ever been very good at keeping my thoughts to myself. Somehow or another, stuff just always slips out. Usually in a moment of boiling hot rage but sometimes when I am so shocked or taken aback that I can’t refrain myself from spewing forth with a snarky retort.

Yesterday, I was pretty proud (and surprised) of myself.

As most everyone knows, I am a full time college kid these days. And when I say “kid” I actually mean I am 31.

I was sitting in my very first Social Work class. Our teacher came in and was just getting started. There were only about 5 of us in the class, when 20 minutes later in walks one of “those girls.” You know – not pretty but thinks she is. Basically, she’s skinny and has money judging by her bag and coat so automatically, people thinks she’s attractive. But she is a total “butterface.” She walked with her nose in the air, I swear to you.

*Note: Normally I am not a catty person. I rarely put people down based on their appearance. But when your inner self is ugly as hell, you’d better believe I am gonna point out how ugly you are on the outside. Call me a bitch – I don’t care. I just call em like I see em.

She sat down and our teacher continued talking.

Long story short, we were discussing the rich vs. the poor in our country and how the social system treats you differently depending on which one you are. The subject of welfare programs and assistance came up. Having been on a few of them while I was pregnant and a new mom, I have the personal experience regarding these. But I got myself off of them as soon as I could. Thank god those systems were in place or else I would have been in serious trouble. I also know I am not a deadbeat. Or lazy. I work my ass off and I refuse to take advantage of the system or expect people to just give me things. That’s why I am no longer using those programs.

This girl pipes up and goes off about how much better the poor have it. (???!!!)

She says they have it “good and live a better life than the rich because they don’t have to pay for anything.” She went on about how “the poor” get free housing, free food, free daycare, free medical, etc. Uh, yes sometimes. If you qualify. And even then, you don’t get all of that. Your life is NOT better than someone with a lot of money. Dumbass.

She said a bunch of other stuff too about how “because she is a business owner, the poor are a strain on her livelihood and thus make her life more difficult so in comparison the poor have a better life.” By that point, my ears were ringing and my blood was boiling.

When it comes to anything related to the social system, the opressed and any injustice in our society, I get PASSIONATE. I have a zillion opinions on it all and nothing gets me more emotional and more heated. So, obviously, this class is going to be all sorts of fun.

You could hear a pin drop in that class. The 2 girls seated next to me exchanged shocked looks with one another and I. A few minutes later, one of my girls went OFF on Ms. Snooty Pants and of course, Ms. Snooty Pants totally back-pedaled. To add a nail in the coffin – she is in a Social Work class – meaning, we all more or less want to be social workers. Would you want this girl trying to help you??? She wasn’t even “sure if she wanted to be a social worker or not.” My vote? Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.

For me, I was astonished that I didn’t spin around and give her a tongue-lashing too. But – I didn’t. I was a good girl. I sat there calmly, sipping my Mountain Dew and getting a kick out of the reactions of everyone else.

I can tell this class is going to be very interesting =)

Hello, Again.

Hi Friends!

So, I am back. At my original blog here on Blogger. Again.

I ditched WordPress because frankly, it was kinda dumb. I won’t go into it but after all the posting and privacy issues, I decided – why turn your back on a good thing? Blogger was nothing but kind to me so, here I am!

On a personal note, haha, I am trying not to “over share” sooo much about me all the time. And when I say that what I really mean is all of my “inner stuff” – not my life events, because those of course I am gonna share! I’m proud of myself.

But, when it comes to the way my mind works and processes things, I’ve noticed that others just don’t see the way I do. And I am totally fine with that. It’s really nothing new for me.

I have had a crazy year already and about 90% of it has been super fantastic stuff. I still have my down days, like everyone else who has a pulse, and now they just remind me that I am human and I am allowed to have an off day every once in awhile. And then, I just pick myself up and stomp on, baby.

Today I was reminded of several things.

1. I am a woman and an American so I am entitled to many freedoms. With that being said, I can change my mind, I can decide things for myself and I can practice freedom of speech and expression.

