Author Archives: Rachel

Spontaneity For The Rest of Us

Posted in Thoughts About Life by

spontaneous_quoteI recently learned something about myself. I used to think I was spontaneous, that I enjoyed knowing that my evening could end up in a million possible places. Turns out this is not true, well, partially not true. I like a very specific type of spontaneity. I love adventure. I love exploring new places and meeting cool, new people. However, this spontaneity must fall in its allotted time slot. Don’t go throwing a wrench in my Saturday morning routine with a “surprise”.That’s what the afternoon is for.

I also like to be prepared. I like to know ahead of time that the evening’s plans are open-ended. I like to be prepared for (almost) every possible outcome. I don’t like to be caught off guard without my daily necessitites. This is why my purse is so big.

It’s really not that complicated.

A Solution for the Sad, Whipped Boyfriend

Posted in People Watching by

flynn-satchelThe sad whipped boyfriend. We’ve all seen him. He’s often a few steps behind his girlfriend, carrying a gold, glittery purse stuffed to the brim with every in-case-of-emergency item imaginable. He always looks dissapointed, answering every order with a “Yes, dear.”

I recently had a thought looking at one of these sad, poor men. If the man’s going to be carrying his girlfriend’s purse around fairly frequently, shouldn’t they have more say in what it looks like?

Hear me out. Ladies, if you had a purse that looked less like an impractical designer explosion, and more of a rugged, leather satchel, your man probably wouldn’t give you as much grief about carrying it around. Maybe he wouldn’t be a few steps behind you, possibly rethinking his life decisions. Maybe you wouldn’t have to ask him to carry your bag anymore. Maybe he would own it and it would become his bag that you throw your crap into.

Some men carry great bags, and some men have girly bags thrust upon them. Think about it.

Celebrities Are People Too, Right?

Posted in People Watching by

hollywood_starI’ve learned that, if you crowd enough people around and throw a few cameras into the mix, you can convince onlookers that they’re in the presence of a celebrity. The crowd will grow. People will stand around for great lengths, and for no apparent reason. I admit, I may have gotten caught up in a possible celebrity sighting once or twice. Although, after standing around for a few seconds, I quickly realized that no one was going to appear any time soon, and I kept moving. Why do we do it? They’re just people. Are we amazed that they jumped out of the TV and are now standing in front of us?

Personally, I’m glad my face isn’t world-famous. I enjoy blending into crowds and drinking my coffee in peace without being bombarded for autographs. Sure, if I was offered a celebrity-sized salary, I’d probably give it a try. You know, in the name of research.

Curly Hair: Living With The Beast

Posted in Thoughts About Life by

princess merida curly hairPinterest is filled with women who have enviable, long flowing locks. However, what Pinterest doesn’t show you is the struggle it takes to get there, especially if you’re not equipped with a team of professionals. For those like me who don’t have people to dress them in the morning, curly hair can be quite the struggle. Now, I realize that not everyone with curly hair has these problems, but I certainly do.

Curly Hair is Temperamental

If you stand the hope of steering your curly hair in the desired direction, you have to treat it just right. Not enough product can leave your hair limp and frizzy. Too much product can create an unmanageable crunchy mess. If you get the balance just right, you can end up with bouncy, enviable curls, but don’t hold your breathe.

I’ve found the most predictable results come when I bring in reinforcements, aka the curling wand. However, this requires an extra half hour in the morning, and frankly, I don’t have that kind of time. Maybe once I become a curling wand pro, I’ll be able whip out a fabulous doo in 10 minutes or less… And maybe I’ll stop burning myself so much…

Curly Hair is Unpredictable

You’re never really in control. You can try to be, but ultimately, your hair’s going to do whatever it wants. The harder you fight, the harder it revolts.

I’ve found that it’s better to go with the flow (pun intended) instead of fighting against it. Let your hair make the rules, because it basically will anyways. You can either fight and give in later, or skip the fight and give in now.

Another fun fact about curly hair is it generally decides to cooperate and look fantastic when noone’s there to appreciate and admire it. Maybe it has trouble performing under pressure. Stage fright?

Curly Hair Doesn’t Lie

Curly hair often acts as a type of mood ring. If you’ve had a rough day, people will see it. I’ve learned that the craziness of my hair at the end of the day is a direct reflection of how crazy my day’s been. Note, If my hair is a mad, frizzy mess, you should probably steer clear.

Winning Isn’t Everything

Posted in Thoughts About Life by

Game-OverI hate to lose. Unfortunately I’m winning-challenged and I lose quite often. It doesn’t really matter what I’m playing, The Game of Life, Chinese Checkers, or Fantasy Football. I lose so often that I’ve started to settle for “not last”. It’s become too far to reach for the top. If I can beat at least one person, I’ll probably agree to play the game again, maybe. If not, there’s a good chance I’ll throw the game board and all its pieces up in the air and storm out of the room. I may not be the best loser.

What’s the big deal about winning anyways? Is it really necessary to put someone down in order to feel better about ourselves? It’s just not enough for people to enjoy the inward satisfaction of winning. They have to constantly remind you that they beat you. Like they can’t fully enjoy winning unless you realize how you’ve failed in comparison to their greatness. Come on! It’s Fantasy Football! Can’t we shake hands and say ‘good game’ like regular football?!?!

Personally, I think there are worse things in the world than losing, like a building falling on you. That would be pretty hard to bounce back from. Yet, when someone beats you at a game of Risk, they might as well have conquered the real world. You didn’t actually conquer the world! It’s just pretend!! You wouldn’t last two seconds leading the charge in a real war!!! But I digress.

Losing builds character. Thousands (probably) of famous people were giant losers before they became the successful giants (not physically…well, maybe physically) that they now are. Maybe you should build some character and practice losing…so I can win.