26 Things: Take My Foreign Service Test

So have I ever told you I like to travel? Even more than traveling, I like passport stamps. So much that when I was going through customs a few weeks ago coming back from Mexico and the officer processed my passport without stamping it I actually stood at the counter, stared at him with big puppy dog eyes, and offered my open passport to him, Oliver-Twist-style.

Please sir, may I have a stamp?

My sixth grade drama teacher would have been so proud.

Digression aside, I decided that my love of travel, as well as my fluttery affection for democracy and the Constitution MUST have a viable career progression. Enter the United States Foreign Service.

I ran into my friend Emma at a bar a few months ago. She had just gone through the security clearance to become a member of the Foreign Service (or, as most people know it, a diplomat) and was awaiting a call to be placed somewhere in the world. She is now doing a two year contract in Sao Paolo (Yea, seriously. Carnivale for two years straight. Stop living my dream life already!), but I'll never forget the minute she told me about the Foreign Service and how amazing it sounded. I ran home (stumbled, probably, and I was likely wearing heels) and immediately logged into the US Foreign Service website. I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do with my life. But the process is long, and the fail rate is extremely high. And frankly, the written test is hard, getting into the Service is hard, but being a diplomat, moving every two years, constantly staying abreast of current issues...well, that's REALLY hard.

But, in the infinite wisdom of Tom Hanks "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great."

*sob as I rewind that part over and over again*

I find out if I pass the test in a few days, upon which I will notify you all (or I will completely ignore the fact that I ever even brought this up in the first place...in which case you will know that I failed).

And really, even if I don't pass this time, I'll take it again. I'm really just looking forward to the day where I can list my occupation as "Diplomat".

Beautiful Things

So let me tell you a story.

Are you ready?


*cue you, nodding fervently*


So I was walking down 14th Street on Saturday and trying to escape the 95 degree heat with a touch (or 90%) humidity by standing in front of open deli doors and basking in their air conditioned loveliness (oh, what New Yorkers will do for a little free A/C) and I LITERALLY smacked straight into the most beautiful little works of art that I've ever seen.






And so I bought two: one for my lovely, yet unborn niece, so that as she's growing up, she will know that she is a brave little chickadee and that when she needs to spread her tiny little bird wings, I will be backin' her up with some advice and lotsa presents.


And I bought one for myself. Even though I have no where to hang it and I may very well be homeless soon. Even though I'm trying to save money and not buy things I don't ABSOLUTELY NEED. Even though I just passed by the $3 ice cream truck because it was too expensive and that $3 could equal 3 meals in Southeast Asia. But $40 on 2 mobiles made from recycled wood and spray paint are total life essentials, right guys?


Right?!


Hello???



Uh......



.......guys?


Maybe it's not a life necessity, but who doesn't need a little reminder of how awesome they are or how much courage they have without knowing it?


Imagine my delight when he said in his rather cute German (or Dutch or Australian...I was too busy gaping at mobiles fluttering in the wind) accent that "well, yes I do have an Etsy page".


SUCCESS!


Now I want you all to go out and buy someone else some inspiration in the form of a mobile while supporting innovative artists and feeling good about yourself.


How do you get inspired? How would you feel if someone bought one of these for you? Where would you hang it? Mine is going next to my mirror as soon as I find a hammer.

Rainy Days and Wednesdays

Image

Rain, rain, you can stay...as long as you catch me

on a date with an uber-hottie

It's been a little gloomy here in the good old NYC and as I was lying in bed this morning WILLING my alarm clock not to go off (which looks something like squeezing my eyes so tightly no light gets in...it doesn't work, don't try it), I was thinking about the reasons that I sometimes can't wait for a rainy day. Here's what I came up with.

Hard, Downpouring "Wait-Under-An-Awning-Until-It-Passes" Rain

Most needed when: It's nine hundred degrees, my air conditioner hasn't been installed yet, and I'm literally sweating while just sitting in my apartment.

Most fun when: Always, except if you're 10 minutes late to work and/or heading out on a date with that hottie from Marketing.