2. Not only am I a woman, I am a grown ass one. And a damn good one. I don’t need other’s permission or judgments on how to conduct my life.  Thankyouverymuch. =)

3. I am a lover. Always will be and nothing can or will change that. If you hurt me? I will walk away from you and find someone else to love. It’s that simple. I think revenge, game-playing and being clingy/needy are a total waste of time.

4. I seriously can’t believe what the power of positive thinking (and planning) can do. I am dumbfounded over how well things have progressed just in a matter of months when I decided to a) change my thinking and b) change my actions. I now know that your state of mind translates into what kind of life you will have.

5. I love being a student. I could see myself doing it for the next 5 years. And actually, I probably will. I have my sights set on a Bachelor’s and  to reach even higher, that Masters has my name on it. There is literally nothing that can stop me.

I have posted a few of my posts from over at WordPress from December/January. Feel free to “catch up” with me and I hope you’ll all continue to visit!

Much love and warm wishes,
Sarah

You know you are a grown-up when….

Lately I am finding myself being more adult than usual. Sure, I still laugh at stupid, morbid crap, and I love to drool over hot guys just like the next girl. Annnnd, I may still indulge in a tantrum or two but overall, my immature and selfish days are over.

Here is a short list of how I know I have grown-up…

1. You own items of clothing that require dry-cleaning.

2. You’d rather stay “in” on a Friday/Saturday night, watch Nickelodeon or TLC instead of party.

3. You have thought about (or started) a “Five Year Plan.” (Guilty)

4. You dream about purchasing furniture / appliances / electronics / decor rather than clothes. Or booze.

5. You choose friends based on the fact that they are: intelligent, nice, supportive, have lots in common with you and are actually going somewhere with their lives.

6. You’ve made a checklist of your ideal mate. And, turned down dates because the guy didn’t meet the criteria.

7. You start to realize that people that are mean to you, talk badly about you or act like you mean nothing are really just jealous of you. Haters, keep on hatin’. =)

8. You realize there’s more to life than gossip, sex or acting like a spoiled brat.

9. You start making travel plans to places like Paris, Italy and Japan. (YAY!)

10. You finally call all those creditors you have owed money to for years. And plan on paying them. For real.

10 Things I Love ( Jan. 2011 Edition )

1. Psychology Today magazine.

I just subscribed (finally) and feel like I am about to explode awaiting that first issue.

2. Spongebob.

I have dreams about Spongebob. I hear his hideous laugh all the time. I even have started saying “Oh barnacles!!!” when I am angry. And you know what? I’m okay with all of this; Spongebob is alright by me.

3. Red Couches.

Among the many neat items on my “dream home list”, a red, retro couch is a definite future purchase. I am dying to own one very similar to this. And soon I will!

4. Cat-Gasm

I have mentioned my love for Tumblr.com a few times. Recently, I stumbled across this blog and I am in cat heaven!

5. Canon PowerShot

Meet my soon-to-be new edition! I’ve had the same crappy, cheap camera for almost 3 years. It’s definitely time for an upgrade.

6. Vintage Swimwear

Over at Cats Like Us, I found this! I foresee myself wearing this around summertime =)

7. Paying my bills.

Pretty self-explanatory. Once you’ve gone from having zero money to having some – and you can, you know, have your phone turned back on or put gas in your car – it’s a really nice feeling.

8. Being called “honey” by your 3 year old.

I have taught her well. My daughter now ends nearly every sentence to me with “Ok, honey?” Cracks me up.

9. XM Satellite Radio on DIRECTV – The Jazz Station(s)

This is on, day and night, in my house. I wish I could take it everywhere with me.

10. Energy Drinks

Having recently given up “the booze”, I now down a few of these a day. No worries; the caffeine doesn’t really phase me. And I love the taste (and zero calories) that these have.

