WOW, 200 posts! I'm pretty impressed I reached this number so quickly. I've only really been actively blogging on a daily basis since June.
So, in honor of my 200th post, I've decided to do something I've seen others do, and that is give you a "100 things about me" post...times two. However, because I don't want to hog all your "blog-hopping" time today...I'm going to break this up into pieces. I'll give it to ya 50 at a time.
So I give you - 200 things about me: - The first 50
1. I was born in Africa
2. Specifically, I was born in Luanda, capital city of Angola a country on the western coast of Africa.
3. Angola was a Portuguese colony at the time, and my parents both moved there as youngsters, met and were married there, and had me.
4. That last one wasn't really about me, but it was about my history so it counts.
5. I left Africa when I was 8 months old, for Portugal
6. I lived in Portugal until I was almost, but not quite, 10 years old.
7. While I lived in Portugal, we moved 9 times.
8. I have wonderful memories of my childhood in Portugal, and even though money was tight, I only remember ever being happy and thinking we had it all.
9. My brother was born when I was 9 years old and became the love of my young life.
10. To this day my brother and I have a bond like few siblings I know. I don't think we've ever had a "real" fight, and I love that even now, at 23 he still comes to me for advice and support.
11. I'm really proud of the man my brother is finally growing up to be.
12. I left Portugal for the U.S. the day before my 10th birthday.
13. I became a U.S. citizen at the age of 17 (I think) because my parents took the citizenship test while my brother and I were still minors so we'd become citizens automatically.
14. I have now lived in this country almost three times as long as I lived in Portugal.
15. I consider myself to be an American in every way that matters.
16. I think this country is flawed in many ways, and wish we'd do a better job of being Americans.
17. That said, I'm proud to be an American, love the freedoms and opportunities that this country has afforded me, and don't plan on ever living anywhere else.
18. However, I do have fantasies of retiring to some tropical beach somewhere in Mexico or Jamaica, and won't completely rule out that possibility.
19. Since moving to the U.S. I've moved 5 times, the first four within the same city, the last time to the next town over, about 5 minutes from my parents' house.
20. I live about 45 miles north of Boston.
21. I went to college in Boston, at Suffolk University.
22. Suffolk was a commuter school at the time, so I never had a "campus" college experience.
23. I don't have a problem with that.
24. My time at college was what "they" say high school should be. "The best four years of your life"...or something like that.
25. College was really an eye opening experience for me, I learned a lot about myself, about life, about others.
26. While in college, I went to school full time, worked full time, and still managed to have time for a pretty darn active social life.
27. I also managed to keep a GPA above a 3.5 the entire time I did the above.
28. My major in college was Communication and Journalism because I wanted to be a reporter or just any kind of writer when I "grew up".
29. I had a minor panic attack my junior year in college when I realized I'd never get a paying job doing the above, and I had way too much debt to risk it, so I added a paralegal minor when most other students were taking the "rocks for jocks" sorts of classes.
30. Suffolk is NOT a sports school, our most celebrated sport at the time was soccer, but the only one we all partipated in attending was intramural basketball. Which was HUGE and I loved going to see.
31. Therefore, I never experienced the "college" sports phenom that seems so widespread in this country.
32. So, most of our extracurricular activities involved more cerebral or artistic pursuits.
33. On that note, I joined the Forensics team my junior year in college. (Yep, along with adding a minor and working full time).
34. No, Forensics doesn't actually have anything to do with dead bodies and CSI investigations. It's just a fancy word for the Speech and Debate Teams
35. I was actually pretty good at this Speech stuff, and won several awards in my short time on the team.
36. With the Forensics team I was able to travel to several schools in the New England and New York area for competitions, and also to a national competition in Flagstaff, Arizona.
37. That trip to Arizona is pretty much when the travel bug bit me long and hard, and hasn't let go yet.
38. One of the speeches I delivered was an informative speech on Pez (yes, the candy). Go ahead, ask me anything about it's history, I can tell you.
39. From the time I was young my dad would tell me that I should become either a lawyer or a politician because of how much I loved to debate.
40. At one point I had aspirations of going to law school and becoming a hot shot Boston lawyer, litigating major cases like you see them do on Law and Order type shows.
41. I knew, however, that it's not exactly like that in the real world, so decided to work in a law firm as a paralegal for a while after college, to decide if that was in fact the world for me.
42. It is now 10 years later, I'm at my fourth law firm, and still working as a paralegal. Obviously, I decided against law school.
43. I'm extremely confident in that if I had chosen to go to law school, I would have done well and would be, in fact, working at some Boston firm, making good money.
44. But I'm even more confident that I made the right choice when I decided that I just didn't want the school debt to enter a career that would practically require me to give up any personal life I have in order to be successful.
45. I think it is extremely tough for a female to be taken seriously in several different professions, and law is one of those professions, and therefore, women have to work twice as hard as men, in order to be seen as the "bitches" they need to be to be taken seriously. I didn't want to deal with that crap.
46. Most lawyers I know, male or female, hate their jobs.
47. I won't tell you that being a paralegal was or is my dream job, but I actually enjoy what I do, and aside from my gripes here at The Firm, I like my job.
48. I especially like the fact that when I leave at the end of the day, I leave my job behind me. I don't take work home, I don't have to think about it until the next morning, and I can focus on the rest of my life.
