Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I'm baaaack

Holy Cow it's been awhile!

Sorry I haven't been able to post lately.  I do have a few (somewhat) valid reasons for my lack of blogging as of late ...
  • Traveling (for work)
  • My work laptop (and my only source for blogging ... oops) died on me last week.  RIP old laptop, you will not be missed one bit.  I finally got my new laptop this evening and man oh wiz am I in love.  I've decided to name my new laptop Ralph.  Because my old one made me want to hurl.
  • Boring lifestyle ... I really haven't had much to say, even if I have a laptop to write on!
Other than my new laptop, nothing very exciting has happened to me.  I swear, I'm gonna try to find some innerestin stories in my noggin to write about, because even I am boring myself!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Earthquake Shmerthquake

Man oh man, I know that everyone on the east coast is likely talking about this earthquake that hit yesterday ... but I'll quickly put in my two cents.

So I had no idea that it was an 5.9 earthquake until I logged onto thefacebook.  I work from home, remember?  I didn't have a ton of coworkers flipping out about everything shaking.  I honestly thought that it was just some really annoying neighbors or the construction going on down the street.  I knew stuff was shaking, but I kinda just ignored it and continued working.  Duh, self. 

And I quote from a conversation I was g-chatting my friend: "whoa the weirdest thing happened ... my apartment was shaking like an earthquake lol"

Cue to a few minutes later ... "oh man it really was an earthquake."

Smart, Catlady, reallll smart.  In my defense, I'm from Maryland ...we don't experience such acts of nature.  We never learned that the ground shaking is indeed an earthquake, not annoying neighbors.  That's my excuse and I'm stickin to it!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday

Happy Friday, kittens!  Sorry I haven't been around as of late to update my friends on life, but here I am!  Here's a few things that fill my heart up:

  • My bestest buddy, Mizz J, is having a birthday shindig on Sunday with her hilarious and amazing family in VA.  Can't wait!
  • I get to bond with my kitty niece, Pearly, this weekend
  • I was away on business this week, but coming home to my kitty babies was fantastic ... I currently have Mustacho cuddled up to me and looking particularly adorable
  • I have like 10 things on the DVR to watch, and yes ... I am very excited.
  • I ordered a food mill so that I can finally make gnocchi (and I'm hoping that my daddy will teach me how to make his amazingggg meatballs) ... YUM!
Song of the week:

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday

Happy Friday, ya'll!  Here's what fills my heart up this week:
  • Although they were annoying the yuck outta me this morning, Carlton and Mustacho are precious (now that they have been fed)
  • I am in love with my DVR and am way too excited to watch my shows this weekend ... pathetic, yes.  Do I care?  No.
  • Hate to admit it, but I am very excited that Jersey Shore is back on
  • Also embarrassing to admit, but I bought some jeggings from Levi's online.  I am way too in love with Levi's so I hope that these things don't disappoint me
  • I haven't used my credit cards in over 3 weeks ... which is a HUGE deal for me.  So exciting!  I mapped out how long it'll take for me to pay off my credit cards, student loans, and car and it was a little depressing, so I'm making an effort to reign in the spending and get that shiz paid off ASAP.  We'll see if the plan actually works, but that's the goal!
  • RAVENS!!!  First preseason game is next week and we better win cuz I have an important bet going and I won't hear the end of it if we lose.  Regardless, the dirty birds are gonna bring it this year and I am so beyond happy that football season is starting
Good luck on the GRE test tomorrow, Mrs. Lauren C!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

On a Lighter Note ...

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some much-needed girl time this week, and I thought I'd blog about how awesome my friends are!

Monday night, I went out on my monthly (or so) date of getting Mexican food with one of my best girlfriends from the bar, Squash.  I love hanging out with her, because we are totally on each other's level.  We love gossipping about hot messes, venting about just about anything, and (most importantly) share a love for queso and margaritas!

Tuesday night, I went to my favorite sushi joint with Mrs. Lauren C.  We must be so judged when we go there, because, rather than being healthy and getting all kinds of tasty raw seafood with yummy fresh veggis, we opt for anything fried, combined with cream cheese, and coated with some type of thick sauce.  Trust the two of us to find something decent for you and make it all kinds of terrible.

Last night, I got to hang out with my sorority sister and amazing friend at And I Can't Help but Wonder ... and her fantastic fiancee.  I love seeing the two of them ... it's so great talking about the past and being able to still share our experiences in the present together.  I also love talking about her upcoming wedding, because we all know I'm a freak for stuff like that!

All in all, a lot of stuff has been going on in my personal life, but with friends like these, who can really have room to complain?!  At least I'm finally getting out of the house (even if it means gaining a few extra inches in exchange!) and having a great time. 

Love, love, love!
-Cat Lady

On a Serious Note ...

When did our parents stop being parents and start being our peers? 

When we're kids, our parents can do no wrong (other than making us eat our dinner before dessert, forcing us to finish our homework, and giving us bedtimes before all the good shows come on) ... they're doing what is best for us, even if we don't necessarily agree. 

My brother and I had a pretty rad childhood.  We had a stay-at-home mom, an exceptionally hard working but incredibly loving dad, and grandparents who couldn't be more active in our lives.  We both were in all kinds of after-school activities; our mom went to every single school concert, party, field trip, and game; I had a big brother who I worshipped; we took great vacations, were loved like crazy, and generally had a pretty kickass lifestyle.

I can pinpoint the moment that I stopped being the kid in my family and started being the primary adult.  The second I found out that my mom was in shock trauma due to a severe car accident, I was forced to grow the eff up and be the adult.  No need to get into details, but that accident taught me a huge life lesson: our parents are not these magical fictional characters that we place on a pedestal; they're real, they make mistakes, and they're human.  Doesn't make it any easier to deal with ... in fact, it's just plain weird to think of your parents as anything more than Mom and Dad. 

Ever since that accident 7 years ago, I have continued to be the mother figure in my family.  My brother has always been babied by me, which I love to this day.  My mother, however, likes to think of me as more her "friend" than her child.  And quite honestly, I've been more so her guardian, protector, and therapist than anything else.  Who can have time or ability to be someones child after all of those responsibilities take their toll?

Is it healthy to have a parent and child switch roles?  They call our generation the "sandwich generation," because adults are stuck between the role of parenting their children and caring for their aging parents.  But what is it considered when a parent just starts going wild and their 20-something child has to pick up the pieces?