In case you were wondering...

I am still thinking about the Lady Gaga show last Friday. It was amazing...and in honor of how great of a mood I am still in because of it, I give you this...

Love,

SES

Top 10

It’s Monday again. The day where I find myself working hard…or should I say hardly working. Here are some fool proofs steps to fake your co-workers out on those days where you just can’t seem to get going.

…White Wine & Glowsticks presents the top 10 ways to look busy at work:

1. Complain that you’re totally swamped at every opportunity. Use phrases like “up to my ass in alligators” and “jumping from one fire to another” to make your job sound kind of sexy and dangerous.

2. Carry a piece of paper wherever you go. To give yourself the necessary urgent facial expression and body language, imagine it’s something incredibly important, like a stay of execution from the governor.

3. Never clean your cubicle. After all, if you had any spare cycles you wouldn’t let yourself live like a pig.

4. Emailing looks like work. Email friends and family often. (or gchat…blog….,etc.)

5. If you wear glasses, leave an old pair on the desk as though you will be right back. Then go home. (I personally work with one of these… but he just leaves his light on. I was fooled for the first 8 months I worked with him!)

6. Bitch about your job as much as possible. This is considered work even though it’s fun.

7. Walk really fast when you are going anywhere as to appear something important is going to happen.

8. Carry a notebook with you at all times- seems like you are suppose to be somewhere taking notes. If you are at your desk, keep it open with a pen on it.

9. Try to get sent out of the office for assignments. When you're out of the office, nobody knows what you're doing. If your assignment will take two hours, add a two-hour cushion for traffic. Now you're on a four-hour assignment.

10. And last but not least- if someone asks that trick question, “are you busy?” NEVER say, no. Always answer with, “I am, but I can make time for you.”

Best of luck, and yes, we did go to college for this.

Ga Ga for Gaga

I love a lot of things in life. Wizards, the Beatles, Paul, my family, the Disney Channel, Radiohead, white wine, glow sticks, Rhonda...you get the point. Very recently, I have added one more item to this list. I must say, she was an unexpected addition and I pushed very hard against her when I first became aware of her, but the more I listen, the more I watch, and the more I am exposed to her, I am becoming a pretty devoted fan. Maybe it's an attempt to justify the $200 I spent back in May on the concert ticket for tonight, maybe it's the fact that I get to wear a ton of make up and sequins to her show and dance my ass off with lots of glow sticks and weirdos, or maybe it's just that I have finally found a pop star that I can truly love again...something I don't think I've experienced since MJ circa the Dangerous album. Whatever it is, or whatever it isn't, I am admitting to the world that I am a full-blown, all out, dressing up for her concert and making themed cocktails for the pre-party, Lady Gaga fan.

I truly believe she is a new kind of celebrity. In the past several months I have scene or heard or talked about at least one thing about her everyday. She is a performer on and off the stage. She is always coming up with exciting ways to either offend or enthrall her audience, and she never stops. Ever. Truth be told, my devotion was solidified just this morning when I read that she had stopped in OKC before her show to visit with a young handicapped girl who wanted to meet her. She is arguably the most famous person in the world right now, and she still makes time for people like that. It is truly amazing. I love her music. I love her clothes. And, most of all, I love her message. And, I can't wait to see her tonight in all of her weirdo glory.

Let's Play a Love Game,

SES

TIMMMMMMMMMME

Once again, I have been thinking a lot about time- I never feel like I have enough of it. Three things always run through my head when I think about time:

1. Jessie Spano when she had her freak out on Saved by the Bell. There’s never enough time!

2. That wise quote I read once read: we have just as much time as Hellen Keller, Albert Einstein…and all those over heroic people.

3. That terrible/amazing old country song…have no idea who sings it, but lyrics go like this: “I’m in a hurry and don’t know why…I rush and rush until life’s no fun. All I really got to do is live and die, so I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

(Side Note: my lyrics could be off. I once thought M.C. Hammer’s Too Legit was, “tell the jerk, tell the jerk to quit.” Say it in your head to the Too Legit song… I was “legit” in thinking this.)