Me vs. The United Kindom: Part Two

As I previously posted, I was beyond blessed with being able to visit the UK when I was 17. In Part One I discussed our trip there and the first few days in London. But, this post will be the good one. Trust me.
When we left Bath in England, I was pretty sad. I could have easily stayed the entire 2 weeks there but I also knew we were heading to Ireland soon. And that I could not pass up. But before we hit Ireland, we first had to venture through Wales and Scotland.

Driving into Wales was quite the experience. This was the first thing I saw –

That is a long ass bridge.

We stopped for lunch at this little eatery that was more or less some fast food place. But it was situated out in the middle of nowhere and was surrounded by lambs. Not even kidding. I ordered a BURGER but once I started to eat it I again had the feeling I wasn’t eating beef. I mentioned something to my Dad who then jokingly nodded towards the lambs out in the field – I nearly lost my lunch. To this day I have no clue what animal I was consuming.

Then we entered Cardiff Castle. There is nothing in the world comparable to being in a genuine castle. Especially knowing that it holds all sorts of history. This was one of the high points of our trip – being able to hang out in castles or at least, say I got to hang out in castles.

We found a quaint little B&B called The Pottery Inn in Blaenavon, Wales. The room my brother and I stayed in had all these weird occult books in it – and naturally, I swiped them. {I still own them actually.} Dinner was fantastic. Below our rooms was a restaurant and I enjoyed a fun evening with my family, playing the jukebox and OMG, I found the first smiling picture of me, maybe the only one! Naturally, being a major Goth at that time in my life, cemeteries were a total pleasure. I still get all giddy when I think about those old, creepy graveyards and you better believe I took a ton of pics. I just can’t find them right now.

The next day was one of the most memorable days in our 2 week adventure. My mom loves to be a tourist and not wanting to miss out on any of the local color, the 4 of us entered The Big Pit Mine.

I have already shared this story in one of my previous posts but will quickly recap it for you here. Basically, we were in a mine. To enter we had to wear helmets. And guess what? For all us American tourists, they offered to (oh yay!) take your picture. My mom jumped at the chance and before I could gather myself, our picture was snapped. I was just trying to overcome my shock at having to wear such an atrocity on my head and having the entire tour group stare at us. My exact thoughts were “Take the mother-fing picture and let’s get the hell outta this damn mine!!!” A few months later, that photo was sent out to about 100 family members and friends as our Christmas Photo for 1997. It continues to haunt me. (The picture is on my previous post, if you are at all curious….)

After the horrendous mine incident, we drove into the City of York. It was so….British. And I loved it. Street performers were everywhere, there was a giant, life-sized chess set for people to play and tons and tons of neat little shops.

We jumped back into our car and headed for Scotland. I’m not sure what time we had expected to arrive in Scotland that day but I am pretty sure we got lost. And I also vaguely remember us not being able to find one single place to stay for the night. My cloudy memory might be due to the fact that it was actually about 3AM (and after almost having to sleep in the car!) when we finally found one room in a Holiday Inn in Edinburgh. Apparently we came on the week of the Edinburgh Festival and every single hotel, motel and B&B was booked.

The morning started off with tons of rain and Edinburgh Castle. I was again in awe of the castle but not as much as my brother was. He was basically drooling over everything – especially in the gift shop – because this castle was all about William Wallace, aka Braveheart aka Mel Gibson. He was in seventh heaven. He got this cool dragon t-shirt (I remind you, he was about 13 years old) and I have caught him wearing it a few times in recent years. He is now 5’11″ and his beloved shirt has become a BELLY SHIRT. And he doesn’t seem to have a problem with that either. God, I love my brother.

One of my favorite parts of Scotland was going to Llandudno (by the sea) the next day. We stayed in yet another B&B and my only complaint was that there were tons of seagulls. Birds, most notably seagulls, and I are not friends.

Two days later we took a train and passed by this –LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH.

(No, I did not just pass out and smash my head on my keyboard, that’s the name of the town.)

They call it Llanfair.

And then, the Mother Ship: Ireland.

