Full Steam Ahead

I'm applying to B-school. I'm writing essays. I'm in a GMAT class. I'm working my tail off in my "regular" job. I am guilty of NOT going to work out in over a week. Ugh.

In the past two weeks, I have been a traveling chick-a-dee. Weekend before last, Mom and I went on a fun road trip to my top business school to check it out and confirmed what I already believed: I must go there. I don't know if I'm applying in 2009 or 2010 yet (GMATs dependent upon what I do) but I'm excited about the possibility of going back to school. The weekend was amazing. Beautiful grounds, wonderful friendly faculty/staff, alum and current students...just made me feel right at home. Granted, I know most schools are trying to "Sell, Sell, Sell" (I am in marketing so I know the game), but I have been quite surprised just how friendly the students have remained even now that I'm not walking around on their campus.

Aside from my trip to B-school number 1, this past weekend, I went on a road trip with one of my girls to my favorite weekend getaway [MD/DC] for the Halloween weekend. I had a fantastic time, of course. Dressed up as a fierce black cat, I danced and purred the night away at this great spot in DC with a few close friends. It must have been my lucky night because...I met a guy! I saw him from across the room and something drew me into him. I just had to talk to him. SO being "big and bold" like I am, I walked right up to him and proceeded to tell him just how attractive he was. Yup, I did. *Side note: I was not intoxicated but I had had a glass of liquid courage.* My "line" went something like, "Hey...how are you? You know, I saw you from across the room and just had to come over and tell you ALL B.S. aside, you really are an attractive man and I could not in good conscience leave this party without telling you". I planned on turning right back around and walking away but "E" (<---said atractive man) actually talked to me for about 15 minutes. A little chuckling and a little flirting, lead to a little giving out of nine little digits. He took my number. And even better, he actually called the next day. I wasn't sure men still did that. Someone I actually LIKE. Butterflies. Have interest in. Can you believe it? I mean, it's been almost two years since "he who's name shall not be spoken or written" and I broke up and I haven't been remotely moved by anyone. I have tried to date and have been very unsuccessful. Who knows if my "success" in the wretched dating game is making a turn for the better, but the simple fact that I can feel again?? Words can't even describe. I seriously thought I was broken for a while.

Anyway, I'm charging along, studying, keeping busy and making moves. Thought I would check in and say hello. So...hello.

Hope I'll have more positive GMAT and handsome guy stories to tell you in the near future...back to studying.

oh and ps - this is my WTF moment of the day -- how awful is this? Minding my business at the library studying diligently and notice the man next to me hogging up the local printer that sat right between our desktop stations. I glance over at his screen and do you know what I saw? KIDDIE PORN. A digusting, perverted old man printing child pornography; pages upon pages of it. I almost threw up on the spot. I immediately packed up my belongings, went right to the reference desk, reported the issue and proceeded to go out to my car and scream. Never in my life have I dealt with or seen something like that live and in the flesh...and I hope I never have to again.

Wedding Wonderland!

One of my bests got married. National KJH day (aka the big day) was on 10.3.08. K (bride) and J (groom) could not have been happier. It was a fantastic day. Here's a little montage of the festivities leading up to the big day.

Here is the crew in good ole Atlantic City for the Bachelorette party. We stayed at this fab new hotel called the Chelsea an partied it up all night long at Harrah's by the Pool. The weather was hot and hazy and perfect for a group of crazy ladies. ;)

Team K at the shower. (K in the middle holding her "bouquet" surrounded by her maids).

Rehearsal dinner. K with some of her maids and puff aka Liv, the flower girl.

The bride with some of her maids on D-day.

It would not be a wedding if the bride didn't get fed from her chocolate fountain at the end of the night. ;)

I've decided weddings are so much fun. Can't wait until the next one. One in a few weeks for a friend's brother and then of course, my best S is getting married next May and I am in the MOH. The presssssssssssure!!! Hahah.

to B or not to B

B-school that is. I've been putting it off for years (six to be exact) and now after being out in the working world for some time now, I finally feel like I'm ready to take the plunge. Do I miss endless amounts of homework, meeting with groups on presentations and studying for days upon end? Nope. Do I miss hitting up the little lady at the Latin Cafeteria (thank you MIAMI) at the drive up window for my nightly study dose of Cuban coffee? Not really. (Well actually, I miss the ritual with the girls. And man oh man it does keep you up for hours upon hours). But in my field of work, it's just about mandatory I go back to school and get my MBA.

I signed up for a Kaplan GMAT course last week and begin soon. I've already written one essay and started this whole application process. I'm on my way to my visit college visit this upcoming Friday and working on my first case study for my class visit. What crazy girl decides she wants to go back to business school and apply to SIX schools all in the matter of 8-10 weeks for the Fall of 2009 (less than a year)? That's right folks, me.

Crazy, wired - call it what you may - but when I set my mind to something there is no turning back. Who knows if I'll get into these schools...but I figure worst case scenario (i.e. bombing the GMAT), I've always got 2010.

Other than this new excitement in my life, everything is everything. Life in general is good. I haven't written in a while...needed a serious detox. Although I'm not really "good" at it, I do indeed love blogging. I started blogging during the summer of 2007, while I was mourning the loss of my last relationship and going through a serious EX detox. (Unfortunately, do to the nature of the content, the blog was only shared with close friends and family). After I ended my detox, I decided to continue to blog, but really on write when I have something to say...otherwise, it feels like to too much pressure to keep up with all you lovely writers. So I apologize for my blog shadiness (Shady McMuffin - I have been) and hope that with all this B school stuff and the holidays and all that good stuff, life will pick up once again and give me something to talk to y'all about.

Anyway, thanks for keeping me laughing (and reading) over the past few months. You all are fabulous and so are your blogs, I swear.

Ok, off to finish this case (I can't BELIEVE I'm doing HOMEWORK for a class visit) and watch some Law & Order. Good night lovely people. :)

Alive

Hey, I'm alive. Sorry for my disappearance...things have been so hectic. My friend's cousin committed suicide, my job has been killing me so I've been working non-stop and I was also under the weather for a bit. Please bare with me. Be back soon. Thanks!

Guess who's bi-zack?