49. While at one point I thought I would be a "career driven" person, I've realized that my motivation to work has changed as I have gotten older. I'm now driven by the desire to have a good, happy, comfortable life. I work to live, I don't live to work.
50. I don't have a problem with that.
Check back tomorrow for part 2, or The Next 50.
Also, check back later for Follow-up Friday.
Friday, September 28, 2007
This is my 200th Post - 200 Things - Part 1
Thursday, September 27, 2007
3. 
4.
5.
6. 
7. 
8. 
9.
10.
11.
And my two favorites:
12.
13.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tales From the Firm - In case you were wondering
Wordless Wednesday is right below this post.
Just in case anyone was wondering, since I wasn't at work last Wednesday and was thus unable to report, YES, Whisper Wednesday is definitely still in full effect!
It is 10:30 AM and they have already been at it for at least 20 minutes. Since M.I.A. only arrived about 40 minutes ago, that should tell you the productive sort of day she's bound to have.
Me? I'm going to put on my music, close my office door, and get to working...because that's how we do.
Carry on...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Oh what a night...or five.
I was tagged by The Queen of Memes, JennieBoo, for quite the thought provoking meme quite a while ago. I started this post almost three weeks ago, but was unable to finish it because I just couldn't come up with the answers. I've decided to give it a go again.. It is the Five Best Nights, So Far Meme.
The rules: list the 5 best nights that you can recall and then tag four other people and see if the meme can continue.
Sounds simple enough right? Yeah, sure, until I had to start thinking about what my 5 best nights so far were. Really? I have to really dig deep for these. I'm pretty sure that I'll miss a night in here that I'll go back and think "oh yeah, that was even better than he ones I listed" but I had to go with something, so here's my five:
1. March 9, 1985 - It was my first night spent in the United States of America. It was also the evening before my 10th birthday. My parents and I, and my baby brother had arrived and my grandmother had birthday cake for me. It was a full house of strangers so happy to meet us all. It was the beginning of a new life for all of us. It was so long ago, and I was so young, but I still have very vivid memories of that night.
2. Any of the number of nights spent with my cousins up at the white mountains when we were supposed to be sleeping, but were instead listening to music and talking into the wee hours. I can't pick just one specific night, but I have great memories of those nights.
3. I don't know the exact date, but the night I went to my first concert. It was a New Kids on the Block concert, and I was about 13 or 14 years old. My cousins and I were the biggest New Kids fans. We had our walls wallpapered with their photos, we were in their fan club, we even had our own "Pen Pal club" that we started. Spend our days writing letters to other "BlockHeads" throughout the world, exchanging pictures of our favorite New Kid. And we scored tickets to one of their concerts. We were in a kind of delirious heaven only teenage girls can understand. Our seats were horrible, but we had the time of our lives. It also began my love affair with live music. From that point forward I would attend over 40 different concerts. But that particular night, and all the silly memories that come with it, will always stand out in my mind.
4. This one is a bit of a stretch, because it started off as a "day" which turned into a "night", but I'm throwing it in anyway. My first date with my ex "The Soulmate". He picked me up at 11 am, and wound up dropping me off at 11pm. It was the best date I've ever been on, and I don't even remember most of what we did that day. I do remember that I fell in love with him that day, and didn't want the date to end (thus why it lasted 12 hours). It was a great night.
5. My first night in my condo. I bought my condo about one month before I turned 28 years old. Prior to that, I'd been living with my parents. I'd never moved out. I hadn't gone away to college. I'd never been "on my own". Buying the condo, all alone, was a great source of pride for me. Moving out into the world, by myself, was something I'd wanted to do for a long time. My first night, completely alone, in my new home, was bittersweet. There was a great sense of separation from my parents, and this left me with both a sense of accomplishment and pride, and a deep sadness, that here I was, all grown up and on my own. I shed a few tears, and then I took a deep breath and looked around. WOW, this was all mine. I had done it. There have been few moments in my life when I've felt so proud of myself.
So there you have it, the 5 best nights so far...sort of...
I think I'm supposed to tag some people here...so, let me see...
Annie - because she's a fairly new blogger, who I really enjoy reading, and I think she'll enjoy filling this one out.
Qualcosa di Bello - because I love reading her blog and have a feeling her response will be full of moments that'll make me teary eyed, in a good way.
Frances - because she absolutely fascinates me, so I can't wait to hear what she'll choose as her nights.
and finally
Frigga - who will probably kill me for tagging her yet again, but I love the stuff this girl writes, and just know her answers will be a fun read.
So, hop to it ladies, let's see if you can do it in less time than it took me, which was about 3 weeks or so. You can do it. ;-)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Fun Monday - A pinch of salt...
Lisa the Food Snob is hosting this week's Fun Monday. She wants to "to see your favorite recipe, be it either because your grandmother wrote it, it's the easiest thing you can slap together that everyone likes, it makes you feel healthy, it's cheap, etc. You don't have to make it (although you could if you want) but let us see the index card, cookbook, printed paper from the web, and why it's a favorite in your house. If you have a lot, just pick one, I know I'll have to!"