Among my many phobias (what can I say, I am a freak) besides birds, I am terrified of the ocean. I think it’s a combination of seeing “Jaws” one too many times and also, the sheer size and depth of large bodies of water scare me to death. I even went through a phase as a kid where I was afraid to go in our swimming pool (which was about 9 feet deep) because of sharks. I might have been 11 but I won’t say for sure. And I might have been insane.

We boarded a ferry called the “STENALINE”. Picture a giant “cruise ship” that is like a casino on water. There were games and McDonald’s so I managed to get through it alright.

We entered Dun Laoghaire Harbor and soon we were in DUBLIN!!!

It’s important to note that my mother is an O’Connell. Ireland is crawling with them. Our original family is from County Cork, Ireland to be exact. Her family is Catholic & some of my distant relatives were even nuns. Yeah – it’s hilarious if you have spent any time with me that my ancestors were nuns. It cracks me up.

Dublin had my favorite B&B out of all of them. It was an old Victorian style home that was decorated very European. The only drawback was that there was ONE bathroom in the whole place. So, people had to share. I can’t tell you how freaked out I was to even take a shower for fear of someone bursting through the door. I managed to swipe some more goodies – in a drawer in my room were several UK fashion magazines, which at the time were a huge obsession of mine. Hey, I was a bit of a klepto, I admit it.

Which leads me to the end all, be all high point of our trip: and yes, I am being 100% sarcastic.

For some reason, that first morning in Ireland, I was not in a good mood. Maybe my eyeliner didn’t go on right, maybe my hair was frizzing out from the weird humidity, maybe my ass was hanging out of my dress – who knows. All I remember is that I was irritated.

As we walked down the street to catch the bus for a day of sight-seeing, I erupted into the loudest “FUCK” I have ever said in my life. Not even sure why I said it. Maybe I had a burst of turrets or something. All I know is that it happened in front of my parents and brother. And….. in front of 2 nuns.

You could hear crickets, it was so quiet. The nuns walked past, looking at me. After a moment, my Mom brushed past me and didn’t speak to me for a good part of the day. I guess I don’t blame her. That was pretty inappropriate, even for me.

Unfortunately on that same day, we were supposed to take a family photo at the cool, gothic cemeteries in Ireland and use it as our Christmas card that year. Well, none of us were talking to each other (uh, pretty sure it had to do with the nuns) so we never got that photo. And this is why The Mine picture came back to bite me in the ass.

After getting my vulgar outburst out-of-the-way, I ended up in a great mood. We walked around Dublin, saw O’Connell bridge, some cool street paintings, and wow, I smiled again!

On our last night in Ireland – we all went out to dinner. I remember 2 things about that night. The food was expensive and delicious (prime rib, I think) and as we walked back to our B&B in the dusk of an Irish evening, a very drunk guy standing in line in front of a pub hollered at me “SCHWING!!!”.

I wanted to die. I couldn’t believe it. Good ol’ Wayne’s World. Thankfully my parents laughed. Thank. God.

The end was pretty uneventful. We got back on the ferry, back to London for one more night and then, we flew home.

A few days after we came home, on August 31st, Princess Diana was killed. Even though her accident and death occurred in Paris, I watched the news coverage of London and the Palace and was not only grief-stricken but thankful we had come home before it happened.

London was a ZOO.

I can’t even imagine what our trip would have been like had we been there then.

We had been back in Idaho for a few days when, I was driving my Dad’s 4 Runner in downtown Boise and was dropping my Aunt off at an appointment. I turned onto a street and a few seconds later my aunt screamed at me “YOU’RE DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!!!” Scared the bejesus outta me. Guess those 2 weeks sitting behind my Dad driving in the UK rubbed off on me.

Me vs. The United Kindom: Part One

For someone like myself, who considers travel to be one of the most important things in life, I have only traveled outside of the country once. (I haven’t even been to Canada or Mexico.) But, I have been to over half of the States in the US, so don’t feel sorry for me.

Among my many, many future destinations are: Italy, Paris, Prague, Japan & Denmark. Oh, and can’t forget New Orleans, NYC and Austin.