Okay, so now on to the real meaning of my post. (If there is a meaning) This story was just too crazy not to share - Tuesday night, the local NBC news did a story on a woman that has already set her wedding date and venue, but she does not have a groom! (February 15, 2011) Do you call this proactive or crazy? I choose the latter.

The 35-year old woman has turned to Facebook and YouTube to market herself, and she has been on 46 dates, yet still no lover.

I thought of the pressure this woman must be under and the “time crunch.” I could not handle the pressure. Nor could I handle being out in the open that I am desperately hunting a man, that’s another story. She was very calm in her on-air interview and is hopeful she'll find love before her deadline.

So when I start to think I have no time, I am going to add a 4th point – “I do not have a wedding date set 7 months away and no groom to be.”

And for this woman, I wish her luck. I guess nobody ever told her, “you can’t put a timeline on love.” …. Or can you? February 15th 2011. She might be a loner at the alter.

Da' Sunday Blues

As a follow up to Sarah’s post below, the weekend in Austin (formerly known as “B.O.B.") was a huge success. Such a success that I still have a huge smile on my face when I think about all the events. What wasn’t a success? Showing up on facebook in my “kini.” I thought we had a pack – only pictures chest up. You live, you learn, people. (Paparazzi)

The weekend started off with a bang at _____! Yep, I can’t even remember the name of the bar. Saturday we woke up and boarded the Lady Ship on Lake Austin. Nothing like a huge party barge with all of your friends. The day continued at “Abels,” followed by a night out for a 30th birthday! Sunday appeared, and it was time to go home…

Back to reality…back to work, back to not having all of your friends by your side…back to nagging TPS reports….back to being sober and remembering things you might have said/did over the weekend. This leads to one thing: EMOTIONAL HANGOVER.

Surprisingly, the term “emotional hangover” isn’t something us Gen X’ers made up all on our own- it’s actually a real deal:

According to the “urban dictionary”: (I know, great source, right?)

An Emotional Hangover or EH (EH? Why haven’t I thought of this? “I am totally having an EH.” OMG) is the aftermath of a night of debauchery where the social ramifications are worse than the actual physical hangover. It could be blowing the months rent on rounds of shots, spilling your heart out to a longtime friend.

Basically anything that is going to remain with you for a while and make you feel like an ass.It can also be used separate from a drinking binge if you've done something equally as regretful during an average social outing.Sunday's are generally the most popular day for an EH


So “EH’s” are self induced, and if you had a great weekend, I think it’s safe to say, pretty unavoidable. As we grow older, bouncing back from an EH seems to take longer and longer. For me, it’s about 1 to 3 days. I am feeling back to myself today and looking forward to this Sunday, so I can struggle with my emotional hangover. (which means, it twas a good weekend)

Looking forward to many more years of B.O.B. Who knows- maybe the next B.O.B. will be in a city, near you. All we need is water...and LOVE.

Maybe the best weekend ever?

We are on the verge of something extremely exciting. I know I know, you are on the edge of your seats. This weekend is the kind of weekend that is going to go down in the history books. Why, you ask? Because for the first time in five years I am going to get to spend two nights with all of my college girlfriends in one place at one time! We are meeting down in Austin for a weekend extravaganza that includes a party barge, a thirtieth birthday, and at least two scary goodnights. People are coming in from LA, Vail, Chicago, Miami, Oklahoma, and Dallas...I know what you are thinking, epic. So, although I have been absent for a couple of weeks (work has been so busy I have had zero blog time), you will have plenty of postings from WWandGS next week after our big adventure. In about two hours I depart for Austin, Texas. I am literally so excited I could jump out of my chair. But, I think I will save the inappropriate behavior for tonight...and tomorrow afternoon...and tomorrow night...Just kidding, Mom, I am going to be good all weekend. For all of you who can't make it this weekend, you will be missed very much!!!

Special shout out to Merideth Bentley who is studying for the bar right now. I know I've already told you this before but...Good luck!!!