Looks good right? I make apologies now if some of this post doesn't make sense, but after making that martini I was FORCED to drink it, so...um...yeah. (And I'm writing this on Sunday night, so no, I did not drink before work on Monday). Anyway, for the recipe, which I created myself tonight...it is two parts vodka, two parts Starbucks coffee liquor and two parts milk (skim milk for me), coat the glass with Hershey's chocolate syrup, and you are good to go.As I was making the martini, I was also making myself dinner. Yet another creation borne of my imagination. I present to you my "chicken and cheese dumplings".
Again, I just made this up as I went along, discovering what was in my fridge and cabinets. It is ground chicken, green chillis, salt, pepper, garlic, a bit of ginger paste, some habanero hot sauce, and some shredded cheese insterted into the middle of the dumplings before they are rolled. Fry them up, and I sprayed some "truffle" oil on them to finish with. The maccaroni is wheat with a Ginger Peanut Sesame Pesto sauce, made with a store bought pesto and coconut milk. It was delicious.I do, however, have one recipe that I've made several times this summer, and as it is the only recipe I can recall following in its entirety, here it is:
Hopefully you can click on that picture to enlarge for the actual recipe. It is delicious and refreshing for a summer salad option.
Well, this was a fun and delicious assignment. Thanks Lisa! Go to her site (link above) for more entries. I have a little extra martini mix left to polish off...finish this vacation off right!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Follow-Up Friday - I'm BAAACK
Well, I'm back from my little getaway, did y'all miss me? I'm actually off work today as well, and have spent the early part of the day relaxing, watching television, sitting on my balcony enjoying some sunshine, and just being plain lazy.
But I promissed a Friday post, so a Friday post you shall have. So, without further ado, let's dig into my new "segment" of Follow-Up Friday, and see what you all had to say in the comments this past week. Again, as a disclaimer, if I don't reply to your comment specifically and/or individually, please don't take it personally, I read and appreciated each and every comment. Each Friday I'll be following up on just some of the comments left here, so look at it as part of the fun...will your comment be one of the ones in this post? But I do visit everyone who comments on here, and I do thank you for stopping by.
We'll start with a quick reply to the comments in last week's Follow-Up Friday. I'm glad you all enjoyed this feature, I definitely did too, so yes, it will become a regular feature. I also love that I get to share some link-love while I do these recaps, because everyone loves some blog-love.
Now moving on to this week:
It all started with Fun Monday, where we were asked to showcase some art pieces throughout our house. I went mostly with some unconventional pieces and everyone seemed to agree with me that my coffee table was quite the work of art. For those who missed it, here's a photo:
And while yes, I broke the rules by listing things that in no way could I carry out in case of a fire, rules were made to be broken, right? The response I received to the table was immense. Therefore, I figured I should elaborate on the story of how this table came to be the centerpiece of my living room. This table is most definitely my most prized piece of furniture. When I bought my condo, most of my furniture came to me courtesy of Wal-Mart. Having just spent most of my savings on closing costs, and now having a mortgage where I didn't even have rent, I needed to furnish an entire apartment on some meager funds. Therefore, build-it-yourself fake wood furniture was pretty much all I could afford. However, in my search for unique pieces I came across an Asian Furniture store that was having a going out of business sale. In the midst of several pieces, that even on clearance, were well outside of my budget, I found this table. It is solid mahogany, and in decent shape, but it has quite a few "marks" that kept it from being a "new" piece. Most of the little stools that fit underneath the table are cracked in places. It also no longer had a glass top. I also found the wine cabinet (which can be see in the Fun Monday post) in the same store. That piece is in pretty decent shape, but a bit wobbly in the legs. Due to these and other barely noticeable imperfections, both pieces were significantly marked down. Due to some additional haggling on my part, I managed to purchase both pieces for $300 TOTAL. For the record, I've seen this very table (in perfect shape) at furniture stores for over $1500. Quite the deal, wouldn't you say? Anyway, the table sat in my living room without a glass top for at least a year, and then, about $50 later, it was complete, glass top and all. So there you have it, the tale of a table.
Now, for some of the indvidual comments: In reference to my comment that there was noone else living with me to question about art, therefore the choices would be made by me, myself and I, Allisonwonderland said: "the three of you did a very fine job of choosing art! it's a good thing you'll have six hands to carry all those neat things out of the house!" This one made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that laugh!!
Qualcosa di bello commented on the caricature. Namely, she wanted to know who the "dude oggling" me was in that picture. That "dude" in the picture was a cause for many jokes amongst my friends and I that evening. I'm not reall sure who he was supposed to be, but we all figured it meant the caricature artist was representing himself in that piece. haha...See, it's a true testament to what a head turner I used to be in my prime. HA! Okay, I'm kidding.
Everyone else, thank you for your kind words about my art, especially those who said I did a good job on my pottery pieces...I'm pretty proud of those! As for the martini glass, I just bought a floating candle in the shape of an olive this weekend to put in that glass...how cool is that?
Also on Monday I posted an update to the Interiew with a Blogger, with a link to Ms. Frou Frou's response to my interview questions. I told you all that interviews would be forthcoming from both Joy T and Annie. I was excited to see that a few more of you asked to be interviewed. So to Lisa, Frances and JennieBoo, I'll be working on your questions this weekend, and will send them to you sometime next week.
Look for more posts in the future as these interviews go live on their own websites. OH, and this just in...ANNIE'S is up! Please go check it out.