What to do when you're caught in it: As seen in many a chick flick, this type of rain is almost MEANT to be played in. It only lasts 4.3 seconds, you can virtually SEE it looming towards you in the distance, and it doesn't come all that often so you might as well embrace it. Throw on some rain boots and a long tank top and sprint up and down your street. You might feel like you're five years old but, well hey, who doesn't need that feeling in their lives?

Drizzly, Sprinkly "Will-You-Ever-Stop-Falling-So-My-Hair-Looks-Normal" Rain

Most needed when: It's been so hot for three days that neither you nor your hair can't stomach another ninety degree, hazy day.

Most fun when: You're heading out for a little run/walk/softball game and you're sticky skin is cooled by the lightly falling droplets.

What to do when you're caught in it: Headed to work? Open up the big, old umbrella and listen to it lightly fall on the canopy above you. On a date? Channel your inner Bond girl and slick your hair back, pretending you've just saved the world from a Russian spy invasion. Stuck at home? Go for a little jaunt to the ice cream store. If you don't have air conditioning, like me, you'll get the double bonus of cooling off AND the line will be super short.

No-Rain, Rain

Most needed when: Your life needs a little bit of lightning and thunder in it without all of the rain business that comes with it.

Most fun when: You're on a pier or a porch having a glass of your favorite something (Genny Cream Ale in my case) and watching the amazing, free light show in front of you.

What to do when you're caught in it: Just watch and listen. This doesn't happen often and, since there's no rain to prevent you from being outside, take advantage of it. Get your butt on the porch, watch through your window, lie in your bed and turn all the lights off.

Any other types of rain that you guys love? Tips for telling yourself to enjoy it instead of groaning "It's raining?! AGAIN?!"

How to Have a Perfect Evening

Today, it rained.

**cue collective group huff of frustration**

I did not look at the weather and wore a short sleeve dress and my trusty red canvas TOMS.

**cue my mother telling me that I should ALWAYS have AT LEAST a shawl**

**now cue my grandmother asking me what the frick are TOMS, they look like hippie shoes for cryin' out loud**

(She's ninety-three and feisty, my grandma is. She says cool words like "fella" as in "Lauren, when are you goin' to get yourself a nice fella?" Soon, Grams, as soon as I stop scaring all of the ones that approach me at bars with my ninja skills.)

However, I had a perfect evening. It was doomed to be a cuddle up in front of the couch evening, but somehow, it turned a corner. Here is why tonight was an absolutely perfect rainy evening:

I went to the gym. Seriously, it was only to walk on the treadmill. But even that got better because...

I ran four miles! I was watching Robert Pattinson on the MTV movie awards. He's so dreamypants I thought that if I kept running eventually he would notice me (he did not). But, feeling so good after that...

I did 20 pushups! I have T-Rex arms. It's a miracle I can hold a pencil. I will be telling people about my 20 pushups for years to come (regardless of whether or not I ever do another pushup again). And then I sprinted home and...

Took a shower! I didn't say it had to be a particularly unique evening. I was still thinking about the pushups when...

I read three chapters in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay". And loved Michael Chabon's quirky descriptiveness. And after that, I checked out the lineup at my favorite folk music bar and...

I heard the most amazing, absolutely beautiful female vocalist/guitarist and cellist duo I have ever, ever heard. I can't remember the last time I felt so happy with a $5 beer and no company. I hugged Maya (the vocalist/guitarist) after the show and bought her CD (which I never ever do because I am a ginormous fan of iTunes).

Take a listen, y'all. These women just made me realize how awesome it is to be alive and listening to music in New York City. I'm still tingly just thinking about them.

That's it! A little gym, a little reading, a little musical concert turned one rainy night into a fantastic evening of awesomeness. All I needed were some rainboots, a parka, and a little hope.


What do you guys do on rainy evenings? Can you turn a little moisture into an ingredient for success?

Declutterization 101

In the interest of rendering clean my swank, 2 foot by 6 inch, Brooklyn apartment, I've been reading a whole boatload of organization tips from professional organizers (which is a career in which I am very interested since I'm positive 85% of the job is spent at the Container Store...*swoon*). Some of their tips are SUPER helpful like "Don't keep anything that you would be embarrased if someone else found" from Sara (Absolutely! Unicorn candlesticks, you are HISTORY).

