Woody Allen is my hero.

Woody Allen just might be my new hero.  You might have to read this more than once to fully grasp the wiseness of it but give it time to set in…

To love is to suffer.  To avoid suffering, one must not love.  But then, one suffers from not loving.  Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer.  

To be happy is to love.  To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy.  Therefore, to be happy, one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness.”  

– Woody Allen, Love and Death, 1975

Read Full Post »

A poem about time.

When I was in 4th and 5th grade I won first place at the Festival of Arts for my poetry.  I like to think that I take after my grandmother whose poetry was published when she was only 12.  But it’s more likely that all the other kids were exceptionally bad at writing, making my grade C poem look like it’s on its way to being fine literature.

Anyway, I gave up on poetry for a while and then when I was in high school I came out with this after having spent a wonderful evening with my high school boyfriend:

Time will always be there.
It will always get in the way.
Somehow when you’re having fun,
It just doesn’t seem to stay.

Other times when you’re really bored,
Or sick of what you’re doing,
There’s really nothing you can do,
To make the time keep moving.

Romantic isn’t it?

Read Full Post »

Relationship advice from a 9-year-old.

What I love about Alex Greven is that at age 9, he seems to have relationships all figured out.  I speculate that he is going to turn out one of two ways: 1.  He’ll have the best luck with relationships ever, OR  2. he’ll be divorced 5 times by the time he’s 30.  Either way, there’s something we can all learn from him…

Read Full Post »

Reason #1 not to try to meet someone at a bar.

The other night I went out with my girlfriends to go dancing.  Not that trashy kind of freak dancing.  Yuck.  Just the free spirited kind of dancing — the kind in which girls scream out, “Since you’ve been gone, I can breath for the first time!” when Kelly Clarkson comes on. 

My friend Sarah starting talking to some random guy she thought was cute.  (This meeting guys at bars thing, I will never understand).  She told us his name was Javiar and he moved from Venezuela to Chicago to become a park ranger.  How wildly adventurous.

Turns out his name was actually Ariel and he works for an industrial supply company called Grainger that transferred him from Mexico to Chicago.  Not nearly as romantic.

In her defense, the music was very loud…

Read Full Post »

So what.

This video isn’t at all angry…

Read Full Post »

“Free” date ideas.

Being self-employed defiantly has its struggles.  No work = no moolah.  So when the work gets slim, it’s time to get resourceful.

I was surfing the web trying to come up with cheap date ideas and I came across a link for “fun” free dates for people ages 25-29.  Hey, that’ me!  Naturally, the Dutch in me shouted, “CLICK ON IT!” So I did.

The first one listed is go for a bike ride.  Ok, not a bad idea…  We could stop and have a picnic and eat whatever we want without feeling guilty because we are doing so much exercise.  Only one problem.  I don’t have a bike which means I’d have to rent one or buy one.  So much for “free.”

The second idea is to make brownies and deliver them to friends’ houses and visit for a while.  Then, when it’s too late to stop at people’s houses, go home and eat what’s left.  Ok, ok… not bad.  I get the concept.  But I don’t really want to spend my date night hanging out with friends.  Plus, it’s not like I have BOXES of brownie mix sitting at home so I’d have to go to the store to buy some, which defeats the purpose of a free date.  So that idea is out.

The third idea is to “baby-sit for a young couple so they can have a night out alone.”  … Seriously?  They are actually suggesting that my free date should be to take care of other people’s bratty kids so THEY can go on a date?  How about they pay me to take care of their kids so that I don’t have to waste my time looking online for free date ideas!!!

Read Full Post »

“Why do people get married?”

My friend Tav once told me, if you want to hear the truth about something ask a kid.  So I did.  My sister and I sat my nephew down and, sandwiched in between other questions, I got what I was looking for.  The answer to, “Why do people get married?”

Read Full Post »

Luckier than I think I am.

Another Valentine’s Day came and went.  Good riddens.  I thought about posting some anti-sentimental kind of blog but then decided to just leave it alone.  It’s better that way.  Plus, I don’t want to encourage this relapse into cynicism that I’m experiencing.  I was making so much progress… sigh.  It’s not like I don’t have things to be thankful for:  I’m surrounded by people who love me.  And yet, on Sunday I found myself near tears, missing my dead dog because I was SO sure that he was the only one who truly loved me without any kind of hidden agenda.

I do miss my dog.  But I’m also past that little Sunday episode and back on track with my New Year’s resolution.

Tomorrow, I am heading to the other side of the state for a couple of weeks to work on a film (did I ever mention I was a filmmaker?) starring the most dreamy actor ever.  So I’m thinking… this might be my chance to find true love.  Totally kidding.  In fact, I think that’s 100% creepy [shivers crawl] but I will be in the presence of a man who causes most middle-age women to bite their lower lip and be thrust into an instant day dream.

Sometimes I think I’m luckier than I think I am.

Read Full Post »

Welcome to the family, Barkers.

I’ll admit it.  I still sleep with a stuffed-animal.  He’s a little blue elephant that my father gave me when I was 5-years-old.  I named him Flash Tripod (a creative little girl I was) and he loves me, I’m sure of it…  I grew up having a love for stuffed-animals that can really only be described as an obsession.  At one point, I regularly slept with 16 of them.  They all had a name and a special place in my bed (I feel like I should clarify that I was very, very young when this happened).

I write all this to make a point:  When it comes to picking out a “lovie” for a child, I am a Queen.  When my nephew Braden was born, I bought him an orange koala named Pookie.  He will NOT sleep without it.  My sister had to purchase a back-up Pookie in the event that – heaven forbid – Pookie gets lost. When my nephew Sawyer was born, I bought him a blue lion from Australia.  He too refuses to sleep without it.

And finally, here’s the little guy I bought for Miles just today:

Barkers - a TY Pluffy

I felt quite a bit of pressure with this one.  I’m aiming for three for three.  I’ll let you know how Barkers goes over with the little guy.  My fingers are crossed.

Read Full Post »

Go simple for V-day.

Valentine’s Day is only 3 days away and all you procrastinators might JUST be beginning to think of gift ideas.  I’ve decided not to celebrate it this year.  Well, maybe I’ll throw back a small glass of wine in honor of St. Valentine… it will depend on my mood.

My advice to you – if you’re looking for advice – is to go simple.  One of the best gifts I ever received was a Paris travel journal with a small note that simply read, “You once said you wanted to go to Paris.”  It was very sweet (and proved he was actually listening to me when I talked).  But then again another one of my favorites was 6 pairs of my all time favorite jeans.  I love a good pair of jeans.  I thought I died and went to heaven.

Whatever you do, don’t do a dozen roses.  A single rose and simple card is much less cliché.  If you want to go big with flowers, consider an arrangement of orchids.  These ones are particularly lovely:

Read Full Post »