And finally, in response to "Where in the World is Candid Karina", everyone had well wishes for my mini-vacation. I'm glad to report that I had a wonderful and relaxing time, which did in fact involve plenty of girl-talk and martini expirements. I'll have pictures and more later on (including some new martini recipes...stay tuned).
Jannis wanted to talk martinis. She asked "What is your favorite? what is the worst you have ever tried? Gin or Vodka?" Well Janis, I've rarely met a martini I didn't like. To be honest though, I'm much more a fan of the flavored martini vs. the regular plain martini. My all time favorite is a Godivatini, which is a specialty of a local billiards place I used to frequent. There is also a raspberry chocolate martini that a local restaurant serves up that is TO DIE FOR. The worst I've ever had, was, ironically enough, a chocolate martini, ordered several years ago at Fire & Ice in Harvard Square in Cambridge. I'm not sure if it was made with cheap versions of liquor, or what exactly the issue was, but it just wasn't pallatable and I was unable to finish it. Oh, and I'd say vodka over gin, all the way.
Oh, and Annie, I'm glad you enjoyed Ms. Frou Frou's interview, she's a load of fun, you'll be hooked now, I tell ya! And I am sorry I left you to yourselves for two whole days, I can only imagine the trouble you've all been up to! Actually, I'll be sure to do some bloghopping this weekend and check it out for myself. For now, I'm off to enjoy the rest of my afternoon off work.
Thank you all for your comments, I'm really enjoying getting to know you all through them.
Candidly Yours,
Karina
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Where in the World is Candid Karina?
I'm off on a mini-vacation starting today after work, heading off for some rest, relaxation and a bit of fun.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Candid Karina asks the questions
Fun Monday is below this post.
A while back I was interviewed by my fellow blogger Frigga. You can read that interview HERE. It is a fun new meme going around the blogosphere, and a great way to get to know other blogggers just a little bit better.
Per the meme, a few bloggers asked to be interviewed by yours truly, so I set to asking the really tough questions.
Please visit Ms. Frou Frou for the first of my interviews.
Hopefully coming soon will also be interviews with Joy T and Annie. Stay tuned.
Also, if you'd like to be interviewed, I'm still taking volunteers...let me know.
Fun Monday - What's Art got to do with it?
This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Sayre at Sayre Smiles.
What is is you ask? It is my coffee table. 
Bought for a steal at a going out of business sale, it is carved mahogany. It has six little "seats" you can pull out, for Asian style dining, but the intricacies of the carvings are what get me. No piece in my home is talked about more than this piece. I'm not sure I could haul it off and run with it in a fire, but man, I'd miss it if I had to leave it behind.
Be sure to visit Sayre for other Fun Mondayers...
Friday, September 14, 2007
Follow-Up Friday - Now with photos
I'm still trying to work out a method of including you, my dear readers, as a more integral part of this here blog. See, I love the comments you all leave me with, but feel that if I reply in the "comments" section, my replies may go unnoticed, and I want to be sure that I respond to questions, comments, and all the witty things you all have to say.
On Monday I also had a bit to say about MTV's Video Music Awards. And apparently, so did you.
Karmyn R said: "Thinking of Britney - I wonder how much of her career is actually her decision - or her Manager and Record Contract Screaming, "WE NEED YOU NOW".Obviously, that girl is not getting good advice from her "people" - You are probably quite right in this Karmyn. She's obviously making some pretty bad choices, and you would think "her people" would tell her "girl, you are just not ready for this" . However, as has been evidenced by her writing off her family, she's not exactly one to listen to good advice anyway, so how much can you blame them?
The Ex has this to say: "Timbaland is smokin'" - Amen sister. He trully is. who knew?
Susannah S commented on how a channel that barely plays music videos can have an award show. So true! And yes, I also feel that Sarah Silverman crosses a line and goes from not funny (because she just is NOT funny) to rude way too often for my tastes.
JennieBoo said: "I know I'm probably the only one, but Britney's horrible performance almost makes me sad, you know?" - You are not the only one Jennie, I was sad for her too. As much as a trainwreck can be fascinating to watch, it is a sad sad thing.
On Tuesday the blogosphere was filled with Tributes to the 9/11 victims and survivors, and I shared a poem written only weeks after the attacks. Thank you to all of you for your heartfelt comments, both about the tribute and about the poem itself.
On Wordless Wednesday I introduced everyone to Rocky, my brother's new pitbull pup. Glad to see that most could see his sunny disposition, as pitbulls really have gotten a bad rep.
But now we come to the fun part, because in yesterday's Thursday Thirteen I offered up some eye candy. I appreciate that we all have different tastes, as was obvious by some of the comments, but I also asked for your input on who you think should be on that list. I knew I'd get requests for some country guys, and you all did not disappoint. There were also some others you thought I missed. And because I aim to please...
Frigga, Rob Thomas doesn't really do it for me (although I do think he's a good looking guy), BUT, just for you:
Also, you mentioned Josh Turner and Blake Shelton. I believe you said they had sexy voices, but they are good looking guys in their own right. Personally, I'm not much for long hair on guys:
And Julia, how could I have forgotten Jim Morrison?
And your strange attraction to 50 cent? I actually get that. I'm not really sure what it is about him, but, yeah, I see it...
