Goodnight Chicago

So, I'm listening to John Denver because I felt it was appropriate on my way to the airport. This is my third vacation in the last three months, so i'm keeping up with my once a month vacation resolution I made. I think this may be my favorite out of the last three. Though mostly uneventful, I enjoyed seeing all the people I care most about. I love California, but I love my friends and family much more so it was a grand vacation for me.
Everything else in my life is pretty much the same, though I am making more money right now than I have in the past so wherever I decide to move will probably happen by the end of August if everything goes smoothly, so fingers crossed there. As to where I'll move, I'll probably decide based on a pro/con list that really won't be the basis of my decision at all but will simply make my risky choices seem less risky in my mind. That would be on the pro side of my "Reasons to not tie yourself down anywhere" list. Freedom is a good thing I think... When you have just enough of it. Anyway, I'm going to continue with my John Denver music marathon and I'll post again soon. I need to get back into the habit.

My Not So Mid-Life Crisis

Blogging is totally just people like me, writing what they think, so that we feel like someone is listening... Or in this case reading. The truth of the matter is, it's not just so that it's read, it's so that you're telling someone so that you simply get it off your chest. That's how it is for me anyway. My posts are almost always either me ranting about whatever popped into my mind or some experiment of some sort i'm conducting. This is one of those "ranting about whatever popped into my mind" kind of posts.
If the title isn't clear enough, I've fallen into a sort of mid-life crisis... which isn't in the middle of my life (or I hope not at least) but it's still a crisis. Mid of mid-life crisis perhaps? Anyway, the one time I truly felt like I had a plan and everything was going to go smoothly, nothing ends up going smoothly. I officially don't know the answer to anything and I feel like i'm sort of floating around here and there until something sticks. Without even a small goal or something to work toward, it's like life holds no meaning. It's just the same thing repeating itself; a broken record. I sometimes wonder if I will ever figure out what I want or if I will continue on like I always have. Perhaps I need a life changing experience like Julia Roberts in "Eat Pray Love".

On a side note; It's probably extremely abnormal to not be able to stay anywhere or stick with anything right? It's also gotten worse. I think my philosophy that everything fixes itself is failing me.

I also believe that i've become a crazy cat lady @.@

Free Willy

My blog has been quite dead lately, so my apologies go out to the people who actually read this.

Lets see... Highlights: Moved to California a few weeks ago. I flew out here on the fourth, flew back ten days later, then drove back again for a little road trip with my road trip partner. We hit Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

Some tid bits from each place:

• Iowa: Decided to camp during extreme weather conditions and the tent almost blew away... Actually it did at first. 
• Nebraska: Road construction through THE WHOLE STATE. They were re-paving the roads, so instead of doing one side and then the other, they decided to just tear up every lane resulting in a flat tire. Lucky us, there isn't a shop for miles so we have to go to a farming depot in a town that doesn't even have paved roads. I don't miss Nebraska. 
• Colorado: Colorado is by far my favorite state out of the trip. Being a short-lived Colorado native, I love everything about it. If I didn't have to live in a major metropolitan area for my recent career, I would move back there in a heart beat. We hit up the Denver zoo and downtown Denver, hiked up the Rockies, saw some snow, visited Manitou Springs and Garden Of The Gods... I do miss Colorado. 
• New Mexico: We didn't spend a lot of time here, but we stopped through Santa Fe and Albuquerque so I could get some Indian fry bread. 
• Arizona: While on the way to visit my Grandma, we stopped at Bedrock... Yes, Bedrock. Then we went to the Grand Canyon, met my Grandma's new boyfriend and headed to LAS VEGAS.
• Nevada: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Just kidding... The most exciting thing I did was gamble on the machines. 

climbed that like a boss

 

Oh My Word

Photos from Crystal Renn's new platinum locks. My mind is completely blown. When People magazine asked about her new transformation she replied that she simply wanted a different look. In all honesty... I hate it. TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!

Thoughts?

That's What I Thought

To all the guys who think romance is simply treating a girl to an upscale evening:

You're wrong.

You don't need to be just like a Disney movie; it's not realistic. Being romantic can be something as little as leaving a flower on her pillow before you leave for work in the morning or holding her hand when you're out in public. Anything that is personal to her qualifies; anything that shows you actually put thought into it.

Sure, we'd still appreciate going out to a fancy dinner, but try this: purchase a bottle of wine, dress up and take her to a picnic. Light some candles. Do it outside and project a movie on the wall or read her a book. It's just as elegant but means more because you had to create the surrounding and not just pay for someone else to do it. If we went to fancy restaurants all the time, they would mean less and less every time you took us.