Let me bring you back to 1997. I was 17. My parents took my brother and I to the UK, as a sort of trek through our family genealogy, on my Mom‘s side. Had it been my Dad’s side – we would have gone to Greece or Germany. But on our UK trip, we visited all the prominent places “we” were from: England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland. It was amazing.

Unfortunately, the trip was not very fun at the time due to several things:

*I was 17.

*It was 100 DEGREES. One zero zero. The UK was having a major, unforeseen, heat wave that we were not dressed for. And, you ever heard of ICE, people?

*I had just been dumped by my hot, model boyfriend – 3 days before we left.

*I was PMS-ing.

*I was 17.

And really, 2 weeks in a rental car + tiny inn rooms with your parents? Not too great.

But, I appreciate the chance that I had to even GO there & I can’t ever thank my parents enough. Seriously, I am beyond grateful (now.)

After the 17 hour flight, complete with screaming child on board and “It’s no Good” by Depeche Mode and “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison playing on repeat the entire time, we emerged into Gatwick Airport. Talk about a zoo. Once we left the airport, we boarded a train for like, another hour it seemed. OMG, would it ever end?! Then, Victoria Station in London. It was nearly everything I expected it to be. The streets of London look exactly like what you would think they do. And people drive like mad! We jumped into a little “taxi” and barely squeezed our luggage in – I’m sure they thought – “Wow, those Americans…they brought everything but the kitchen sink.” Our stay began at the Vanderbilt Hotel. I loved it but, not at first. All I wanted was a shower. Unfortunately, it was a wooden bathtub (?@!) which I promptly hit my toe on and sat on the floor, crying. I thought it was broken. My mom was all ready to go sight-seeing. Uh, no – I don’t think so. I crashed on the bed while my family did….something or other. I was having my first real experience with jet lag. Add to this, the heat was unbearable and they had NO air conditioning. We had to have fans brought up to our room.

The following day, I felt better. We spent the entire day riding a good ol’ double-decker all around London on a sight-seeing tour. We stopped at the Tower of London – did I mention the place was crawling with….ravens?! Definitely not my cup of tea (birds are a huge phobia of mine). Then came Piccadilly Circus, and a few more sights. I noticed that (unfortunately) all the guys there were not cute….at all. Major. Bummer. I fully expected them to be gorgeous British sexbombs but, nope. And all the girls were super skinny. Weird.

We decided to have dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I was elated! Our meal was fantastic (cheeseburgers and sodas….WITH ICE.) and we “oohed and ahhed” over all the pictures of rock stars. And yes, I knew who every single one was. They don’t call me the Trivia Queen for nothing! As we were leaving, I forgot that there were steps to get back to the main level and I fell…on my ass. I just sat there stunned in front of about 100 dinner guests. Scrambling up, I bolted out the door with my Mom laughing her butt off behind me. Not my best moment.

The next day we took a rental car through the English countryside. Of course, we hit Stonehenge.

I wish I’d enjoyed it more. But, I was pissy. And to give you some proof of how pissed off I was during this trip? Here’s the pic of me, my brother and my Mom. Note the pure indifference on my face? That was because my brother insisted on wearing his Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt on the same day I was wearing mine. Um, hello?! We look like freaking tourists!!! And I am pretty sure my mom was wearing a fanny pack. Uh – no comment.

Bath was our next stop and, my favorite. It was a little English town meant to look like Rome. It’s where the Roman Baths and the Bath Abbey are located. Most notably is that it is the site of Jane Austen‘s girlhood home, where she did much of her famous writing. The bed and breakfast we stayed in had an amazing view and I felt like I was in a British novel just staying there. However, I was majorly disappointed in the McDonald’s. It tasted nothing like the ones in America. Not even sure it was beef…

I could have very easily stayed in Bath the entire 2 weeks, but we had many more places to visit! If I ever decide to move to Europe and Paris doesn’t work out? Bath it is! However, I was embarrassed to see that in all the photos taken in Bath I am still glaring into the camera like I was to smash it. My only excuse? See my above reasons for being pissy….Haha!