And someone else I missed on my list, and only realized it because he was on the "Early Show" this morning...Chris Daughtry...yummy.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Thursday Thirteen - Bringing Sexy Back
Justin Timberlake. I'm not really sure when it happened that Justin went from being a cute N'Sync-er to the guy who was bringing sexy back, but yeah, he's got that something. I watched his concert on HBO this past weekend and had to admit that yes, he's definitely gotten sexier. 
'Nuff Said.
Yeah...way hotter...
I think I mentioned once before that I'm finding Adam here to be incredibly sexy of late. I'm not really sure what it is, because I never thought so before, but with this new album he's got something I hadn't seen before. hmm...
And there you have it. I'm sure I missed a major one in here somewhere, but I couldn't think of anyone else when I was putting this list together last night. Who do you think I missed? Who are your faves? I know I'm going to get grief for not having any country guys on here, but none top my list, I'm sorry...maybe you can change my mind.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Never Forget - 9/11/01
Monday, September 10, 2007
Too old for MTV
What events, you ask? Well, last night MTV presented its annual event of debauchery, music and accolades, also known as the Video Music Awards. Now, for the record, I stopped watching about 98% of anything televised on MTV years ago. I can only handle so much teen angst and 20something self-destruction before I want to throw my television out the window, so MTV has been replaced by other equally bad, but geared toward a more “mature” (use of the word loosely) audience programming, such as the crap on VH1. But, the award shows I usually tune into. Thanks to the advent of Tivo, I can now record them and watch them later, making a two to three hour event usually last about 25 minutes, as I fast forward through most of it, stopping only for some of the performances, and the random speech or presenter. Last night I knew I had to tune in, because Britney Spears was to make her much anticipated return to performing. Her “comeback” performance if you will. And fascinated as I have been with the demise of her career, I was curious to see if she could actually pull it off, or if she would just add to her already long list of disappointments. To be honest, I was not expecting a stellar performance. But even I, in my negativity, could not have foreseen the complete and utter disaster that was Britney on that stage last night.
The words Train Wreck are actually too mild a description for what occurred. As much as I enjoy the ups and (mostly) downs of celebrity life, and as much as there is this inner curiosity for how they can so completely get off track, I actually felt bad for the girl. I know she’s brought most of her destruction upon herself. I realize she’s made poor choices and is not a victim here.
But OH BRITNEY, my heart actually broke for you as I watched you with a deer caught in headlights look on your face, almost visibly counting steps in your head as you attempted to dance and lip-synch your way through your “comeback” performance. Some might say you looked nervous, I think you looked downright terrified. I don’t think you blinked once, your eyes so wide the whole time. And the dancing, if that is what we are choosing to call it, was almost a joke. I half-expected the music to stop at one point, and for you to do one of those “Okay, just kidding, here we go” sort of things, and then shut off the lip-synch machine and start actually dancing and kicking some ass. But that never happened. Instead, you continued to sludge through, moving in a robotic snail-like manner, missing steps, and completely losing your place several times. And we mostly expected you to lip-synch, you weren’t the only one last night to do so, but Brittney, sweetie, part of lip-synching involves actually moving your lips. Something you managed to forget to do for the larger part of that charade.
When the song was over, you mouthed a week “thank you” and ran off the stage like your feet were on fire. Never to be heard from again the entire evening. Were you nervous or were you high? Did you think you were being cute, or did you actually think you pulled it off? Are you actually looking to make a comeback, or have you just completely lost your mind? I’m not sure what is going on, and I’m not sure I’m supposed to care, but after that performance, I’m actually concerned and feel badly for you. I want you to get the help you need, not for your career, because I think that ship has sailed, but for your own sake and mostly for the sake of your kids. When Fed-Ex becomes the better parenting choice of the two, I worry about those kids.
Okay, I’ve gone on too long about the whole Britney fiasco, but I couldn’t help it, I had to put in my 2 cents.
As for the rest of the “show”, I have this to say: It’s no wonder kids today are all diagnosed with ADD and the like. I had the damnedest time keeping up with whatever was going on with this show. It was all over the place, and was making me dizzy. If this format is successful, I’m definitely way too old for MTV.
A couple more random observations, and then, I promise, I’ll stop. First of all, John Norris, what were you wearing? Was that eye make-up? Note: I tried to find a picture but couldn't, so you'll just have to trust me...it was bad. Dude, seriously, you’ve been on MTV since the beginning, and I can see you are trying like hell to hold on to your cool factor and your youth, but seriously, let it go. You looked like an idiot, and I’m pretty sure all the celebrities you interviewed were laughing AT you, not with you. I’m not saying you have to quit your cushy job with MTV, just don’t try so hard to still be ONE with the MTV generation. You’re not, that time has passed. Hey, maybe VH1 is hiring?
Sarah Silverman. I don’t get it. Maybe it’s the generation thing again, or maybe it’s just me, but…I don’t think she’s funny in the least. I know this whole “let me pick on the celebrities while they’re in the room with me” shtick is supposed to be a funny thing, but it’s actually painful to watch. She just comes off as crass and ignorant to me.
Kanye West…I heard he threw yet another hissy fit because he didn’t win any awards. Me? I’m laughing about it because he’s not getting the fact that your fame hinges on your fans, and if you are constantly insulting your fans by proclaiming to be where you are because of YOU and nobody else…well, then you don’t get any awards. Humility goes a long way…look into it.
Nelly Furtado as a bleached blonde? Not loving it.
