Thursday, August 26, 2010

Lets Play Pretend!!

  It has come to my attention that I take things the wrong way quite often and easily. I want more than anything to end this, well, endless cycle of being so... whats a good word for it...??? sensitive? I mean really? Especially since I can be quite a douche myself.  I think I do it as a way to combat what others do to me!! (see, I'm logical sometimes). The truth is, the logical thing to do would be to ignore it and if it persists, talk about it. But for me, I immediately turn into a child at the first sign of some one being a jerk! (Hey!! no fair, SO! I don't care...*pouting*) maybe I'm not as much as an adult as I believe myself to be. Oh who am I kidding, as I pretend to be. I still like eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like its fine caviar. I ride my bike through big puddles and lift my feet off the pedals so not to get them wet. I make funny faces at passing cars whenever I get the chance!!. I'm the farthest thing from an adult and I think I need to just accept it. This by no means is a confession to me being immature. If anything I am the most mature of the child-like in nature that I know!! I hope it's not hard to believe someone to be both a mature prototype of an adult and a huge version of their former child self. We all want to believe that we have grown up so much in the six years since high school when in actuality we are still very much NOT adults. I mean, I haven't even had a drivers license for ten years.
  Either way, I know myself better than I try to lead myself into believing. I don't take jokes that are mean (in my opinion which mean they are really just teasing) very well. It probably has something to do with being self aware and conscious of difficulties and faults. Its easy to point out someones short comings in my mind( its easy to point lots of stuff out!!) but regardless of this way of thinking, I still find it increasingly hard for me to be at ease when some one pokes at me and pokes at me like that old snicker commercial that I can't seem to find anywhere on the internet!! (that kind of had nothing to do with anything, but it has been bothering me as of late...) See, I'm just a big kid at the end of the day, wearing the skin of some sort of adult with my beauty marks and puberty enlarged mammary glands. Getting older does not seem to change me into this upstanding citizen who pays taxes and works hard. No, I think those of us who still drink out of the milk cartoon or can live off of Ramen noodle for 3 years straight are stuck in this purgatory we call our early (fastly approaching) late 20's. We are hanging on to our old way, but also trying to reach out and grasp new and really boring things that adults do. So what will happen to us (am I grouping now?) who will never grow up. This reality makes me sad, to say the least, because there is no such thing as Peter Pan. WHERE WILL THESE PEOPLE WHO WILL NEVER GROW UP GO!!! I just hope that over time I will be able to become this wonderfully pitiful, always broke, burnt out shell of a human we call adults. One day, one day....(NEVER!!)


Ciao baby. (ADULT!!!)

 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Narcissus Is My Hero

This past spring I had the pleasure of taking a class about the classical writings of the great writers from both Rome and Greece back in the days of Socrates. I had been looking for a reason to pick up the stories of the Metamorphosis, Odyssey, and Oedipus Rex (because my laziness hindered me from doing it on my own). Not only did I have, if I may say so, a scrumptiously delicious yet knowledgeable teacher (Is your last name greek?? you teach Italian? so what are YOU doing after class *drool*) His lesson plans included some of the must reads of classic literature. In no particular order are the stories I favored: Aeneid, Inferno, Oedipus Rex, Songs of Roland, beautiful poetry of Sappho from the island of (I kid you not) Lesbos, and Narcissus and Echo. We read many other stories; some I could hardly put down and others I could hardly read because of how boring they were. However, one story in particular that I had already grown to know was that of Narcissus and Echo. Growing up I had heard about the tale of a extraordinary beautiful man who saw himself in a pond on day and died after falling in love with and staring at his reflection shown in the water. What I did not know was that Narcissus was terribly mean and self centered and his agony in watching something he could never have, himself. He did not fall in love with himself on a whim, of course the Gods had something to do with it after another lad, upset over the nonexistent affection he craved from Narcissus, prayed to them about it. And the poor dear Echo, the chatterbox who lost her ability to carry on a regular conversation; forced to only repeat the ends of sentences back to those who spoke to her first. She withered away into nothingness, only sound over her love-loss of Narcissus. The whole story is made up of those who have no ability to control what will happen to them. Its quite beautiful.
Classic Narcissus and Echo