Stay Tuned for PART TWO – which includes all our fun in Scotland, Wales and….Ireland!

Clean House has got nothing on me.

If you are like me, watching shows such as ”Clean House“, “Hoarders“ and “How Clean is your House?” is comparable to drinking 5 energy drinks and eating 3 candy bars in an hour. I get pumped. My adrenaline starts racing and I feel like springing off the sofa so that I too can tackle any piles, boxes, clutter. I am a neat freak, people. I freely admit it.

So, being inspired partly by these shows and also having a natural OCD tendency, I decided to start my New Year off right. Why? Well, for starters, I will be moving (out of my parents house) this year. Wahoooooo! It’s been a long time coming .

My “storage unit” has been neglected for far too long. Over these past few weeks I have taken on this massive project. And when I say storage unit, I really mean my parent’s barn which holds about 50 of my boxes and all of my furniture. Living with just the “bare essentials” this past year has been very freeing and I’ve enjoyed it. But I miss my “stuff.” More accurately, I miss being able to get rid of stuff.

So, I bought those monster plastic bins (20, to be exact) and dove in to all of my “past” that was collecting dust (and…other things) outside.

Only a few. I ended up with a total of 30 bins.

I wasn’t truly prepared for what I would feel. Call it a time warp, a flashback. Either way, I had to come face to face with parts of my past and it wasn’t pretty.

First order of business? My giant Motley Crue collection. Now, if you don’t know me, this sounds odd. But having been a Motley Crue fan since I was 11 years old, I obviously accumulated tons of stuff. And add in my “ebay blitzkrieg” a few years back and what you have is a lot of items most normal people would never dream of spending money on. But I did. And I loved those things more than anything. Until, I discovered – I grew up.

Last night, I was almost in tears. Sounds ridiculous, I know. But having to trash pictures and items that have long been a comfort to me and hold nothing but super, sexy and silly memories was devastating. I came to my mom and told her what I had just gone through and she actually was empathetic – probably because she knows what a freaking nut I was (and am) about Motley Crue. But I did it and I have to say – I feel like I’ve become a newer, better version of myself. FYI – I still love those boys, I just refuse to have little “shrines” of them any longer.

The next thing? I tossed nearly everything that was a hand me down. Of course I kept things that had some significance or were family related but other than that – garbage. I hope one day to actually purchase and own nice things, things that reflect who I am and that I can take pride in. I’m already on my way to picking out my dream purchases…..it’s pretty much more exciting than snorting meth.

Perhaps the most humorous part of this whole experience (besides finding that box of letters from my ex-felon, ex-boyfriend or, that long lost issue of Playgirl (lol)) is that my daughter, Berlyn has been by my side through the whole process. Within this year her and I will be moving. And she is extremely stoked about “our new house.” She talks about it every day. In the process, she sees some of my belongings and either wants to keep them for herself (oh crap, another pack rat) or she gets emotional. Wha???? Yeah – I found an old photo album of all the cats I’ve had in my life – 8 to be exact – and when she saw the photos of my past kittens, she started to cry because a) she knew I no longer had them and b) she wanted to just pet them so bad. Lol – poor little dear.

Let’s not forget the ick factor here. I live out in the “country” and a lot of my boxes have been torn into by….shudder…..rodents. Needless to say, I found a mouse skull and that entire box went buh-bye.

The coolest find? Since I’ve been working on my book, I have been in the process of gathering up all of my writings – and was surprised to find a lot of it was out in storage! So, good thing I went through this whole ”cleansing” because there was some gooo-goood stuff hiding in there!

My #1 best cleaning tip? I have found that the miracle product to clean virtually anything is: baby wipes. Seriously, I am obsessed with them.