Chris Brown’s performance? SICK. You all know what a lover of dance I am anyway, but this kid? WOW, he’s something else. I’ll give props where props are due, and he’s earned them. SICK! Could have done without the interruption with that damn umbrella song by Rhianna though.
And finally, the Justin Timberlake and Timbaland performance at the end of the show. First of all, DAMN, who knew Timbaland was ripped like that? I always thought he was a bit on the “cuddly” side, but WOW get a look at those arms.
And JT? What can I say, I’m a fan. I actually watched his Labor Day performance on HBO on Saturday night, and I was impressed then. He’s an all around artist. He actually won the “quadruple threat” award, something new and MTVish for singer/producer/actor/something else, but I say he earned that. He delivers. He can put on a good show, and looks like he has fun doing it. Good on him.There were several other moments during the show that I had reactions to, but mostly I just felt confused and old. I think heared myself saying “these damn kids today” more than once. Yikes. That’s it no more MTV for me.
Fun Monday - Do Unto Others
Nikki is hosting this week's Fun Monday, the challenge this week was truly a challenge. Not a challenge in the sense of it being something tough to do (although, for some, it may actually be), but more a challenge in terms of the fact that she wanted us to get out there and do something. And not just do something, but do something nice.
In her own words:
"We've seen your shelves, peeked inside your cabinets, looked at what your house looks like in both the summer and winter, viewed at some of our handmade pieces and even talked about our best friends. Now it's time we do something. Have you ever had someone out of the goodness of their heart do something for you without anything asked in return? Offered you money when you needed it the most? Helped you change a flat tire in the pouring rain or even just simply held the door open for you when you had your hands full? For Monday, September 10th, we are challenged with doing a good deed. I am not looking for a story of when you have offered your help in the past, I actually want you in the next two weeks to go out and help someone. Go visit a nursing home, cook dinner for someone sick or with a new baby, donate to a charity or even send just a "thinking of you card" to someone who needs it. It doesn't matter what your good deed is, or how great it is. It just needs to help someone!"
So there you have it, we had our marching orders. Of course, I, being the space case that I am, promptly forgot all about it for two weeks. Thankfully, I am actually the sort of person who performs mini-good deeds on a pretty regular basis, so those two weeks did not go by without my doing nice things. I know the rules say I was supposed to PURPOSELY go out and perform good deeds during these two weeks. And maybe I didn't do them with Fun Monday in mind...but they happened within the two weeks anyway, so I'm going to say they count.
I also feel like I shouldn't be taking credit for some of these things, because they aren't really done with expectations of recognition...I do these things because I should, because it matters that I do...but, it is Fun Monday, so here goes:
- My friend DD's grandmother passed away on Tuesday last week. She had been ailing for quite a while now, and her passing wasn't necessarily a surprise, but as with the loss of any loved one, it was still a tough time for my friend and her family. I worked an extremely busy and full day on Tuesday, and then had to do my grocery shopping after work (which happens to be my least favorite chore). I was exhausted and couldn't wait to get home. Yet, I made it a point to stop by DD's house on my way home, to give her a hug, and just hang out with her for a bit. This is what friends do, and there really wasn't much thought to it, I knew instantly, upon hearing of her loss, that I would do it.
- I made it through the week without smacking any of my coworkers. This may not sound like a good deed, but trust me, if you'd had to deal with some of the stuff I dealt with last week, you'd know.
- On Friday the weather was gorgeous, and knowing it might be one of the last evenings of the year that I might get to enjoy the pool, I was looking forward to rushing to mom's (and the pool) right after work. However, DD's grandmother's wake was on Friday evening. Therefore, I headed there after work instead, and wound up skipping the pool in favor of offering my friend some support.
- Yesterday I invited mom to go shopping with me. We headed off to the Christmas Tree Shop and surrounding stores. Obviously someone slipped a nastiness pill into the water yesterday, because EVERYONE we encountered had a mood to be reckoned with. The fact that I didn't hurt anyone on this shopping escapade could certainly be considered my good deed, but I took it one step further. When we stopped at a grocery store to pick up some items, our cashier was a young teenage boy with a smile on his face, and actual interest in interacting with his customers. Before I left I made sure to thank him for being the first "pleasant" cashier we had encountered all day. I told him he'd made our day, and by the smile on his face, I could tell I'd made his.
Here's what I know about performing so called "good deeds": if you make them a regular part of your daily life, it actually does make a difference. Not only do you influence the world around you, but it lifts your spirits as well. It's kind of like that commercial where one person holds a door for someone, and that person goes on to pick up a dropped toy, and so on and so forth. A smile begets a smile...try it, you might surprise yourself.
Be sure to visit Nikki for other do-gooders. And next week's fun Monday is being hosted by Sayre. Be sure to stop by.
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Curse of the Hot Friend
In keeping with my resolution to get out of the house more, because people keep telling me Mr. Right is not just going to knock on my door one day (hey, it could happen), I’ve been trying to plan more “nights out” with friends. So, a week ago Saturday I made plans with my cousin M&M, her friend Red and my friend Shopaholic to hit the town. That sounds so fun and exciting, but truly, we’re all a bunch of old fogies at this point, and hitting the town just isn’t what it used to be. That said, we met at my house for a few drinks and some conversation around 9PM, and then headed into Boston to a local bar/sports complex/billiards place. It was a girls’ night out, with no real plans or expectations except to have a good time. All four of us were in a great mood, and the liquor was flowing freely enough that some of us (ahem, M&M) were feeling pretty good.