   In the end, I took away from the story something I really should not have. NARCISSUS WAS AN OBSESSIVE SELF-ACTUALIZED BEING!!! WWWAAAHHH!!!!??? Yes! I said it! Narcissus (though a bit obsessive with it) was able to not only find himself, but also LOVE himself! Now I know he ends up dead in the end, but really take some time to think about this. If we as a person loved ourselves a little more, not only would be available to love another with ease, but we would know ourselves and could better ourselves and self-actualize. I read this story and was envious of his ability to love one's self before all others!(kind of sick) Now this is not a usual thing to take away from a story like this. I think the moral may have been, besides the underlining moral throughout the entire book of stories that you have no control over a thing, to not be a jerk even if you are beautiful (maybe not to talk to much either less you lose your ability to...). The really cool side moral is to love yourself. Maybe its not really a moral, but it surely can't hurt you in the long run. Loving others and doing for others and caring about others is not a bad thing,but taking some time out to love yourself first can't hurt either. Unless, your Narcissus....which in that case is gonna end pretty badly (but that's not your name so you should be fiiiiinnnneee!!) Love yourself first, and the rest will follow with much ease.

 Ciao baby.

Modern renditions

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Bree Eats: A Side Project.

I love food. I love to eat food. Food is quite delicious. And usually bountiful for me. One of the most tastiest most filling foods is meat. I love eating meat. Meat can be juicy, it can be tangy, it can be oh so many things! Meat is just amazing. I also find it amazing that I usually only eat it 3 times a week.