Yup, That'd be me. I'm back. Relaxed and feeling great. Happy to be getting settled back into normal (aka boring) life but definitely not excited about going back to work tomorrow. At least it's only a half day. I'm waaaay too exhausted to get into any trip details at the moment (as the 6 hour time difference has kicked my tail), however I just wanted to say hello (I've missed you much & I'm reading through all the updates between laundry loads) and share a few pics. In no particular order, but here we go. On the plane on the way in to Hawaii...8 hours and 17 minutes into the plane ride from Chicago to Maui to be exact. (Oh no, it didn't stop there -and THEN to Kona, my final destination). Mind you, I had to be up waaay early (2:45am EST) to catch my first flight out of Newark to O'Hare (3 hour layover in O'Hare), so I'd been up a gazillion hours at this point (I think about 19 hours, with only 3 hours sleep the night before), sucking in that very thin cabin air, starving half to death because I only had a tiny salad (seriously folks, I could have counted the pieces of lettuce on my one hand) -which I was charged $7 for btw - ready to pluck my eyeballs out. Wearing my contacts on a million hour flight?? Yea, not such a great idea. The best part of the plane ride (besides the vodka/sodas I so happily downed) was the movie, "Because I Said So", which is a favorite of my mother's and mine. But let me shut my big fat mouth because at the end of the day, I'd stay up 24 hours straight any day to have the experience again...and props to United for having the BEST flight attendants EVER! They were so cheerful and positive and un-grumpy (yes, I made up a word) that it kept us motivated throughout the flight.
Anna, my bestie and I after we did this ridic trail to see lava spewing (spell?) into the ocean. It was pretty cool. Although, a rocky trail under a hot sun, with no water in hand almost led me to break my ankle twice in exhaustion. No harm, no foul though. It's all good!
Guard rail aside, is this not an awesome view? Hawaii is just gorgeous. If you ever have the opportunity to go, please do!

Ok, back to laundry and catching up on all your blogs!! If I don't fall asleep first...

PS - I also have to update you ladies on Mr. C. He only *gently* stalked me while I was in Hawaii with e-mails, texts and calls. I guess after not responding to his weak e-mail before I left, he finally got the hint (ding, ding, ding!) that something was clearly wrong.

PPS - Sorry if there are spelling errors or if this makes no sense at all. In Hawaii it's only 10-something in the morning, so I'd just be waking up. My plane left Kona at 4:45pm (which was 10:45 pm EST) and technically I have been up since 7am Hawaii time (which was 1pm YESTERDAY July 9 in Jersey) and now it's almost 4:30 pm (EST) so that's more than 24 hours at this point...you understand, right?

MeccAloha...

Greetings from Hawaii! I will keep this short because I have a lot of living (and by living I mean, sun bathing, eating, drinking and shopping) to do, but boy, oh boy, can I tell you this place is GORGEOUS. Honestly, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. So far:

1) I have been spent waaaay to much money on buying gifts for friends & family. Who knew(expensive) chocolate covered macadamia nuts were THE gift to give? 

2) I've been eaten alive by insects ... well, my ankles have been anyway. Whatevs, so worth it.

3) I've been told by a local that my energy was "positive", yet I had a sense of "longing". Should I be concerned? What the hell does that mean? Could it be related to "he who's name shall not be spoken" (the EX)?

4) Anna (best friend from the Chi) and I have managed to jacuz (yes, jacuz -- we've made it into a verb) every day for at least 15 minutes. I mean, why not?

5) I've adjusted to the six hours time difference...(from EST). My friends and family back home? Uhhh, not so much. How many "Happy fourth of July" text messages can one receive at 4:32am? LOTS. 

6) Started and finished a 350 page book. Lots of laying-out peaceful, laziness going on.

7) Had at least one of my signature drinks once every night. Vodka soda, anyone? (Ok, not everyone's drink of choice, but I like it because it's clear, low-cal, and I happen to think it's tasty with a dash of lime juice).  

8) Taken over 250 photos in 2.5 days. And I'm just getting started. 

Ok, off to jump in the shower for a rinse-off, then back to my standard uniform: bathing suit and cover-up. Hope you all had a safe and fun-filled fourth and are enjoying the long weekend! 

Aloha!!

a day late...

"Hey Mec, how are you?? How's your day going??....I'm sorry I didn’t get back to you last night, things got a little hectic. By the time I got your message, it was a little late."

That's the bullshit ass email I got from C today at around 1:45pm explaining why he canceled our date. And did I reply? Hell to the nah. Ummm, I'm sorry C...you might not be a dollar short but you are definitely a day later. You clearly have me mistaken for a doormat; but the last time I checked, I'm not the one to be walked all over. I'm sorry people, but I am just fuming. He could have AT LEAST given me the courtesy of calling me (not emailing aka bailing) to tell me he was cancelling our date. I'm just not the one. I can't be bothered. I'm calling a spade a spade and walking away. But there is a bright side...better now than later.

With all I've been through I've definitely learned:

When people show you who they...believe them!

Meccaloha!!! Vacay & other updates...

Hello people! Have you ever been in the intersection of "I'm so burnt out, I'm crispy..." and "If I have to go to work (or really anywhere for this matter) and look at these people one more day I might have to hurt someone?" Well, I have been wandering in that intersection for about a week now. Thankfully, tranquility and peace of mind are not too far away. For those of you who aren't aware, I am going to Hawaii (for the first time ever) on Wednesday morning, returning eight days later (if I decide to come back) on a wonderful vacay with my best friend from college, Anna. Not only is it awesome because I don't get to see Anna very often and we're totally gonna cut up like only we do, but this whole trip was made possible because Anna's dad lives there (lucky stiff), so accommodations are completely and totally F-R-E-E! We will be staying on the big island, with a quick pit stop in Maui. A fully stocked fridge of our favorite eats and beverages of all sorts, plus an itinerary that looks like, beach, eat, drink, beach, eat, drink, occasional activity (i.e. ATV rides and snorkeling), beach, eat and drink, I'm stoked!!!

I'm starting to pack tonight -- eek -- and I'm nervous as heck that I won't fit everything I want/need into my suitcase. I'm trying to think light and pack lots of sundresses and flip-flops. I'm using Katie over at La Petite Chic's suitcase from a recent trip as inspiration. If she can go to Europe for more than a week and have a suitcase that looks like it came out of Real Simple and less than 50 lbs., so can I. Or at least I can try. Have you looked at it? I mean, c'mon, it's a masterpiece! I guarantee if Katie and I lived in the same metropolitan area, we'd probably be great friends as our organization tactics are SO in-sync.

The last I wrote, I was mentioning how I had let go of Mr. Ex (betrayal is a straw that can definitely break the camel's back) and was thinking of going out on a date with a new guy, who I'll call C. Well, I did go out with C, and it was nice, however, it wasn't exactly how I thought it would be. Is it just me or do men not court women anymore? Keeping a long story short, I got a phone call at 8:30p on a Saturday (last Saturday, not yesterday) asking if I wanted to "hang out" that evening. Resolving to not be a stickler and give it a shot, I accepted. Since I was just finishing dinner, I told C I would call him when I made it home to discuss the plan. And a half hour later, I did just that. The conversation went something like:

Me: "Hey, I'm home! What's the plan? When and where shall we meet?"
C: "Uhhhh, I don't know. What do you want to do?"
Me: "Ummmm, it doesn't really matter, do you have any suggestions?"
C: "Uhhhh, not really...."