A little background info: Red is married, Shopaholic is in a relationship of sorts, and M&M also has a boyfriend she is very happy with. Any flirtation on any of their parts (ahem, M&M) is purely of the innocent, “I’m just having fun” kind. Also, let it be known that I love M&M, not only is she my cousin, but in the past few years she has become one of my closest friends. She is a wonderful person, and I’m glad that as adults, we’ve grown to be so close. I tell you this because I’m about to reveal some deep seated issues here. (not really).
M&M is of the tall, skinny, and gorgeous variety. She is THAT girl, the one that all the guys flock to. When you go out with M&M, you are immediately reduced to the ranks of “the hot girl’s friend”, or as I like to call it the “fat ugly friend”. Look I’m not being negative; I’m just stating the facts. Ask her sister, she’ll tell you why we didn’t want to hang out with M&M when we were younger. (I told you deep seated stuff). But it’s not M&M’s fault. She’s just standing there and they flock to her. And I hold no resentments in this department, because really, she’s a freakin’ riot to be out with, and it’s not her fault guys think she’s hot, good on her!
So, now that you’ve got the background, let me present you with some examples of her powers, and the curse that befalls the rest of us in her entourage.
Scene 1: The four of us are just getting ready to begin a game of billiards, when along come two random already drunk 22 year olds, one of them right up to M&M: “Where can we get a table?”
M&M: You need to go over to the counter, but there’s a 45 minute wait for tables”
GUY: grumbles something or other
M&M: You guys can play with us if you want (looks over to us for approval, we all nod the equivalent of “whatever”).
GUY: SCORE (well, I’m sure that’s what he was thinking anyway).
His friend didn’t really say much. So, we proceed to play a game with these guys. All’s fine and dandy, until GUY, who’s been chatting M&M up, walks over to me and says “You’re friend is beautiful”.
Me: Yep, she is.
GUY: But she has a boyfriend.
Me: Yep, she does.
GUY: (putting his arm around my shoulders) So, you wanna go on a date?
SERIOUSLY! Because my goal in life has always been to be sloppy seconds. Seriously. Someone asked me why I didn’t throw my drink in his face, but ladies, my cosmopolitan was way too delicious to waste in that manner. I actually thought it was hilarious and laughed it off, but SERIOUSLY? Who says that? You can think it, but don’t say it. God Almighty, this is why I don’t date. Once that game was over, they moved on, and we moved on, my ego slightly bruised, but mostly intact.
Scene 2: As we’re shooting pool, we are checking out the crowd around us. At one point, M&M leans over to me and points to two guys playing at a table diagonally from ours. “Gay?” she asks. “hmmm…that one for sure, the other one…probably” I say.
Cut to later as we’re getting ready to leave our table when bachelor number 1 (the for sure one) walks over to M&M. “My friend and I want to play doubles, you girls want to play?” Us: (yay, we get to play with the gay guys, how fun) Sure. Introductions all around, Bachelor Number 1 is “Creepy Brazilian Guy”, we’ll call him “Creepy” for short, Bachelor Number 2 is more laid back Brazilian Guy, we’ll call him “Arms” because oooh, the arms on that boy. Upon closer inspection, we realize that Creepy is in fact NOT gay, what we mistook for a femininity of sorts, actually turned out to be a uh…flamboyance of another kind. My apologies to the gay community for thinking he was a member, seriously, we couldn’t have been more wrong, no self respecting gay man would have acted the way he did in public. No self respecting straight man would have either, but Creepy was…well…creepy. Creepy decided he would partner up with M&M for the game, and offered one of the other three of us up to his friend Arms. I wound up with the privilege of having Arms as my doubles partner. Seriously, ladies, the arms on this man…sexy. He was a good looking guy, sort of quiet, and quite the opposite of his friend. Creepy was all over M&M “teaching” her how to hold the pool stick and…ugh, the creepiness of it all still sends shivers down my spine. At one point I said to Arms “You’re friend thinks he’s quite the man, huh?”, to which he replied “I haven’t really known him that long”. Yep, I think even he was a bit creeped out. Creepy would do this little dance with the pool stick, every time he’d take a shot…I’m pretty sure he fancied himself a Justin Timberlake of sorts. We saw him more as a Michael Jackson meets Borat type. I actually believe I got the better end of the bargain this time around, since M&M needed a serious shower to wipe off all memories of Creepy’s arms around her, and Arms was actually a pretty decent guy. Still, the idea of getting to know Arms better was overruled by the thought that Creepy would probably ask to join in. YIKES…
Scene 3: After we managed to extract ourselves from the clutches of Creepy, we left the bar and headed toward our car. While walking toward the parking lot a quite inebriated fellow stops M&M “Wait, wait, did you see that?” he says.
M&M: See what?
Fellow: That sparkle back there, did you see it?
ME: OH, I see the line, I see it coming…go ahead, let him deliver it.
M&M: Line? OH, yes, tell me, what sparkle?
Fellow: (Oblivious to my obvious teasing him) The sparkle in your eyes.
Yep…she even gets the lines you only read about guys actually using.
