Women with surprisingly hot husbands

Molly Ringwald: http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/90/18/23826pcn_molly04.0.0.0x0.432x651.jpeg

Mariska Hargitay: http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/peter-hermann-mariska-hargitay-honored-at-the-mount-sinai-sexual-assualt-and-violence-program-fundraiser-0VuKUZ.jpg

Wonderful contradictions

-a woman at work arriving 1.5 hours late to the "emergency preparedness meeting"

-an organization aimed at saving American forests sending out mass mailings (Kelly's observation)

Gchat excerpts (or, my thoughts on settling down)

i stare at babies with the same longing you feel when you stare at my ass.

thats a new user ecard on someecards and its soooo true

the impulsive part of me wants to get married and have babies right frickin now

i dont know why i can so easily not want to commit to a place or a job, yet i latch on to a guy tooth and nail

why am i putting all my eggs in one basket

fuck egg collecting

i am gonna start throwing my eggs at a large volume of men

Expectations vs. Standards

I've been doing a lot of emotional work lately with regard to relationships...which of course ultimately comes down to doing a lot of emotional work within myself. A lot. More than I've done in years. And it's been hell, but clearly so very necessary.

Any reputable person will tell you not to settle for--or even put up with--someone who isn't worth your time. Any reputable person will tell you to believe that you are deserving of good things and good people who treat you well, and to only pursue those things and people that make you better. However, any reputable person will also be the first to tell you that you cannot place expectations on other people; that you can expect things only from yourself. This seeming hypocrisy is something I've struggled with for as long as I've held conscious thoughts.

How can you demand the best without being demanding? How can you go out in the world--and into your relationships--believing that you deserve good things, but without carrying around a sense of entitlement?

I think this is where it's critical to recognize the difference between having expectations and having standards. For example:

You can't expect a person you are dating/married to/whatever to act in any certain way and not act in certain other ways. You can, however, make a rule for yourself stipulating that you will not have, as a partner, someone who cheats, lies, steals, wears stripes with polka-dots, etc.

You can’t expect anyone but you to make you happy. But you can have a standard for yourself that says, “if person x in my life is behaving in a way that I find upsetting or disappointing or [insert some other negative adjective here], then it is my responsibility to myself to evaluate the relationship and decide whether or not I want to keep person x in my life.”

Personal responsibility--it's something that I have to remind myself of again and again. But I've found it's been the times when I've expected (consciously or unconsciously) someone or something outside of myself to make me feel a given way--well, those are the times when I've experienced the hardest knocks.

Blue is not a color.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Blue, I guess."

Whoever answers this way is a moron. First of all, it's generic. I mean, come on--it's not like I've ever met anyone who hates blue. But need we be so unoriginal? Your "favorite" things should shine a light on elements that are unique to you. They're your favorites because they tap into something personal, something that speaks to who you are (and who no one else is). So really, why essentially admit that you're dull and not even all that thoughtful by representing yourself with "blue"? You'd come across as much more self-knowledgeable--not to mention interesting--if you said something like "rust-tinted adobe with a hint of dandelion." Or whatever specific combination is true for you. Secondly, blue is not really a color in itself, but rather a generalization that encompasses a whole range of colors. So, if you are honestly all about things that are blue-ish, at least have the decency and introspective capacity to respond with "cerulean" or "azure." Or, at the very least, "navy."

These are a few of my favorite things

Munich :)))))
Bayern as a whole
Altstaedte (old towns)
sunny days
going for long, aimless walks
introspection and internal monologues
internal monologues that quickly turn into outwardly talking to myself
Swedish fish but only the large ones. The smaller ones that come in big bags have a craptastic coating.
German
Germany omg i miss it
living in Europe omg i miss it
the Alps...specifically the Bavarian Alps
trainrides through said mountains
soulgasms brought on by literature, art, and ideas
the Jazz Age
randomness
ridiculousness
analyzing
the sky
children
Bavarian and Austrian children
cats
small dogs that look like cats
small dogs wearing sweaters and coats
animals in general
comedy a la Arrested Development, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, The Royal Tenenbaums, and 30 Rock
taking absurd amounts of photos
drinking absurd amounts of water
eating absurd amounts of food, especially Mexican and Thai
dresses omg
shoes
metallic colors
metallic colored shoes
soul connections
sleeping deeply
dreaming vividly
psychological exploration
ducks
squirrels
farce
absurdity

Trial-sized musings

I was in CVS the other night picking up some things and glanced down the aisle, catching a glimpse of one of the item signs--you know, those signs that are intended to help you zoom in on what you're looking for, but instead end up being practically as numerous as the products they're guiding you to. Anyway, the sign said "trial-sized." As I turned my head my eyes scanned over the sign marking the hair color products. In my mind, the two signs blended together and I thought, hmm, wouldn't it be interesting if there were trial-sized hair dye. Then I got to thinking, what if everything in the store came trial-sized? After all, aren't trial-sizes created and marketed based on their convenience? And don't we, as a society, like things that are convenient and, not only that, but things that don't require a real commitment? What's stopping companies, then, I ask, from marketing trial-sized reading glasses? Trial-sized diapers? Or how about trial-sized condoms: "1/3 the size of regular condoms"? Non-committal and easier to travel with. This consumer doesn't see any drawbacks.