*In addition to the storage debacles – another major change has occurred as of New Year’s. I am freely admitting it here – and am beaming as I say this – I no longer drink alcohol and I don’t even miss it. No – I am not pregnant. But I am trying to take control of my life and stop being a slave to addictions of any kind. (This would also include shopping.) Not only have I lost weight I have also felt stronger, clearer and 1000 times more motivated to reach my goals. Obviously I had to replace my old addiction for another one – so, energy drinks and coffee are now my bff’s. Thankfully, caffeine really has no effect on me so it’s more of a psychological dependence. Which – maybe not such a good thing. Okay, forget what I just said.

Here’s a Thought…

It seems like every. single. day I (guiltily) peruse the gossip shows, rags and blogs and see another Hollywood/celebrity break-up. Or another train wreck.

I have quite a few opinions and words of advice. Because after all, I’m entitled as an American to share my two cents.

Recently “poor little” Taylor Swift finds herself dumped….again. And, by phone. (Who cares?!) The exact words on Perezhilton.com were “Awwww. Poor thing.” Um – here’s a thought: TRY NOT DATING. TRY BEING SINGLE FOR AWHILE. TRY FINDING YOURSELF AND FULFILLING SOME GOALS WITHOUT A MAN. TRY BEING A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS LOOKING UP TO YOU. You are 21 years old. You’ve got all the time in the world. Don’t turn into a co-dependent, needy girl who feels she has to have a man to be someone. Seriously – you’re rich. And famous. And pretty. What the hell? You need some guy to make you feel complete?

I have recently succumbed to the dreaded reality show obsession. Not all of em because I seriously can’t stand The Bachelor, the dancing/singing shows and any of those ridiculous wedding ones. Ick. What I do find myself drawn into? The Housewife shows. Dammit; I thought I was safe.

Camille Grammer – are you really trying to back pedal now? You spent an entire season being a total egotistical, high n mighty, immature, stuck up snob and now you want people to feel sorry for you? Oh – your husband was cheating on you. Do you blame him? Get a clue, woman.

A special shout-out to “Dr. Drew.” Shut the hell up, dude. I can’t even believe how pompous and big-mouthed you are. Are you even a real doctor? (I checked; he is. Crap.)

Telling celebs that you have never even met or spoken to that a) they are alcoholics and heroin addicts and b) that their relationships are doomed and c) that you will “frame” a celeb to get them to go into treatment is not your place. Go back to Loveline and your MTV show, doofus. (Celebs in question: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Sebastian Bach and Lindsay Lohan..and I am sure there are others.)

And my personal favorite – Lindsay Lohan. I actually love her. I feel sorry for her and I think people are too rough on her. The girls got issues, duh. A crappy upbringing and too much, too soon will always turn out this way. Anyone remember Drew Barrymore in the early 90s? Yeah. So, yes Lindsay has made a whole buttload of mistakes – and I truly believe she will make it. But my advice? Stay the hell out of cars and stay the hell out of bars until you have been sober for at least 30 days. Hey, maybe move out of Hollywood and try to get your life together.

Oh, and Lady Gaga – your music is amazing. I think you are uber-talented. But you aren’t Madonna and you certainly aren’t Bono. Keep your meat dresses and your “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” speeches to yourself. And invest in some serious skin care products or something. You are 24 and look 44.

I could honestly go all day with this but I’ll stop. I think it’s safe to say you can now call me “Dr. Sarah.” Ooooooh; I like that! I am not a real doctor but one day, with my psych degree, I too can talk openly and unsolicited about celebs and others – and still be able to sleep at night.

Survey Says

Saw a survey just like this over on another blog – and felt like it would be fun to do. It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sort of “survey.”

1. What word or phrase would you like to see banished from our everyday vocabulary in 2011?

I overuse a lot of words – “like”, “totally”, “Omg” – I am pretty much a walking Valley girl. So – not those ones.
The words I can’t stand? Basically any of the negative/sexist words for women that we try to pass off as “liberating” and “funny” – they aren’t. These would include: slut, whore, bitch, etc. Why do grown woman call each other these names, even for fun? It baffles me. Oh, and talking like a “gangsta”. Um – please stop.