Love you all,

And, back with more in just three short days :)

SES

Beer, it's what's for dinner.

The weekend is once again upon us. As we sit at our desks waiting for our final dismissal, our minds might turn to what we will be drinking tonight.

For today’s post, I would like to focus on Beer. Last night I had the chance to taste many different beers at the Meddlsome Moth. If you like beer, this is the place for you- with 40 draught beers on tap and 75 bottles, the possibilities are endless. After testing many beers, and after many bitter beer faces, I decided that I like “blonde” beers. I started wondering- what does this say about me?

You wouldn’t believe it, but the beer you drink says a lot about you -- even before you've had a few too many. Research shows that your choice of beer can be as telling about your personality as what kind of clothing you wear or the car that you drive. And if you don't drink suds at all, or change brands depending on your mood -- well, that says something too.

Thanks to AdAge.com, here’s some great information:

People who prefer domestic beers over craft beers or imports are generally middle of the road in their politics. They're not nearly as conservative as people who don't drink beer at all, but not as liberal as people who prefer more exotic beer.

People who drink a broad portfolio of beers are different than one-brand drinkers as well. Those "indifferent" beer drinkers are more open-minded and emotional people who enjoy a variety of life experiences. They might be the types of people who would identify with a marketing campaign like that of Dos Equis: "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

So what does liking blonde beers say about me? I still don’t know, and my head hurts too bad today to continue my research. But if you don’t drink beer, I think you are missing out- here’s what your abstainer attitude says of you:

It probably doesn't take a psychographic profile to discover that those people who refuse to drink beer at all don't like to loosen up very much. They are socially conservative and see many issues as black and white. Teetotalers honor tradition and authority and prefer a less-hectic social life. People who turn down beer are 50% more likely to call themselves Republican, and are 30% more likely to never buy organic products.

Um, total bore in my book. They probably LIKE getting ICED. (Oh great, my favorite malt beverage!)

Cheers to the weekend! Here are some other fun facts… I am sure you’ve all been through all five stages. My favorite is “invisible.” I get like this… I will stare at people- and it’s like I think they can’t see me. AWKWARD. And unfortunately, stage 2 has been taking me the other route lately… lately, when I begin drinking and catch a glimpse of me in the mirror, I get scared. “Good lord you look rough and need to go home.” Hopefully this changes soon, because this feeling usually leads to more drinks.

STAGES OF DRUNKENNESS

Stage 1 - SMART: This is when you suddenly become an expert on every subject in the known Universe. You know you know everything and want to pass on your knowledge to anyone who will listen. At this stage you are always RIGHT. And of course the person you are talking to is very WRONG. This makes for an interesting argument when both parties are SMART.

Stage 2 - GOOD LOOKING: This is when you realize that you are the BEST LOOKING person in the entire bar and that people fancy you. You can go up to a perfect stranger knowing they fancy you and really want to talk to you. Bear in mind that you are still SMART, so you can talk to this person about any subject under the sun.

Stage 3 - RICH: This is when you suddenly become the richest person in the world. You can buy drinks for the entire bar because you have an armored truck full of money parked behind the bar. You can also make bets at this stage, because of course, you are still SMART, so naturally you will win all your bets. It doesn't matter how much you bet 'cos you are RICH. You will also buy drinks for everyone that you fancy, because now you are the BEST LOOKING person in the world.

Stage 4 - BULLET PROOF: You are now ready to pick fights with anyone and everyone especially those with whom you have been betting or arguing. This is because nothing can hurt you. At this point you can also go up to the partners of the people who you fancy and challenge to a battle of wits or money. You have no fear of losing this battle because you are SMART, you are RICH and hell, you're BETTER LOOKING than they are anyway!

Stage 5 - INVISIBLE: This is the Final Stage of Drunkenness. At this point you can do anything because NO ONE CAN SEE YOU. You dance on a table to impress the people who you fancy because the rest of the people in the room cannot see you. You are also invisible to the person who wants to fight you. You can walk through the street singing at the top of your lungs because no one can see or hear you and because you're still SMART and you know all the words.