My favorite type of organization is decluttering, since I feel much less chained to housecleaning (fewer things to dust!) and more able to keep track of the things that I actually do own. Since i live in a bitty apartment, I am actually very careful of the things that I purchase since I simply have no place to put anything (currently, I'm trying to figure out how to disguise my golf clubs as a light fixture). In fact, perhaps the silver lining to the cloud that is my 6 square centimeter kitchen is that we have learned to live without certain major things because, well, we just can't cram one more appliance onto the counter or one more pan into the cupboard.

Case in point, my old roommate moved out and took her microwave with her. I had every intention of buying a new one right after I caught up on seasons 2 - 5 of LOST and had baked every type of pie in the Joy of Cooking. But, it just never happened. And guess what? Me and new roomie stopped buying microwavable popcorn. We learned to use the oven. And we went on with our lives (but not after the necessary weeklong hrrumphing about our lack of a microwave). I swear if I hadn't broke down and bought a TV, we would be sitting in our rocking

chairs on the front porch knitting and drinking homemade lemonade (disclaimer: we do not have any rocking chairs. We don't even have a front porch.)

So, in the interest of me making steps toward my life-for-the-past-25-minutes-long goal of becoming a professional organizer, here are a few methods of organization of which I am a total supporter:

1. Create gifts out of old vases (and other old shiz).

Okay, I am NOT crafty. I have a friend who presses flowers and decoupages her furniture. I am hesitant to admit that I can spell decoupage correctly. However, I do have a plethora of vases that I have collected over the years, but have never, ever had more than even one bouquet of flowers to display. Thus, when a work acquaintance was going through a tough time, I dug out an old vase that had been used once, swung by the bodega on the corner that sold purple daises for $6 a bunch, invested 20 minutes on arranging some assorted flora, and BAM! instant gift for less than the cost of dinner. And now, I'm down one old vase down and up a few more inches of shelf space.

This goes with lots of other things: the bottoms of old CDs can be felted and given as coasters. One too many picture frames of with old pics of you and the ex? Take his picture out and put in a fun one of you and your girls for someone's birthday.

2. If you can't bear to throw away tiny pieces of paper, scrapbook them.

I know we're not 75. I know we have WAY better things to do than cut out cardboard hearts with squiggly scissors. But, in that 1) I am not creative at all and 2) I maintain a scrapbook (albeit an unexciting and symmetrical one), it really is possible to do with minimal effort. And, even if I just paste little mementos into one book titled "Scrapbook" (I kid you not) and then write the date and location next to it, at least I have some tangible memory without 15 concert ticket stubs floating around in my desk drawer underneath 8 business cards from restaurants I visited in France.

3. Use ALL of it. And I mean the whole dang thing.

Why do you have 85 different face creams? And four different kinds of shampoo? Yea, I don't know either, but guess what? They're meant to be used, people! So try finishing a bottle of hair smoother before you buy a new one, and maybe don't buy that new scent of body lotion that you ABSOLUTELY love and must have or else you will die a thousand deaths, because, chances are, it will be there in 4 months when your current body lotion runs out. And even if it isn't, I'm 99% percent positive you will find an equally awesome scent. Just sayin'.

4. Quilt it!

I like to run a lot of road races. The downside (or upside, depending on your daily wardrobe) is that I'm getting a new t-shirt every week or two. While I love t-shirts, my corporate job just doesn't see them as appropriate work attire. Thus, they are often left sitting in a giant tub at the foot of my bed. I can't donate them because they remind me of the races I've run, and I can wear them because, well, my boss just says no. So, I quilted them. I have a nice warm quilt and TONS of memories to go with it. You can use these for old university shirts or sweatpants. And your husband/wife/significant partner/dog/roommate will stop bugging you for wearing that "crappy lookin' tshirt all the dang time".