O_O....I want to go to there...
 But why Brianne? WHYYYYYYYY!!!! How can you have such a love affair with meat and only eat it sometimes? The truth is as much as I love eating it, I know its not something I need all the time. Perhaps if I still lived in the bush and had to catch my dinner every night I could understand. Mostly living off of vegetation and having to expend large amounts of energy in order to catch my food sounds like something I am far removed from. Since I rarely have to chase my food down (wait ice cream man! I want a fudge-sicle!!), eating large quantities are no longer necessary. I just don't eat it as much as I used to.
  I've made significant changes to my diet 5 years ago. I cut out sugary drinks and began a journey to drink water often. The first year was the hardest. I couldn't stand the flavor of water. It wasn't sweet and full of calories. But I persevered uing the method of gradualism. Back then I was in to my second year of college and still had a meal plan. All I could eat twice a day. So come lunch and dinner time I would grab my meal along with two cups. I would fill the first with the drink I wanted; the second, with water. The first couple of weeks were torture for me. I had to discipline myself. Yes I can have seconds on soda, but first I would have to drink half of my water glass. My taste buds had definitely lost its natural thirst for mother natures ultimate quencher. Next I ended my seconds on soda. I only had a glass of both. so If I was thirsty, I had a glass of water sitting on my tray just waiting to be taken in. The beginning was very rough. However, my willpower (for once in my life) was beyond steel. I rarely went back for soda seconds, and every week tried to finish my cup of water. After a semester of this, it was time to change gears, time to reverse the damage completely. Instead of a glass of soda I had half a glass. I drank 2 glasses of water to compensate. After a while I only drank juice, half a glass, along side my two glasses of water (if i were that thirsty). And by the end of that year, I had successfully stopped drinking sugar drinks. I was only drinking water with the occasional glass of juice (however, this does not include...my alcohol intake LOL). I was able to ween myself from drinks in a year.
   I wrote all of this to voice that 'it', whatever it may be, can be done. And so, I am slowly doing the same thing with meat. There are plenty of things outside of my diet that I love to eat. Potato chips are one of them. God, I haven't had a bag of lays in a little over 4 months. As much as I like eating them I just don't. Even when I am starving and passing a vendor. I look at it and look over it. I look for pretzels instead. I have trained myself to not grab the first fatty yet delicious thing I see and it has done wonders for me. But meat and I have a different type of affection towards each other. Only second to sweets, meat makes me feel better when eating it. I believe as a group of people, Americans eat meat out of comfort and convenience. Too often I've been in a hurry and stopped at the Wendy's drive thru (back when I was living in Georgia and had a car) and looked the menu over trying to find  a healthy meal before work. Nothing. The fruit was not worth the money and the salads were lack luster. I would always settle on a junior bacon cheeseburger, value fries (smaller than a small some how) and ask for a cup of water (Remember, I weened off sodas). Meat is just so available now. And making a meal minus the meat for some reason seems to take longer (not always but in the minds of a meat eater yes). Meat gives me such a heavy feeling. nothing like a rare steak and potatoes to put me to sleep for an hour or two. I'm not sure that is really a good thing.
   This past year I was introduced to a family that ate very different from how I ate. First off my employer, the poor dear, is unable to eat meat because of her inability to digest the protein. Secondly, They just eat relatively healthier. Most of the meals are eaten at home with the occasional (and I do mean occasional) sit down restaurant. Chipotle and subways are the only two technical fast food places eaten at. What I have learned over the past 5 years, and really mostly this year, has really changed my outlook on eating. My employer's son and I eat a 1lb of beef some nights for dinner. That's half a lb of cow flesh. Stepping back and looking at that I go wow...no need to ask where's the beef, that's a lot of meat in one sitting. Thank goodness I usually prepare myself for that by not eating any meat the entire day.  As much as I love to eat, I realized sometimes I overeat. If I enjoy the taste of what I'm eating, regardless of whether or not I am hungry, I want more of it. Because I am a women, once a month I crave food and no, it ain't sticks of celery. I crave chocolate, and cakes and cheese, and anything else I probably should not eat regularly. I can not change my 'monthly binge' but the rest of the year I can definitely watch what I eat. It takes some getting used to, as anything does, but once you've significantly cut down your meat intake you feel a lot better. And you appreciate other flavors besides animal. My favorite quick and simple 'fatty snack' is raw green beans and blue cheese. The flavors go SO well together. I just grab it. toss it together and eat it. I also have fallen in love with the salad. I noticed the best salads are made at home. Rarely do you find all of the delicious flavors of a home salad at a restaurant let alone a fast food chain (those salad choices are just HIDEOUS!). The flavors of dried fruits and nuts and cheese and peppers and spices and olive oil and vinegar and and and oooooooooohhhh honey and tomatoes and olives and mushrooms and and and...the list just goes on! Salads are far from boring if you do it right. I really did think at one point that a salad consisted of  iceburg lettuce(the most nutritiously-void leaf to eat), tomatoes, cucumbers, and Italian dressing. When I went to restaurants that usually added an onion and a pound of chedder cheese I thought "ooh, they're gettin' fancy"! Man was I wrong about the beauty behind the salad.

Oooh, yummers, thats looks great too!




  I haven't had meat in a little over 2 days. And I am full and satisfied. I have had meat protein (in the form of eggs, cheese, and milk). If you could take anything away from what I am writing right now, I would like you to take away being healthy and happy without starving yourself! It can be done. I follow a raw foodie's blog and I sit there and read her tale and say to myself  "this chick is crazy." because I love meat. I am more than sure I can not live without the flavor of it as of right now. However, I applaud her for breaking such a hard to break habit. I will enjoy my hamburgers and chicken. Just not everyday if I can manage. Try it sometime. No it doesn't have to be everyday, But go meatless. Make pasta with mixed vegetables or a huge salad. have a bean burrito stuffed with tomatoes and brown rice. Have a huge bowl of lentil soup with potatoes and carrots. EAT INDIAN FOOD!!! (they seem to have perfected the meal that mimics meat in fullness and flavor minus the meat!!) No excuses either! I don't want to here them (I've used most of them on myself so I know the game). A little effort goes a long way.