WTF? I was so f-ing annoyed. I mean, honestly...

First of all, you call me at 8:30pm on a Saturday night (basically the eleventh hour) asking if I want to hang out for that evening. We've never hung out before...so talk about a first impression. What happened to planning in advance? You just assume that I'm going to be available? Secondly, I happen to be available (even though I almost said "no, I'm not available" on principle alone) and accept to "hang out" with you, and call to find out the plan and you DON'T F-ING HAVE ONE. ARGH. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like a diva or anything, because I'm not talking about caviar, expensive dinners, flowers and champagne. I don't care if we go bowling and sling back a few beers, but take some initiative, make a plan, and ask me on an honest, proper date! So, after being asked to "hang out" (I feel like I'm in f-ing 10th grade), I have to go on the computer and look up some cool things to do in a central location for both of us, tell him where it is and when to meet me. You ask me out, yet I do all the work. I just feel like at 27, I'm too old for this shit.

Still, trying to give it shot, because once I got there to meet C, we had a decent time (read: he's very nice, no butterflies whatsoever but I'll give him two more chances just to be fair), I invited him to see "Wanted" (new movie with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman) this weekend. We agreed on Friday that Sunday evening worked best for both of us. I had my friend's son's first birthday party - which was more like a kick-ass free-for-all for all ages) this afternoon, but I told him I would call him when I was on my way home with movie times and theatre options. So I left the party (which can I just take a sec to tell you had a huge blow up water slide, a moon walk, a caged in trampoline, and pony ride for the kids AND a fully stocked bar of all premium liquors, catered bbq foods, volleyball set-up, horse-shoes, adult water attractions and a jacuzzi for the adults spread across their 13 acres of land in their "backyard") and called him with times. There were two times I thought would be good to see the movie: 6pm or 8pm. I mean, it's Sunday, and I do have work in the morning, so I didn't want to be out too late. Well, let me just tell you that it's 7:46pm and I have yet to get a phone call back telling me what time he preferred or at this point, that going to see the movie was off. That is just sooooooooooooo f-ing rude! What is WRONG with some guys these days? I don't want to go into the "being a single girl sucks" speech, but let me just tell you, dating is awful. Especially when you're dating because the man who you thought was the end all, be all, the man who you thought you would marry and start a family with bails on you for no good reason. And then after you do EVERYTHING in your power to get over the asshole, he comes back into your life, only to drag you back into the shit-hole you spent a year and half trying to get out of, only to pull the same shit he did back in January of 07. It's like a child with a toy. He is so excited to get the toy and play with it...for a while. Then he tosses the toy to the side UNTIL someone else wants to play with the toy. Then all of a sudden, he wants to play with the toy. He has that horrible syndrome; you know? The "have-his-cake-and-eat-it-too" syndrome. So I'm forced to "keep an open mind" and be on the scene...which I haven't had much luck in. At this point, I don't even know what to say to C, when/if he calls. Do I even bother?

Well, I'll look at the bright side of things...I'm not at the movies, so I finally had time to write and say hello! :) Besides, Wedding Crashers is on TBS, so I'll watch that and start packing...

Feeling good...

The last few days I felt like crap. I mean, absolute crap. Migraine, stomach bug, huddled in bed, ready to just die. I don't know what the heck was out there, but I am thrilled that it's peaced out and moved on. Now my physical state matches my mental state which is great.

For the last two months, I was dating my ex. The one who broke my heart to a gagillion pieces and then road over those pieces with a tractor trailer and then scrambled to find the pieces and throw them in a river with an anchor on them, to never ever surface again. Lucky him, got a second chance to come back into my life. And oh how quickly that has come and gone. Thank goodness I proceeded with caution.

About 2.5 months ago, we began speaking. He said and did everything right. He was starting to earn the forgiveness of my friends, family, and most importantly, me, who to be quite honest, thought he should rot in hell for hurting me to begin with. Soon after, like I knew he would, he started becoming distant. Distant and cold. The sweet little text messages stop chirping in, the friendly yet flirty emails stopped trickling in my inbox, the calls stopped coming in. I found myself putting in all my effort and getting nothing in return. And then I got, "I love you. I want to marry you. But I already broke your heart once before and if I'm going to come back into your life in that way I want to make sure I'm 100%. I need to focus on getting X, Y and Z in order before I could commit myself..." Excuses. Always excuses. And while I respected what he had to say, it was exactly what he said the first time AND completely contradictory to what he said at the end of March when he was trying to ease his way back into my life. Felt like I was right back where I left off when I cut him out of my life the first time. It was the intersection of Lonely Road and Heartbroken Lane and I was not going back. So, as painful as it may be, I cut him lose; again.

A near and dear friend said the following and I couldn't have put it any better myself...

It definitely seems like he is trying to have the best of both worlds. And- if he truly loves you, he wouldn't put you thru all this. I can totally understand that whole fear of commitment, but don't mess with someone's emotions. I agree, you should definitely leave him alone. You're going to be happy with your own family. You'll have a husband that loves you and he will still be searching for Mrs. Right. Little did he know, he found her {more than once} and let her go.

And while it hurt like hell, this time it is a little different than the first time I cut him out. For some reason, I feel like I got the closure I really needed. I realized, I can't change him but I can change me. I can control how I act, and what I allow him to get away with. And poof, I'm done. And no, he hasn't quite gotten it yet. He says he "cherishes our friendship" and wants me to be apart of his life. Yea, whatevs. He can keep calling...and keep talking to my voicemail. I believe in second chances, but third and forth? Uh, no!

In other news, I met a new gentleman last month who is very interested in taking me out...and this girl just might let him. I had been putting him off while I was focusing on Ex and now that I realize Ex is Ex for a reason, I feel like I can actually go out on a date and have an open mind. I'll keep you updated...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the best man in my life. My Dad. My Dad has to be one of the coolest cats I know. He's warm and caring, kind and sincere. He's very proud of me; as I am of him for all of his wonderful accomplishments.

So here's to you "Papa Frita". I love you.

(And here's to all the other wonderful dads out there...)

Hello There!