These are some of my decluttering tips. Any particular tips you guys have for dealing with crud in your house? Seriously, please tell me, as I'm getting agita over my growing pile of dishtowels that I seem to receive for each and every occasion in my life.

26 Things in my 26th Year!

The newest additions to the tribe of surfing women.

It's going to be a good year, I can feel it.

...

Okay, so TECHNICALLY I turned 26 a week ago today. But I was in Mexico learning to surf and swallowing more salt water than is probably healthy for a single individual to consume over such a short period of time. But, while I will NEVER forget riding waves on my 25th birthday, I am also looking forward to the 26 things that I am aiming to accomplish in this recently started 26th year.

26 New Adventures in my 26th Year

1. Take my Foreign Service Officer Test.

2. Get yoga teacher certified.

3. Spend a whole Sunday morning at a fabulous café, reading the entire New York Times cover to cover.

4. Pray in a Mosque during prayer time.

5. Go sledding with my nieces.

6. Get my fortune told.

7. Organize a girls’ night with invitations and party favors and hors d’oeuvres and décor.

8. Go raw for two weeks. NO CHEATING!

9. Complete a triathlon.

10. Ride around Central Park in a horse drawn carriage.

11. Learn to skateboard.

12. Get my motorcycle license.

13. Take a Belly Dancing Class.

14. Get my eyebrows waxed.

15. Record a Storycorps with someone I admire.

16. Audition for a dance company.

17. Make something completely for someone else for no other reason than they are my friend.

18. Do Midnight Yoga.

19. Go camping in a tent.

20. Go to Shakespeare in the Park.

21. Get me some acupuncture.

22. Rent a car and drive to Vermont and New Hampshire.

23. Go on a SECOND date.

24. Go to a drive-in movie.

25. Call in sick to go surfing.

26. Go to a pole dancing class.

So there it is, the reason I started this blog in the first place. What are the awesome things you guys have done or are doing this year? Should I add anything to the list?

My 25th Year: #1 - #5

"Every time you wake up and ask yourself,

What good things am I going to do today?,

remember that when the sun goes down at sunset,

it will take a part of your life with it."

::Indian Proverb::

...

Wahoo! It's the last installment of the "25 Kick Butt Things I Did in my 25th Year" (which is exciting because I really want to start posting about things like "My Recent Obsession with Neon" and "Things I Have Learned from My Eyebrow Waxer").

So, without further ado (what the heck does ado mean anyway? Anyone?), numbah's Uno through Cinco coming up:

#5 ::Participated in an official beach tennis tournament:: Sure, this can go on the list of sports that will in no way affect your life if you never play. However, tennis in the sand while not wearing shoes and drinking a beer? AND a free t-shirt? I mean, it's really hard to say many competitive sports get better than that.

#4 ::Started a journal:: So while this isn't awesome in the "look how wild and crazy I am!" way, this is awesome in that my new journal is now filled with some amazing, thoughtful, gut-wrenching, emotional, did I say amazing? things that have happened to me in the past year or so. And while I never thought journaling would in anyway be productive, it has led me to remember how much I like to write, and has even inspired me to start this blog. And plus, I can wait to look back when I'm 35 and say "oh crap, even if I had taut skin and no jiggly arm fat, I'd still rather not go through all the bull-poo I went through in my 20s."

#3 ::Went to the final game in the Big East Tournament. Cried salty tears when Georgetown lost to West Virginia:: For all you college basketball fans out there, I know you feel my pain. I've lived in New York City for THREE consecutive Big East tournaments and have never gone to the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Let me tell you, seeing Madison Square Garden full with crazy alumni and students from both schools was an absolute rush. Add to that the fact that it was tied until the final minute and I can honestly say it was the most emotional I've ever felt toward a small orange sphere.

Okay, I'm done with my sports obsession. I'm sure I've bored some of you to tears.

Apologies.

Moving on.

#2 ::Attended a rodeo:: This almost made me buy a plane ticket to Nebraska and hitchhike to a cattle ranch to find me a husband. Plus, I got to wear flannel, a cowboy hat, and cowboy boots and I totally fit in instead of being perceived as ironic. Though I do love irony as a general rule.