And this was all in one night. I’ll give you one more scene from this past Sunday, at a local feast for our church (the one I haven’t set foot in in QUITE a while now) we (same four girls again) spent the evening walking around and chatting with people we knew. M&M managed to get us a free round of drinks from a guy she went to high school years ago, despite his wedding ring, and we were having fun just scoping out the scene. This was definitely not a “going out to meet a guy” evening for me (not that I plan on doing that ever when I go out), but it was really just a “night out of the house, maybe running into some people I know form my past” kind of evening. Even so, I looked pretty damn good that evening, if I do say so myself. I was also told this by several people, so I was feeling pretty good. The self-esteem has been at an all time low this past year, but with the recent summer of working out and getting back in shape, it’s heading back in the right direction. Sunday was a good self-esteem evening for me. But I digress.
Anyway, most of the night was spent with Red and I laughing about M&M’s uncanny ability to get all the attention in the crowd. There was the aforementioned free round of drinks, the Brazilian guy (not creepy this one) who asked her to dance, and then only asked me to dance because SHE told him I was a better dancer than she. Thanks M, I appreciate the effort, misguided as it may have been.
But, just in case you really need proof that guys will do just about anything to impress M&M, here’s the kicker. She smokes, and at one point, she digs her cigs out of her purse, but can’t find her lighter. So, innocently enough, she turns to a group of about 5 guys standing next to us and asks if anyone has a light. They all nod and/or say no. For most of us, that would have been the end of it, correct? Right…some of us might have even gotten a “smoking is bad for you” comment or a “that stuff is nasty” look from the non-smoking guys. Right? Yeah. But M&M? WELL, let’s just say that Red and I were in hysterics as we witnessed two of the guys break off from the group in search of a lighter for the hot girl. And sure enough, a few seconds later, one of the guys approaches with lighter in hand, and does that thing you see in the old movies, where he reaches up to light her cig for her all macho and cool.
Yep, she just has it like that. And the best part is? She doesn’t even realize it. I miss those days, because once upon a time, I had it like that too. Ah, the good old days. Just remind me that one of these nights, if I do decide that I’m going out to actually try to meet a man, I must leave “the hot friend” at home.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Thursday Thirteen - 13 Replies to Comments
1. JennieBoo wanted to know what the kitty’s name was in my Wordless Wednesday this week. Her name is Luanda (named after the city in Africa I was born in) but she is actually my parents’ cat. I love this picture, it was one of those moments that you just "capture" and then are like "wow, she was really looking at me".
2. Frigga asked if I peel off the bandaid slowly or just rip it off (in response to this post. Dude, seriously, I'm not even sure what that means, but I'm sure the joke's on me. (Are the blonde roots showing here?)
6. Miss Frou Frou asked to be interviewed after reading my own interview post . Just wanted to let you know that I’m working on the interview questions, I’m hoping to have them for you early next week. If any of you would also like to be interviewed, please let me know!
8. Lots of comments and compliments on my WW picture of the peacock…I have to fess up…I didn’t take that shot, my dad did. This is yet another of the pictures from my trip to Mexico with my family last year, and most of the pictures taken then were taken by dad. I did take a few I loved, but I didn’t have a digital camera then, so dad took most of them.
10. Also got some wonderful comments on my post about my day off with mom for her birthday, and especially on the photo. Yes, that is my mother at about 19 years old, and me at about 8 months or so…mom was a beautiful girl, wasn’t she?
And I’m throwing a few in for comments to some of my posts on my other blog Creative Karina because well….this is my blog and I can do whatever I want:
11. Julia always has the greatest comments to give on my poetry. I love how in your comments you always make me see a piece of my work that I may not even have realized was there. I want to thank you for your insightful comments, they are much appreciated. In the comment for “The End”, you asked “still a flirtation, isn’t it?” Yes, in my mind, it still is a flirtation of sorts.
13. And finally, because this entry is all about comments, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who take the time to comment here. It is nice to know others are reading and identifying (or not) with what I have to say. Makes this big ol’ world seem just a little bit smaller (in a good way) to have that connection with other bloggers. THANKS. And if I’ve slacked on visiting and therefore commenting on your blogs, just know that thing will change, with the changing of the season, I’ll have more blog time after work.
Tales from the Firm - Changing of Days
Just a quick update, if you've been following my M.I.A. reports. Whisper Fridays have now changed to Whisper Wednesdays, which really sounds a lot better phonetically, but it just means that I now get to be annoyed mid-week as opposed to at the end of the week. I have not quite decided which I prefer.
M.I.A. appears to have changed her schedule to "work" (said about as loosely in interpretation as it can be) on Wednesdays, instead of Fridays, but I'm not really sure if this is the case, as I have not been informed either way...but, as always, nobody here ever tells me anything, so that's no big surprise.
Wordless Wednesday sounds even better than ever now...check mine out below.
View other Wordless Wednesdays here.Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Ah, the last bits of summer are upon us...
I had grand intentions of blogging and bloghopping this past weekend, but we were graced with some gorgeous summer weather for Labor Day, so I spent most of the long weekend outside, hanging by the pool.
I have stories to tell, and pictures to share, and should be returning to our regularly scheduled programming of regular posts later on today. I have trial prep going on at work right now, however, so playtime is limited at the moment at The Firm...
I'm already missing all my blog friends, so I'll be coming by to visit soon, I promisse!
Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!