So I turned 27 in early April and became to fly to blog. NOT! But I know that's what some of you probably think. Despite the fact that I turned 27 and eased up on my blogging, my life has become a complete and total catastrophic, busy, whatever of a whatever. I love my life; don't get me wrong. But I do despise that overwhelmed, anxious pit in my stomach like I am forgetting something important or that I suck at life because everything that I love, admire and that is important to me is falling by the waist-side.

Work is still kicking my high-tail. Meetings and conference calls and everything in between. I am desperately in need of a vacay and counting down the days until I make it to Hawaii. Only thirty at this point and coming quickly. Thank goodness.

Relationship-wise, I am maintaining and hanging in. I'm still "dating" my ex, which is a joke in itself and I am also keeping my options open and "dating" someone new as well. It's funny because I am not a dater. I don't even know what it means to date. I am either in a relationship or not.

But - I'll have to leave my dating tales for another day. I'm exhausted and one of my boys (the new one) had just called.

Please take me back people. I still love ya all!

Hawaii 5-0!

I booked my flight to Hawaii and lucky me - my connection is in Chicago -- so my darling Anna and I will be on the same flight there and back. I'm so excited. Now that the tickets are all out of the way the actual trip seems official. My trip is only two months away and I am in desperate need of a vacation at this point.

I am just about ready to pull my hair out at this point with work, work and more work.

Two months and counting...

My birthday! :)

I celebrated my actual birthday on Wednesday, April 2. I partied like a rock star on Saturday, April 5.

Being "Rebellious" at Rebel. Celebrating my birthday with close friends. :)

Everyone should be *lucky* enough to have friends like mine.

Letting Go of the wheel

"I believe we write our own stories. And each time we think we know the end - we don't. Perhaps luck exists somewhere between the world of planning, the world of chance, and in peace that comes from knowing that you just can't know it all. You know, life's funny that way. Once you let go of the wheel, you might end up right where you belong." -- Little Black Book

I'm a control freak and always like to have control. One of the hardest things for me is letting go and allowing for nature to take its course. I'm doing my best to just "let things happen". Most recently, I've started dating....my ex. The ex who in January of 2007 broke my heart into a million pieces. The ex who "wasn't ready" and who needed to have "space" and "take a break". And after trying to be friends for four months after the break-up, realizing that wasn't going to work and officially cutting him off in June of 2007, he instantly reappeared into my life a few weeks ago.

And then last weekend at my birthday party, the connection was there. It's magnetic and something draws us in to each other. I can't deny it, even if I tried. Long story short, we've agreed to try and rebuild our friendship and we're going to date each other. Yes, date, and actually "court" one another, the good ole fashion way.

I'm nervous, scared and trying to work through all the hidden emotions and see what's what.
I'll keep you all posted.

And pics of my fierce birthday party dress to come. The party was insane!

I'm am stil alive

...well and better than ever. I'm still hectic work-wise but I am feeling good and trying to get ready for spring. My girls came the weekend before St. Patty's day to celebrate the annual town parade and bar crawl, which was a blast. For the 4th year now, no one got sick, and we had no drama - whatsoever. Decked out in our green or Irish spirited shirts, we crawled, danced, drank, ate and just enjoyed a long overdue reunion. It was like the University of Miami, Mahoney/Pearson get together. We will not wait that long before seeing each other again. That's for sure.

Additionally, the Easter holiday was great. I took off two whole days (Good Friday and Monday) to relax and actually relaxed. I needed a mental health day or I was a going to explode. Friday, I spent some time with my Papa, who surprised me by buying me a nice pretty pink Sony VAIO as an early birthday present. I am so thrilled because I was in desperate need of a new laptop. I also spent some time in Philadelphia also known as Killadelphia celebrating my younger cousin's 21st birthday with family. Sunday, I spent Easter with my Dad, Stepmom, Stepbrother, SIL and nieces, which wore me out but also was a bunch of fun. Finally on Monday, I enjoyed a sunny day running errands and just having "me" time. Of course, I tuned in for season premiere of "The Hills" with my friend Amy and her little baby girl Izzy, who tuned in for the entire thing!

Now, I'm back to work...just hoping the week flies by so I can try and have another great weekend with loved ones, as I begin kicking off my birthday week!

Well hello...

Hello people! Have you missed me? Again I come to you with excuses of late work hours and happenings of life that have caused me NOT to write, but boy the past two weeks have been good. Aside from working until 1 or 2am on certain nights, I have done/accomplished a few key things.

I FINALLY organized my nightmare of a closet -- a massive trip to the Container Store, LNT and Target totally helped me to organize and maximize my space. I read some really great articles on how to go about this process, and where to start. I think the thing that kept me from getting on it sooner was that I didn't know where to begin because it was so overwhelming. I also had to tell myself that it wasn't going to happen in one night. It took a while, but it was worth it. I have a fully functional closet and have maximized my space to the point where I actually see a crap ton of carpet. I even re-organized my bathroom and storage under the sink. I also gave both my room and bathroom a little face lift by purchasing a new bedding set and some new fluffy towels. Nothing like rolling around in some new sheets. I feel like a new woman.

My HUGE project that I have been slaving away at for the past three months has finally kicked off. One of my favorite brands I work on is sponsoring a major artist's concert tour and we're executing events on-site. I had three months to pull together the entire program, sponsorship details, creative collateral, etc. not to mention executing in both US and Canada, which is a first for my company since we just recently were combined with Canada to become "North America". Anyway, the best part about working my ass off for three months is that I got flown out to Vancouver for a show to party it up, stay in a fly ass suite (which was bigger than my apartment) and eat, drink and be merry with some crazy folks and this awesome, amazing artist on the company dime. Oh yea, and they got me a massage, too. :)

My Vancouver euphoria was quickly killed when I returned back home (after the craziest turbulent landing in which I literally thought I was toast) and was "bitched out" by my neighbor. Yes, the crazy dog-lady neighbor. She actually had the audacity to be upset with me because I "backstabbed" her when I sent her a certified letter, demanding the money she owed me. I was in shock. This jerk has the nerve to play victim when I was bit by her dog and later received a check from her, which bounced not due to insufficient funds but because their was no such account! That's right - she tried to pay me with a check from an account she had previously closed. People are friggin' bananas. In any case, after beefing about it a bit in the hallway, she later gave me the cash for what she owed me and I was happy to close that door. Eventually I will run into her, but I don't give a crap. I know I did the right thing and she will NOT intimidate me or give me shit for her screw-up. So at the end of the day: I got the money. Thank goodness.

This week it's back to the grind but I have a great ending in sight. Thursday my best friend comes into town from Chi-town, and then Friday another one of my good friends is driving up from Maryland with her boyf. to hang out with me and my girl K for a mini-college reunion (yes, we're all proud ass 'Canes) to party it up for my town's annual St. Patrick's day parade and bar crawl. Get right!