You know what else is romantic? Being a gentleman. Using the excuse, "I just wasn't raised that way" doesn't cut it. If you can say that, then you realize that you aren't trying. You are capable of being nice to women without having someone teach you to do so. I'm sure Google has multiple pages on being a gentleman. Open/close her car door for her, walk her to where ever she's going, lend a hand when necessary (both figuratively and actually). It's not very difficult.

Stone Age

Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the origin of birth stones this morning and here's what I found:

Birthstones date back as early as the Assyrian Empire (1400 BC). They believed the stones contained magical properties. For example, Amethyst was said to prevent intoxication. Each stone is associated with each Zodiac sign and is based on a color system (which was thought to release the power within the stone).

Facts and folklore regarding each stone:

• January- Garnet/rose quartz- Also represents second year of marriage- Are found in every color except blue- Noah supposedly hung Garnet on his ark for guidance in the night and protection from nightmares- Found in the U.S., Sri Lanka, Africa, Brazil and India. 
• February- Amethyst/Onyx/Moonstone- Represents sixth year of marriage- Comes in varying shades of purple- Like mentioned earlier, prevents intoxication- Some say it also prevents baldness, improves complexion and protects against treason- Found in Brazil, Uruguay and Zambia.
• March- Aquamarine (also known as bloodstone)- Represents nineteenth year of marriage- Seen in varying colors of blue, green and grey- In ancient times was said to aid seafarers, bring love and affection and is the universal sign for youth, hope and health- Found in Brazil, Nigeria, Zambia, Madagascar and Ukraine. Bloodstone is seen in deep greens and is said to contain red specs representing Jesus's blood that fell from the cross- Is the official stone for Aries. 
• April- Diamond/Quartz- Aside from the most popular gem for engagement, Diamonds also represent tenth and sixtieth years of marriage- Comes from the Greek word "adamas" meaning an eternity of love- India natives thought them to be splinters from the stars- Occasionally found in greens, pinks and yellows- Most durable of all the stones
• May- Emerald/Chrysophase/Beryl- Represents twentieth and thirty-five years of marriage- When looked under a microscope, Emerald is seen containing patterns resembling a garden known as the "jardin"- According to legend, wearing Emerald ups your I.Q. and prevents poor eyesight and infertility- Also is said to enable the wearer to see into the future- Found in Columbia, Brazil, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 
• June- Pearl/Moonstone/Opal (also known as Alexandrite)- Represents third and thirtieth years of marriage- recognized as the emblem of modesty, chastity and purity- Found in Indonesia and Australia- Alexandrite is extremely rare- Moonstone is found in The Alps, Brazil, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Sri Lanka and the U.S. to name a few.
• July- Ruby/Carnelian- Represents fifteenth and fortieth year of marriage- Known as the "Lord of the Gems" due to it's rarity and beauty- Comes from the latin word "ruber" meaning red- Said to protect their owners from misfortune of any kind- Found in Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Kenya to name a few.
• August- Peridot- Represents sixteenth year of marriage- A child of volcanic activity- Were favored by pirates and said to protect against all evil- When set in gold, the wearer protected from all evils of the night- Found in Burma and china
• September- Sapphire- Represents fifth and forty-fifth years of marriage- Comes in all colors except red- Just as durable as diamond, makes it the second popular gem for engagement- Ancient priests and sorcerers honored Sapphire over any other because of it's ability to aid in oracles and foretelling the future- The ten commandments are believed to have been written on a Sapphire tablet- Found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and Australia to name a few.
• October- Opal/Tourmaline- Represents fourteenth year of marriage- White Opal has a white body and flashes of many other colors- Symbolizes hope, innocence and purity- In the middle ages, fair-haired girls wore Opal in their hair to protect its color- Is said to have a beneficial effect on eyesight and banish evil spirits- Found in Australia, Mexico and the U.S.- Tourmaline comes in many colors; primarily pink and green- Found in Africa, Brazil, Madagascar and Mexico to name a few.
• November- Topaz/Citrine- Blue represents fourth year of marriage and Imperial represents twenty-third- Comes from the Greek word meaning "to shine"- Said to cure Asthma, restore sanity, relieve insomnia and even make its wearer invisible in time of emergency- Found in Brazil, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, China and Pakistan.
• December- Turquoise/Zircon- Represents eleven years of marriage- Comes in varying colors of blue and green- Means "Turkish stone" because of its trade route to Europe via Turkey- Best qualities are found in Iran, though the U.S. it the top seller- Used as a currency in the 16th Century by the Southwest Indians- Thought to bring animals to the hunter and good fortune to all- Zircon is used to imitate diamonds but comes in many colors- Found in Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, France, etc. 

Hope you enjoyed this! If you are interested in reading more.

I will also be conducting an experiment regarding zodiac signs and their traits via Facebook and email so keep a look out! 

The Best Thing I've Ever Seen

Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake and Marc Jacobs all in one photo. I just died and went to Vogue heaven. Now if only I could replace Justin with Johnny Depp...