2. Do you consider opportunity something that comes to you or something you create for yourself?

It most definitely is both. Certain opportunities present themselves to you if you are on the right path or even, seeking them out. But for the most part, I think we create it. We are always in control of what happens to us. Unless of course you’re talking about an earthquake or the Apocalypse.

3. Since we’re all eating healthy this month, ahem, what’s included in your favorite salad? Is there dressing?

Not much of a salad fan. (Although, I could easily consume an entire bottle of Blue Cheese if I had too.) When I eat “healthy” it consists of my buddies Slim-Fast, Special K and Lean Cuisine. It’s the only sure-fire way I ever lose weight.

4. Do you get the blues this time of year and if so what is something you do to lift your spirits?

Nope, not really. Although I hate hate hate the cold. I am a true weather snob because I was blessed with being raised in Southern California and I was spoiled with 70-ish degree weather all the time.

Besides the weather, I always feel vastly motivated in the first few months of the year – mainly in anticipation of what’s to come. And this year – it is gonna be FABULOUS!!!

5. Do you wear a watch? Any other everyday jewelry essentials?

I wear close to zero amounts of jewelry. Usually only small diamond studs in my ears. And there is a reason I don’t wear anything else – long ago I had “borrowed” a bunch of my mom’s rings and was wearing one on each finger. I boarded a Downtown LA bus one day (gross!) and got my hand caught between the seat and the wall – I think I had dropped something? Anyways, when I pulled my hand back up, all the rings came off and were lost forever in the dirty bus’ vortex somewhere beneath the seat. And it was my stop – so I left them there. Only later did I found out, some of the rings were irreplaceable. So, I don’t wear things I can lose. God help me when (and if) I get married!

6. What is something useful you learned in high school?

I learned how to form my ideals, beliefs and opinions and not let others sway me. I learned that those snotty, immature, mean girls are going to grow up and have a crappy life. (Well, if karma is kind, they will. Haha. Kidding.) And I learned to be myself and realize that people will always be mean, judgemental and ignorant. School is a great precursor to the real world. Oh, and that math crap? You never use it. Trust me, I do accounting and you don’t.

7. Do you use an accountant when completing and filing your income tax returns or do you attempt to muddle through all by yourself?

Speaking of accounting. I do it all by myself. It’s so easy….and so liberating!

8. Insert your own random thought here-

Just one? Okay – right now – I am having the most difficult time being PATIENT. God! I feel like I am about to jump out of my skin, I am on pins and needles about 3 different things. I hate waiting. I just want a f&(*ing answer – now!

(Update: I got one answer yesterday. And it was a good one.)

The Human Condition

Few things make me realize just how right on track I am in going into social work and psychology than watching the evening news. I have long avoided watching any news programs. In fact, if you ask my Dad about the time he brought up Waco, TX to me when I was a teenager, you’ll laugh.

After seeing the news coverage for the recent shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Giffords, I was barely able to contain my tears watching it. And the funny thing is, I don’t know these people. They are strangers. Yet I feel something so deep inside it nearly rips me apart. {The same can be said for child abuse, animal cruelty, the mentally ill or racism/prejudice in our society.} I feel not only a huge amount of grief and heartache, but also, pride in other humans who take initiative, sacrifice and put their lives in danger for the sake of another. I feel hope that the whole world hasn’t gone mad and that there are still good people out there. And I pray that one day I will be one of them.

I thank God everyday that He made me as empathetic, compassionate, caring, loving, sensitive and emotional as I am. Having been made fun of, criticized, dumped or cast off by friends or ex’s because I was “too emotional or sensitive” makes me feel sorry for those who can’t feel what I do.

I embrace it.

I am happy to feel such a full range of emotions. And I plan to do something with it – something constructive, positive and beneficial. I found my life calling and knowing most never find theirs, I know I am blessed.

I am dying to get started on my path into social service and helping those who need it. I used to hear the saying “One person can’t change the world” but I no longer believe that. It is in everyone’s power to do so. They just have to want it badly enough.