Enjoy your week all you lovely sexy people. ;-)

My maternal instincts...

I was "blessed" enough to attend a 1 year old's birthday party last week. The only "real" reason I was there was to support my friend Lina through a bunch of screaming rowdy children. Don't get me wrong people; I absolutely love children (especially the birthday boy, baby David) however, I knew this one party would consist of rowdy, mischevious little boys between the ages of 1-6 and I had to mentally prepare myself for it. In any case, my friend Amy, who just had a baby three days before Christmas brought her best Christmas gift of all with her: her new daughter Isabella (or baby Izzy as I like to call her). I don't know if it's because she was the only "lil princess" there or because she was the smallest; but I just fell in love. Not that I wasn't already. I fell in love with her during her first 24 hours on earth, but this time we got some good face time and I enjoyed being with her. She's an excellent baby and didn't cry one bit. Not even when Clarence, a friend of the group, but a (big macho football player) GUY, nonetheless, held her, rocked her, sang to her and even made her stand on her lil tippy toes and "dance". It's just so funny because I don't have children, but as soon as you get around a child, the instincts just naturally appear. I could have held her all day long. The second picture is me afterwards, proud of my maternal efforts. Some day...a long time from now...maybe it'll be my own.

I did it!!

I finally did it. I REACHED MY GOAL WEIGHT! Ok. My friends and family have been on this weight loss journey with me and I am happy to report after almost 2 long years, I have lost a total of 32 lbs. and am now pretty much back to "normal". I feel confident and most importantly, comfortable in my own skin again. :)

Before - April of 2006

After - February of 2008

Here's the journey along the way.

October of 2006 - Me and my "homeslice" R. (Of course, my girlfriend R in the picture always looks great!)

I was down about 10lbs from my heaviest (April) and I had just started Weight Watchers with my best Sin. We only lasted until about December, but we kept the learnings and the money in our pockets.

February of 2007 - me with Mel (my childhood friend and a modern day Pocahontas).

About 15 lbs down from the beginning, although you can still see it in my face an arms.

June of 2007 with Sin, K and much shorter hair (ahhhh). I was down about 22 lbs. I also started going to the gym more regularly, so although I wasn't losing very quickly, I was toning and firming and becoming stronger overall.

@ Dewey Beach (sooo tan, I love it) August of 2007. F---!!!! I hit the Plateau of the century.

Didn't I tell you I hit the plateau of the century? Probably only another 1 or 2 down if that. This was November and December of 2007. Holidays. Always a killer, but I did my best and was at least able to maintain my weight.

Hard work pays off! Finally lost that final 8 lbs in January and early February. I feel great. I'm stronger and have more endurance. I actually enjoy working out and I have a new lease on life.

Now it's called: "MAINTENANCE". But I finally did it. :)

(Thanks to my friends and family who listened to me, offered encouragement and who supported me the entire way through. I love you all).

Pepe Le Pew...

WTF is wrong with me and my luck these days?

After an exhausting week and weekend, I wanted nothing more than to get a little face time with my pillow and blankets; yes plural since it's mighty cold these days. So anyway, I'm getting my sleep groove on, deep into my REM when suddenly I am awakened by a G-O-D AWFUL STENCH.

Now, my bedroom windows are worth shit, are not air tight and have let in everything from cold air to hot air, my neighbor's exhaust from the cars, my neighbor's loud mouths (in a drunken stupor at 2am), etc. through them, but this time, I almost lost it. Literally, almost vomited. A fucking skunk. That's right people, Pepe-Le-Fucking-Pew himself, was messing around outside and set it OFF. You would have thought the little fucker was hiding under my bed or something. I don't know when it happened, but what I do know is that at 4am, I was forced to build a blanket cave so that I could 1) attempt to go back to sleep and 2) breathe. Wasn't happening. I sealed my blanket cave so tight, I almost suffocated and was forced to breathe through my mouth, not my nose, which means when/if I did fall back asleep, I probably swallowed a spider or two. I did attempt to take it to the living room BUT it was worse out there (and much colder). I ended up crying at 6am, because tired ole me kept having visions that my clothes, which were drying on my drying rack (from being washed the night before) were going to smell like Pepe.

Needless to say, I made it to work SUPER early this morning.

If I could tell him anything...

I would say:

You know you want to...it's all you can think about; that you made a mistake.
A BIG MISTAKE.
You're sorry, maybe not for walking away because that's what you "had to do", but for hurting me and all you want to do is let it be known. So stop letting your ego get the best of you. Put your foolish, childish pride aside and make well with the world. C'mon.
You know you want to...It's all you can think about.

A tad stressed...

...which means Mecca will sleep like sh*t tonight. Basically. I just strolled in from work after the another long drawn out day of meetings upon meetings, emails upon emails and phone calls upon phone calls. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my job and I'm blessed to have it BUT I work my tail off and I don't know that I always get the appreciation or the recognition I deserve. Lately, it's been weighing on me, because I've become this work-a-holic, Treo carrying, late night and early morning email checking fool, while other important things in my life slack...or are slowing starting to slack.

Tomorrow, I've got to take my car into the body shop at 7:30, where the rental car will meet me at 7:45 and then rush the rental to the local train station where I have to hop an 8:30 train into NYC to make a 10am meeting. After the meeting, I'll come home and work like the work horse I have slowly become, because I will be out of the office on Friday to attend my stepmother's mother's funeral. Would you believe I was actually relieved I would be only missing ONE day of work instead of two which I originally thought was the case? How f-ed up is that?

Then, it's supposed to snow on Friday, so who knows how the services and funeral will actually go.

One other thing I'm stressing about waaay in advance is the fact that, my bestie is coming into town (yippee) from the Chi (in a few weeks) and that means, Mecca has GOT to get this room in order. As we all know, space is limited up in this piece and I don't want my A feeling like she is sitting on top of herself, so it is my mission, to clean & organize. Any suggestion of ways to make/create more space in tiny living environments? I'm dying here.

Danke.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Some of you have read, one of my best friends is getting married and she asked me to be her MOH. Well, tonight, Sin, her FI and I went to a tasting at the reception site and it was fantastic! It was a showcase really, of the food, the desserts, and some of the facility's selected vendors. My oh my...so much to take it, but the food was great. I could go to tasting everyday. Yum. :)

Rise Above.