#1 ::Really and truly learned what awesome girl friends are for:: Growing up with an older brother who was as competitive with me as Nancy and Tonya (Kerrigan and Harding...am I dating myself with that one?), I related to boys much easier (something about wrestling as a problem solving mechanism seemed so familiar to me). It wasn't until this year that I met some amazing women that I can call with problems, who will listen to me bitch, buy me drinks when I've had a bad day, and tell me I probably shouldn't wear a certain skirt that shows my pasty legs in the dead of winter. And because of these awesome girlfriends, I've really and truly learned how to love myself for all my imperfections and flaws. Because they love me and they love themselves, and it's always better to be around people who will cheer for you as hard as you should cheer for yourself.

PHEW! That was a list! Are you guys getting excited for the 26 Things I'm Planning on for This Year? Have you started a list of the awesome things you've done this year? If not, get it started!

My 25th Year: #6 - #10

Dear wave, I own you. Regards, LC.

...

Oh gosh darnit, my blog is only a week old and I've already slacked off like the backwards hat kid that sat behind you in world history (who you thought was cute but didn't think your parents would approve of you dating...hypothetically)

But I have a FANTASTIC excuse and it is in the form of a NEW experience that I undertook this past week JUST IN TIME for it to make this year's list. Thus, to kick off the next leg of my "25 Awesome Things in my 25th Year":

#10 ::Traveled solo to a place where I didn't know one single person:: I thought I'd ease into the whole "traveling alone as a female" by attending an all women's surf camp. I had heard about Las Olas through a women's surfing website, and since they were having an internet special when I started looking into attending, I booked it to span my 25th birthday as a present to myself. I cannot in any concise manner and without using too many adverbs explain how absolutely transformative (see, there I go with the descriptors) this weeklong experience was, but it couldn't have been more life changing and uplifting. Though I didn't know one single person that was attending, I still came away with 24 brand new, awesome chicks as friends and mentors. And as one such newly acquired friend said so wisely to sum up the experience the day before we were all leaving, "It's going to be so hard going back to the real world where no one tells you how great you are all the time." Preach, sistah.

#9 ::Been so hurt by someone I loved and recovered by sheer willpower and solid self-confidence:: I think we've all been through this one so I don't have much to say except that I am an ENTIRELY better person because of this experience. I have discovered tons of things about myself, specifically that I am one badass chick and have a lot of dang courage. And as my dad says in his infinite dad-ly wisdom, "If this is the last time that you experience heartbreak of any kind, you are a truly lucky person."

#8 ::Held my yoga handstand in the middle of the room:: I have serious concentration issues that I blame on being the youngest of four and not ever having time to myself. Example: I'm listening to Otis Redding as I type this post, and also searching surfing beaches in Bali (Indonesia? Yes, please.). So when I focused enough to stand on my head without wobbling like those crazy people at triple A games that embarrass themselves by doing dizzy bat for free keychains, well, it was an exciting moment worthy of a little child's-pose-dance-party on my yoga mat.

#7 ::Spent Carnival in the Caribbean:: Half-naked, not-entirely-fit women in sequined bikinis, drunk salsa dancing trumpet players, lots of ill fitting feathery hats, ridiculous souvenirs...the list goes on, but if there's one thing you should do before you die, it's find out why the month of February is the only month worth hitting up the Caribbean. I'll give you a hint: the first word is "free" and the second one rhymes with "schmalcohol".

#6 ::Windsurfed:: I like adventure sports. The crazier, the better. And I like adventure sports even more when I can bat my eyelashes with a local to get free lessons about previously mentioned adventure sport (aka trip over my words and ask if he had any free time I'd love LOVE love to watch him windsurf, and then he offered to teach me a few things, which is what I really wanted in the first place). Thus, my escapade with windsurfing. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a pro, but I got a nice little ride and learned how to turn without bailing off my board.

One more day of my 25 AWESOME things, and then I'll get to post about the 26 things I'm going to do before my 26th. I still have a few things to think of...any ideas about things I TOTALLY need to try this year?