2 enthusiastic thumbs...DOWN!

When your favorite show ends up being a repeat, it's kind of like your best friend saying that she will be over at 10 and then she is a no-show...it's a disappoint and it's just plain rude....you enter the living room & see that the little red TiVo light is not aglow...you think that there must be a grave technical error and quickly check the channel and info and see that pesky like "R" placed right at the end..what a slap in the face! You plan your whole day around a new episode and nothing...nada...now what are you supposed to do?! Its hard to bounce back from such a betrayal...

The airport IS a step....

There are several relationship milestones we can all focus in on but there are a few steps along the way that not every person is able to recognize. We all know the apprehension and trepidation surrounding “the talk” or “the DTR” as we called it in college (Define the Relationship). The inevitable but unavoidable passage for any dating relationship. The conversation that either catapults you into coupledom or puts the kibosh on your blissful courtship. We all have experienced the anxiety of meeting the parents or bringing your significant other home to meet your own. Then there are those three little words, “I love you,” which are either blurted out way too soon or are said in this unbelievably romantic moment that makes you melt every time it’s later recalled. Usually the former more so than the latter but we’ll leave it at that. Those 3 words may indicate the largest of many foundational steps. And while yes there are these milestones, these steps of which we are all aware and are careful about when and with whom we let them take place, there is also a smaller step that should be approached with similar caution.
In college, I remember my then boyfriend saying,”well...I mean I kinda liked you but wasn’t sure how you felt about me but then you called me from the airport….” The airport? Who knew this random phone call I made when I was just trying to waste a small portion of my “2 hours ahead” said so much?! Believe me when I tell you I no longer make half hearted phone calls when I sit at the gate. Apparently, you can not be flippant about such choices.
The airport is indeed this weird abyss of traveling folks, many having just left a loved one behind or traveling to the arms of someone they care about deeply. There are the emotional drop offs at the curb with never enough time to say goodbye the way you’d like. The embraces at baggage claim that say, “Wow, I’ve missed you A LOT and if I could throw you down right here..I would!” There are “Welcome Home” signs, bashful men with flowers, and girls dressed for the prom. So when someone you are involved with asks you if you need a ride to the airport it is indeed a question with meaningful undertones. Let me assure all of you, the airport IS a step. Do you hug? Do you hug and kiss? If you hug and don’t kiss are you saying, “Hey, thanks for the ride but it's really not like that”? If you don’t kiss will he forget about you while you’re gone? If you do kiss does that mean you can’t hook up with someone else during your vacation? And then there is the call to say you got there ok. Is that who you want this person to be, the person whom you let know that you have indeed arrived safely? That kinda makes them significant and perhaps you are not ready for that yet. Do you then have to call them sometime while you’re away just to check in? Is a postcard required? Whether you think so or not, it matters. The airport IS a step and one not to be taken so lightly. If you’re unsure, pay your $20 for the SuperShuttle. The driver is usually crazy, probably smells, and definitely won’t call you again.

Words for TODAY...

Ratify: v: to make valid; confirm
The senate ratified the new law that would prohit companies from discriminating according to race in their hiring practices.

Cogitate: v: to think hard; to ponder; to meditate
The room was quiet while every student cogitated during the exam.

Repast: n: food that is eaten
The repast consisted of cheese, wine, and bread. (GROSS)

Recalcitrant: adj: stubbornly rebellious
The recalcitrant youth dyed her hair purple...

Pulchritude: n: beauty
The pulchritude of the girl is seen in her bright smile. (THIS WORD DOES NOT SOUND AT ALL PRETTY, LET ALONE MEAN BEAUTY?!?!!)

WORD of the DAY

I need to start studying for my GRE so here are the GRE words for today:

INADVERTENT: adj: not on purpose; unintentional
It was an inadvertent error...

WANTON: adj: unruly; excessive
It is hard to lose weight when one has a wanton desire for sweets.

CHIMERA: noun: an impossible fancy
Perhaps he saw a flying saucer, but perhaps it was only a chimera.

FACILITATE: v: to make easier; to simplify
Ramps facilitate the entrance to buildings for many people.

PEDANTIC: adj: emphasizing minutiae or form in scholarship or teaching.
Professor Jones's lectures were so pedantic that his students had a tough time understanding the big picture.

If all goes well..more tomorrow :)

Love like you've never been hurt..

I was lying in bed this morning and noticed this cheesy embroidered plaque my mom sent me that says, "Work like you don't need the money, Dance like no one is watching, & Love like you've never been hurt." And I laid there thinking about that last line...do I love like I've never been hurt? Is that even possible? If you've been hurt in the past is it possible to ever love again like you did the first time? I'm not sure that it is? When you've been hurt you build up walls and tell yourself that no one will ever make you feel that way again. When entering into any future relationship it is certainly a battle to open yourself up to loving someone and letting someone love you. It seems to me that its human nature to protect yourself first. On the other hand, it is also part of our human condition to be loved and to have those feelings reciprocated. I think that it is with some difficulty that we fight through the haze of past relationships and love with an open heart. Like any problem I think awareness is half the battle. Taking the time to recognize what issues may have carried over from the past will help open us up to a better future. I don't think that this pertains to just relationships romantic in nature. My most heart wrenching "break-up" was with my best friend from college. The demise of this friendship has certainly put me on guard and has kept me from thinking of other friendships in terms of "forever." You think you can be so sure of something but it isn't always the case. I'm not bitter but certainly more careful. I still look back to our memories with a certain fondness that she was there to serve a purpose in my life-- for a time. And believe me it took me a long time to get there, to not feel deep anger and sadness at the mention of her name. With that in mind, I think that we choose our reactions to situations. We choose how life affects who we become. While it may take us time to work through something, it is our choice whether we wallow in it or work to overcome it. We can become bitter and blame our parents, our ex-boyfriends, and our ex-friends for who they have made us. Ultimately, we become who we choose to. While yes, our life experiences and those who have joined us along this journey have a definite influence on the final product, we can choose to change. I want to love like I've never been hurt (in all relationships) because I deserve all the good things this life has to offer me. I hope it is indeed possible...for all of us.