"A person can only rise so high. Now I'm rising above, but there's a ceiling and I'm about to hit it." -- Grey's Anatomy

After the whole check bouncing incident, I thought things couldn't have gotten much worse but I was wrong. This weekend, ups and downs, proved me wrong. Things in fact could get worse, but I of course, could rise above. After a long week, I decided to call in reinforcement (meaning: two of my bests) to meet me at the nail salon for much needed manis and pedis [up]. The salon got new massage chairs for the pedicures, which made my much needed trip even more worthwhile. After pedis, Sin and I headed to eat, drink and be merry. On the way grub, my old roomie, L called me and told me she had an ex sighting. I should have known at that point, it the weekend would be hairy. Now, although the ex and I are from the same area, I have been fortunate enough to not see him, since I chose to stop speaking to him last June (5 whole months after the break-up and torturing myself wishing and hoping we would get back together). In that timeframe, not one of my friends has seen him either. It's as if, he, me, us, simply disappeared, never existed. So anyway, she told me she had a sighting and they spoke cordially. Cool, whatever, moving on.

Saturday rolls around and on the way home from a fabulous trip to the hair salon [up] my Dad called me and told me my step mother's mother (his mother-in-law, my step-grandmother) passed away that afternoon. I wasn't extremely close with her and didn't know her very well (she lived far away), but I still felt awful for my stepmom. She was older and sick, so it wasn't a total shock, but still sucks nonethless [down]. Feeling bad for the situation, but refusing to feel defeated, I went shopping for a little retail therapy, where I found the cutest sweater and even better a pair of jeans for $4.99 [up]. Good jeans from Banana Republic which went on sale. $4.99. Can you even believe? I then continue with my day, running to a birthday party for my friend's son (he turned 1) and then off to watch a movie (Why did I get Married?) with my lovely mother [up]. After watching a movie, I run home, change really quickly and meet up with a group of girls to head out for a night on the town. A big party town about 30 minutes away. Enter the bar, order my signature drink (vodka & club soda with a lime), when I am greeted with a BOMB. Ex is in the building. CODE RED!! My dodging bullets for the last eight months in my own friggin' home town just ended in a huge party town, with 800 other bars, 30 minutes away [down]. My first reaction was to run, but then I had to quickly put myself in check, because: 1) I had just as much a right to be in that bar as him 2) I'm over it and him, so why am I ready and willing to run? I wasn't gonna run. I was gonna do my thing and whatever happened, happened.

Wanna know what happened? Mecca had a few vodka sodas, felt very nice and danced the night away. I had a fabulous time and didn't care that he was there. The only thing that sucked was that at one point in the night he purposefully looked me right in my face, and turned and ran for the bar [down]. He's a punk. A weasel. I mean, I would have been cordial. But he chose to be an a-hole, so I decided to keep it moving and try to forget it. It did hurt my feelings, because this wasn't some random relationship, this guy was who I thought was "the one". So the fact that couldn't even look at me, hurt. But I knew I did nothing wrong. I didn't break up with me. I didn't walk away. He did. He has to work through whatever he going through. I can't change that. All I can do is move on. The night ended with a trip to my favorite diner [up]. What could be better?

Sunday, I was on my way to the mall, stopped at a light, minding my business, when BAM! F-ing a-hole whacks me from behind out of nowhere [major down]. I mean, hello? Does anyone pay attention on the road anymore? The good thing is, I am fine (went to the ER and just sore and a bit stiff) and Kira (my car) doesn't have any major cosmetic damage. I am going to drop her off on Thursday though and getting a rental car just to make sure everything is ok. And it wasn't my fault.

Yesterday I had off, although I ended up working at night for a major project that someone had to do and that someone just had to be me [down]. (No one else would do it on their day off). I got home late from work, woke up exhausted, and was greeted at work with a long laundry list of issues with a project I'm working on from legal. I bust into tears. (Literally, this is before it was even 9:30).

I'm so frustrated because I'm trying. Working my tail off and it seems for every one good thing, I get two bad. As the quote up top reads...I'm rising but I'm sooooo about to hit the ceiling.

Can a girl catch a break?

Numero Uno

Yay for lil beagles all over the world. Uno is the top dog. Is he not the most handsome little thing?


Look at that strut....

Oogy love

So Oprah had a Valentine's Day special and I was thrilled I caught it. I got to learn about Oogy. I fell in love. Everytime I hear a story or see another cutie dog, it makes me even more anxious for the day I adopt my own sweet pup. Here's the story from Oprah.com.

Love comes in many different packages—even in the form of a loveable pet! For Larry and his family, love came in the form of a dog named Oogy. "Everyone who sees him loves him," Larry says. "You'd never know it from his background, but he's overcome tremendous adversity to get here."When he was just a puppy, Larry says Oogy was living in a hell on earth. He was tied to a stake and used as bait for pit bulls in a dogfighting ring. "He'd been thrown in a cage and left to die, and the police raided the facility," Larry says. "He was brought to Ardmore Animal Hospital, and they saved him."Dr. Bianco, a veterinarian, says Oogy was still a puppy when he first treated the dog's severe damage. "He basically had the side of his face ripped off, his jaw was crushed, his skull was damaged," he says. "He's lucky to be alive."Larry and his twin boys were at the vet to drop off their cat when Oogy walked down the hall…and right into their hearts. "He looked like part of him had melted," Larry says. "But he just covered us with kisses. It's like he didn't know that anything bad had happened to him—he was just full of love. He jumped in our arms."When Larry found out the dog didn't belong to anyone, he asked Dr. Bianco if he could adopt him. "I couldn't believe my good luck," Larry says. "That's how I felt about this dog right from the start."

Oogy was given a loving home, but he still had an agonizing road to recovery. A second major surgery was necessary to rebuild Oogy's face and put an end to his chronic pain. "I think that every day my family tries to atone for what happened to Oogy. He's been through the worst imaginable horrors, and we feel very lucky because of what he gives back to us—an immeasurable amount of devotion and love."Larry's twin sons, Noah and Dan, have something special in common with Oogy—they were also adopted. " I'm sure when our parents adopted us, I hope it was one of the greatest days of their lives. And I know in my life, my experience when we adopted [Oogy], it was one of the greatest days of my life," Dan says."I think that Oogy symbolizes to people the indomitable survivor that they see in themselves," Larry says. "And that there is love on the other side of adversity."

In order to get to Chicago, Larry drove 15 hours with Oogy so he wouldn't be confined in a crate inside an airplane. "Oogy associates being in a crate with having his ear torn off, and I could not afford to have him endure that," Larry says.The Levin family says he might not be the prettiest dog, but Oogy's brought them more love than they could ever imagine. At first, however, Larry's wife, Jennifer says she was reluctant to bring the dog home. "I was really scared that he would bite, and he had a history of abuse, so I was afraid he would be violent," she says. After hearing Dr. Bianco attest to his good nature, Jennifer allowed Oogy into their home, and he's been a beloved family member ever since.Noah and Dan say Oogy has changed their lives in many different ways. "You don't think you can love just in that way until you meet a dog like Oogy," Noah says.Although Noah and Dan will be off to college soon, Larry plans to make sure Oogy still gets plenty of attention. "One of the things I want to do for Oogy is train him to work with kids and take him to kid's hospitals, because I think he'll be an inspiration to young kids who are facing a lot of adversity," Larry says.