 Well, all this talk about meat has made me hungry! I would kill for a big fat marbled steak right about now. mmmmmm steaaaaaaaakkkkk!


Ciao baby.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Look at Me, I Draw So Good! and Other Phrases You Shouldn't Yell Out During Sex.


Yes sir...you do draw so good

But that has nothing to do with what I will be writing about. The beauty behind me being random is that you should be expecting the unexpected by now (at least those you who know me), but you have yet to figure it all out. That ideology is much like life. You may not have figured it all out, but by now you should have some sort of idea about what's going to happen next. Earlier this week, while staring out onto the ocean of a sunless morning, I realized my happiness is really all up to me. I can't depend on anyone else for it. It is my own doing. It often involves my ability to self actualize and revel in contentment. Mostly, contentment with myself. Ah contentment! (that word is so catchy!) It could be easily said that I am rambling. Or am I (mystery)? Maybe what makes me content is being random, rambling, or bringing a small shake of the head or a smile to my readers faces. I can't figure which it is yet. My derailment from the topic at hand some how can bring us back to my point. That point being that I can only imagine the amount of people who may be struggling to find their own versions of contentment. I am far from happy with my life choices. I am probably the farthest away from being happy with my current situations and dealings. But I realize all in all, I am truly blessed. Once you realized this you can begin to appreciate your life a little more. I am relatively healthy, I have a job and a place to stay. I will be graduating soon with an Undergrad degree in Communications. I can think, I can laugh, I can run and jump. And there is more: my mother and father have been happily married over 26 years. My brothers and sister are growing and doing well. My friends are graduating and becoming working adults. Once you really sit down and take a long look at the list of things going right in your life, you may find that the things going wrong are only small set backs in comparison to what your future will hold.
   As human beings we have a tendency to believe that we are going to wake up every morning, that we will walk out the door and later, walk back in unscathed. We often believe we are going to live long and healthy lives. That is just not always so. Each day presents itself as token of your survival. We should all take a step back and revel in our blessing of life. When you think in those terms, your outlook will definitely change. I promise you. And maybe you won't complain about all the little things as often as I do.

Ciao baby.

(have to give proper rights to the picture...I am unsure who drew it but I saw it on one of my friends fb page. I just really love it so much and wanted to share it. hopefully its silliness will be a welcomed addition to all the good things happening in your life) Ciao

Monday, August 9, 2010

Brave New World

Women and Men have problems conversing.I think this revelation came about because of tonight’s conversation with my deary. I kept trying to pull a conversation out of him, but to no avail. After all my hard work the conversation ended with me feeling an overpowering sense of unfulfillment and resentment. Why is that? I believe it is the power of the conversation we have with those of our own gender. Not always, but sometimes it is just easier for me to talk to a woman about the little things in life than it is to talk to a man. This is fine and dandy until you find that special someone you hold dear. When that happens, I like sharing more of myself with them; this of course includes my irritations. However, I have found men and women who feel deeply about each other rarely converse deeply WITH each other i.e. she talks and talks and talks, and he sits quietly afraid of saying anything that may set her off (which believe me is the lesser of the two evils). I don’t know about other women my age, but when I talk to someone about the world or politics that is a totally different way of conversing then when I am speaking on my issues and irritations. I have found that men think you are complaining (which in a sense you are) and need your ‘problem’ to be fixed. It can not be helped really, men have a natural tendency to want to fix things. Unfortunately, giving me ways to ‘fix’ my problem is not what I am looking for when I talk to you! What I am looking for is understanding. Understand that I am irritated. Understand that I am venting (not asking for your remedies). Understand that I have hormonal imbalances that cause me to think irrationally about many, many things very often. Here is a good example. Let’s say a good friend of mine is getting on my last nerve. I call my sweety and throw everything I got on him about the situation. First realize, that it is quite an honor to be considered worthy enough to receive this unwanted, purposeless, and most likely boring conversation. Second, try your hardest to listen to me. I know it is boring but, baby, I need to talk about this so I can feel better (and remember when I was listening to you talk about that gross subject for hours on end the other day?). And finally and MOST importantly is the feedback. Too often men believe listening is the key to the problem when it is only the key ring. The feedback is almost, almost more important than listening itself! Seriously, if you want to make a woman happy when she is venting listen to her. Then say something backing her up. You have no Idea how securing that feels to know the one you may love most has your back. Going back to the example, the best thing a man can say is “What is Kesha thinking?” honestly that pushes the conversation and gives the woman reassurance that you are on her side (wait when did you chose sides???). A favorite of mine is “I’m sorry ______” it could be “I’m sorry to hear you are having such a rough time” or “I’m sorry, that must be really annoying”(wait why is he apologizing??) It just seems more emotional. Now emotional does not equal caring by no means, but it really makes a woman feel like you are truly involved and on her side in her petty little squabble. After that she might just leave you alone! Or you know, give you some “thank you for listening baby” loving. Just saying.

Ciao baby

This Is Your Captain Speaking

Yes it is I, your captain speaking. Well actually not really, because we are all captains of our own ships and we all named our ships destiny. In this sea we call life, it is important to understand that as captains it is up to us to….uh…steer…things. Any who, I come to you with writings from a deeply disturbed, yet lethargic slacker of a woman. I am old enough to "wipe my own ass" as the epic Big Daddy put it, but still young enough to get away with the "but I didn't know" excuse. Well, barely. Do understand, most of the time I do know. Do also understand that I am utterly stuck in my warped way of thinking. My bubbly persona does not match up with my cynical outlook on life and my jaded ideology. If I had it my way I would smoke 4 packs a day and drink “mamma’s special medicine” as a means to get by. But because it is so easy to function that way, I choose to challenge myself and try and be adult-like if there is even such a pairing of the words. I often ramble too. I am telling you all of this because I want you to know where I'm coming from so you can explain to me where I’m coming from, because I’m quite confused at times. Some cool things to know about me:


1. I like to write but am lazy with it. Actually I am just lazy all around. Don’t judge me.
2. I know how to use big words, but not how to spell them. Deal with it.
3. I’m just plain weird. Embrace it/ Deal with it/Don’t judge me.


I think that sums me up *laughs*. I currently reside in one of the most happening places in the world (New York baby), but am completely under-using my resources. Overall, as of right this very moment, I kind of don’t care unless it involves food. Then I care as long as it doesn’t involve having to clean up after in taking the food. Call it a fat-ass foodie connoisseur if you will. Of course, this is not an everyday thinking. This is kind of just a ‘how I’m feeling today’ type of description of my consciousness. Truth is I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to watch people cook. I love to watch people cook what I am going to eat. Etc. I should probably eat less and workout more, but I’m lazy and that’s a lot of work (and then for two days I hurt). I'm kind of like Liz Lemon from 30 rock only without the drive to work. I do yoga though. Are you getting a good idea of where I’m coming from (references back to the ' you explaining where I am coming from')? If not that’s okay; this first blog was thrown together so I could post my next blog about conversations. I just wanted to give my readers an idea of how nutty I can without effort be. Some more things to know about me

1. I like cheese…
2. I have a dog that also likes cheese
3. Do not let dogs eat cheese…bad things will happen


I bet I just helped someone out with his or her dog versus cheese dilemma. Bree 1: The Universe 9.2 trillion. Progress.


***Okay, so I'm being really silly, lets get serious read my next blog entry that I will be posting right after this one. Ciao baby!