I love OOGY! Oprah now has info on her website about how to adopt dogs in need. Check it out.

Love thy neighbor?

The first thing I must tell you about is how mean people stink. I believe back in November I mentioned that I was attacked by my neighbor’s dog. If you didn’t catch that story, here’s a brief synopsis:

(setting: my three story building lobby area)

It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I’m walking down the stairs to walk out the door and hop in car to get a second helping of Turkey Day grub at my surrogate mother’s house (which is my friend Kristin’s mom, Cookie*). So there I am, in the lobby of my building, and I open the door to walk outside and here comes Attacker dog (who’s name I don’t know), busting through the door and I move a little to the left to let him pass me hoping he would just run up the stairs. Where is the owner/walker of the dog? Well, she’s still outside around the corner, because she had Attacker on a retractable leash. MEANING: He MIGHT as well have been on his own. Unfortunately for me, Attacker does not just run up the stairs…he decides to make my leg his new chew toy. So there I am in my lobby screaming bloody murder, when the walker of the dog, finally runs into the lobby and grabs the dog. I’m crying, in severe pain, and at this point, just want the thing away from me, so I run outside and into my car where I broke down. I turned on the car to heat it up (since it was chilly outside) and I’m just crying, in total shock, not knowing what to do. I finally pull up my jean pant leg and see he definitely broke the skin, its scraped and scratched up and finally, it hurts like hell. The dog’s owner comes running out and to my car, and knocks on my window, and doesn’t apologize. No, that would be the right thing to do. She basically says, her sister was walking the dog and that she tries to tell her family to learn to keep a better hold on Attacker. She then says, “Well, let me know if you go to the doctor or something”, and proceeds back in the building. WTF? I just got attacked by your little beast and I felt as if she had an attitude or was treating me as if I had done something wrong. Anyway, I do eventually go to the ER within the hour, with Sin and Erin (Kristin’s sister) in tow for moral support, to get cleaned up and a nice shot (in case Attacker wasn’t up to date on his shots). The next day, I leave a note on neighbor lady’s door and ask her to call me, which she does, and I tell her I went to the ER, and I would like for her to take care of any expenses associated with the bill from that visit. She agrees. She also told me she will get a muzzle for him when they walk him so I don’t have to be afraid.

Since I have to live in the same building as her, I wanted to handle things as amicably as possible, so therefore stupid me did not file a police report, nor did I call animal control, or even write the condo association where I live. I love dogs and felt bad too about calling animal control as I wouldn’t want anything happening to Attacker, even though he is a VERY aggressive dog. All I wanted was the bill paid.

So fast forward to today, Feb 16 and this is where we are. In early January, I finally received the hospital bill. I proceeded to make a copy for her and asked her to pay within two weeks. THREE WEEKS later she finally comes to my door (Feb 1) after I had a run in with the dog as I walking up the stairs to my door (her daughter was heading down the stairs and I was heading up and he started growling and scratching [NO MUZZLE] to get to me and she quickly had to pull him back into their house), and she hands me a check for the full amount. The next day while running errands, I put the check in the bank. Well, lo and behold, the next week, I’m doing some online banking and discover THE CHECKED BOUNCED! WTF? First you pay me late, then you give me a bad check? So now I’m in bitch mode. I tried to be nice and this is the slap in the face I get. Not to mention, I didn’t charge her for my antibiotics I had to take because of the bite and I now have a scar on the calf of my right leg, which I will be going to the dermatologist to try minimize, and she won’t be paying for that either! So why? In addition to her check bouncing and my bank charging me a fee, my local gym membership check bounced, because I didn’t have enough money in my account when it tried to clear because of her bounced check. So now, she owes me the original amount + the check return fee my bank charged + a NSF fee (since my gym check bounced) + the fee my gym charges for returned checks. How terrible is that?

So now, I’ve written her a letter and sent it certified mail, listing all she owes me and giving her 10 days (from the time I get the receipt that the letter was signed for) to pay me in cash, cashier’s check or money order OR I will be contacting an attorney and taking her to court. I also am writing a letter at least to the condo association making them aware of the incident in the hopes that they might in force her to at least ensure the safety of its tenants, by asking her to get a new non-retractable leash and a muzzle for the dog while walking it.

It breaks my heart that it has gotten to this point. I hate feeling uncomfortable in my own building but this is ridiculous. She is responsible and needs to step it up.

I’ll keep you updated on the whether or not I’m going to the bank or going to court…

*She is so aptly named since Cookie (who does have a real name, but I won’t divulge) has got to be one of the sweetest ladies ever. Whenever she meets a child, she extends her hand and says, “Hi. My name is Cookie, but you can’t eat me”. I think this is absolutely adorable/hysterical and kids just LOVE her. Well count me in.

Dusting the cob webs off the blog

My, my, my, I have so much to tell you all. Since I don’t want to lose you with a LONG post with all the “going-ons” over the past couple of weeks, I’ll just do separate posts.

Dogs Rule

For the past two mornings, I have been been brought to tears over the latest Pedigree advertisment. It's only 30 seconds, but has gotten me both times.



I am an avid dog lover...I like them all: big, small, plump, thin, loud, quiet, playful, lazy...whatever. I'm particularly fond of beagles, but I'd take just about any pup I could. As soon as I move into a space large enough, going to the animal shelter to give some special guy a good home is one of the first things on my list.

In the meantime, I will help out in any way I can. The dogs rule website is not only cute, it's informative and offers great ways to help by either volunteering or donating to shelters, helping dogs in need.

**And if you've looked at the video, and are wondering about Echo from the commercial, my co-worker and I did some research and found out that she was adopted in November from an LA animal shelter. I hope she's in a loving home.

Missing SoFla

I'm sure my friends and family are tired of hearing it, so I will "let it out" in my blog. I am missing Florida in the worst way. I miss everything about it. The fact that it's brrr, brrr, brrr, cold right now doesn't help. Don't get me wrong, I love the Northeast. This is where I was born and raised...and it will always be home, but I feel like I was born and raised in Florida in another life. I'm a Jersey girl...but with Florida blood - thin.

That's all.

Breathing is wonderful.

Just a quick update:

My z-pack and my decongestant are working. I still sound like a nasally, congested man, but hey, at least I feel better. ..:smile:.. In other news, tomorrow is back to the grind. ..:frown:..

Sinus infections stink.

They sure do. I've done nothing wrong but try and bundle, stay warm, dress appropriately depending upon the weather, wash my hands a gazillion times a day, drink lots of water...just about everything I can to keep from getting "sick". I guess everyone has their day. My day is today (and yesterday, probably tomorrow and the next day as well). That's right -- Thursday evening I noticed that annoying clogged, can't breathe sensation in my right nostril. That annoying pain in my right cheekbone. I called it. A sinus infection. The pain became unbearable throughout the night and yesterday morning I was begging Fran at Dr. G-H's office to see me because I knew I could not last a long holiday weekend without something to help me 1) breathe (some people take it for granted and think it's so overrated until you can't, then it's the most wonderful thing ever) and 2) function without wanting to stick my head under the tire of a moving truck to take me out of my misery of having a sinus headache.

So here I am, at home, in bed, with a sinus infection, fever and whatnot, drinking tons of fluids with a 5-day Zpack, a decongestant, nasal saline spray and a large box of tissues on hand instead of enjoying the long weekend with my friends as planned.

Oh well. Obviously, after running around for what feels like 8 weeks already, I think this is God's way of forcing my behind into some much needed R&R.

Feel free to leave some love.

It's Wednesday morning...

...and once again I have no motivation to start my day off with any "real" work. I'm burnt people. Burnt to a crisp and in desperate need of a day, even better a week, of R&R. So to delay the inevitable, I'll share with you my latest mission/adventure: FIND A NEW APARTMENT.

Don't get me wrong. I love where I live, and who I live with, but I just can't take the space (or lack thereof) any longer. This issue is the whole reason WHY my blog is named what it is named. Why Closets Fall Apart? is not just come quirky little question, it's my life people. To better understand my situation, you need to understand the set-up of my current living conditions. In April of 07, I moved into my current home (a two bedroom condo, owned by my roommate - I basically rent my bedroom and bathroom and we share common areas). I should have known that I would have had problems with the space (or lack thereof) because over my 26 years and 9 and half months of living, your girl has accumulated shit. I mean, massive amounts of shit. I try not to be a pack rat because I hate clutter and sometimes I can even lose sleep over it, but between my necessities (clothes, shoes, etc.) and my keepsakes (photos, yearbooks, books, and ok, ok, I admit, some old college papers that I just can't seem to get rid of), I'm basically maxed out. I don't remember the exact dimensions of my room, but damn, it's tight in there. I had to get rid of one of my dressers just to have enough room to walk. Not to mention the fact that I had to store a gazillion boxes and huge bins filled with more stuff at my mom's bf's house (free of charge, thank goodness) just to get in. I accidentally had to dump a bunch of stuff I had (some with sentimental value) due to the flooding basement of my last apartment but I won't even get started on that because it makes my blood boil!

Back to my spacial issues - My closet on the other hand, as organized as I tried to make it, is 5' x 2' of pure small hell. My closet has fallen apart on me TWICE since I've been there...and when I mean fall apart, I mean, the whole top shelf has come unattached from the wall ripping the wall into a nice giant hole that in turn had to be spackled and repainted. I was frantic. Aside from the actual wall and the hollowness behind it being totally exposed, my clothes and storage bins on top of the shelves were scattered and thrown all through the closet and I have yet to get it back to a functional order.

In addition to the small amount of space in my room, my bathroom is even tighter! Literally, I can not turn around without bumping into something (whether it be my towel rack, stand up shower door, toilet itself or sink). My scale has to stand up straight against the wall because lying it flat is just not an option. No vanity. My robe which hangs on the back of the door, is so fluffy, it prevents the door from opening in its entirety, so I have to move the robe and hang it on a dining room chair when I'm doing my hair, or applying make-up, just so that I don't hyperventilate from claustrophobia when I'm in there.

With my malfunctioning closet and lack of space (both closet and room), I am basically sitting on top of myself in my room, which is where I spend most of my time being that "it's not my condo" and I don't even feel 100% comfy lounging in the common areas like I have in my past living situations.

All that said, I still love the place and my roomie who owns the place and hate the fact that I'm even considering leaving, but I just can't take it anymore. I like to live clutter-free with big open, airy spaces. Is that too much to ask? My goal is to find a 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment with a storage area (or large closets) and a washer and dryer in the unit; which in my neck of the woods is like finding a friggin' needle in a haystack; but I am determined. Determined to find a space all my own...large closets and all.

In the meantime, I need to re-organize and try to merge/purge even more. Any suggestions? I need bed lifts to fit more underneath my bed, although, I don't know just yet how I feel about having to take a running jump start just to get on my bed (or if I even have the space to take a running jump start), but I'll do what I have to do. Any other suggestions? (I already have sweater and shoe holders for the closet and stackable bins upon bins).

Anyway, I guess I should get back to work, being that it's what they pay me for.

Happy Hump Day and thanks for listening!

The Kone: my official, unofficial review

I got The Dirt Devil Kone (in pink) for Christmas from my Mom and per a request from Katie over at Le Petit Chic, figured I would provide my own personal little review on the my new sleek looking hand vac.

I was thrilled to get The Kone, as it's nice, sleek, cone-like design not only looks great, but doesn't take up much space. It just kind of sits there quietly, minding its business, waiting for you, it's owner to pick it up and take it for a pick-up. I took it out of the box and followed the instructions, charging it for a full 24 hours before use. 24 hours and 1 second later, I picked up my new handsome guy (which does have a little weight to it), and ran to the bathroom, which was a black sea of hair (I purposely left it that way from the last 24 hours from the many times I brushed my hair, which KILLED me, might I add) and quickly pressed the button and "sssssszzzzzzzzzz" off it went. It was a LOT noisier than I expected it to be. I guess since it was small, I expected it to use an "inside voice" when in fact, it sounds pretty darn close to a regular vacuum. Although, since it's meant as a handheld for smaller surface areas and it's suction works wonders, I didn't have it on for too long. In addition, I tried it on carpet too, not just my bathroom floor, and it worked there too!

Overall, I am in love. Welcome home Kone! You'll fit quiet nicely into my psychotic cleaning and organized ways. :)

Pros: The little fucker works like a charm!, Lasts long after a nice charge, works on hardwood floors and carpets alike, comes in a multitude of colors, reasonably priced (@$39.99, but with a LNT or BBB coupon, it will be like $32 bucks)!
Cons: A little heavier then I anticipated, noisier than expected
Rating: 9.0