Party like it's 1999

Today one of my best friends turned 30 (she will remain anonymous to protect the guilty.... I mean, to not highlight how old any of us are getting). She hosted a cook out at her new house, which was a great excuse to get together and visit. However, somehow being 30 involves children, which means the visiting is not like it was in the good old days. Don't get me wrong, I like kids. (Yea, ok, this is a blog, and who knows who reads it, so I have to say that). Honestly, I like some kids, not all kids. The kids I like are the ones I know. For example, I happen to enjoy playing with one kid, whom I taught how to build a fort one time. That was awesome. Oh, and we went bike riding.... well, I pushed the bike. That was fun. I enjoy babies that are cute and let an amateur like myself hold them, and they just smile. As soon as the crying starts, back to mom they go. Oh, and if a child remembers me, they have totally won my heart. Mostly because I know kids memories are not like adults, so if you aren't always around, they really might not remember you.
Back to today. There was one child at the party who let me help put together a puzzle. I am cool with that. It involves letting the child try to figure out the pieces, and gently suggesting some possibilities. However, there were other children who were hard to distinguish from jumping beans. They wandered around, got up and down, and while I know it is a party, and maybe we should be "jump up jump up and get down" (or however the song goes... you know the one) I just found myself thinking, thank goodness for a calm and quiet home! I have always felt this way, wanting peace and quiet. I was seven years old, and we were living in Scotland. There were 4 kids, and in Scotland they didn't know what a minivan or a station wagon was, so we all had to pile in the backseat of a sedan. On one occasion it had been a while since I had been around my entire family, and as we piled into the car, it was noisy and crowded, I remember looking out the window and thinking it would be nice to be in a quiet place. One of my favorite quotes is from Home Alone, where Macauley Culkin says, "When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone!" The other thing I find interesting is apparently parents get some sort of equipment or ear piece from the hospital so that these things do not register to them. Parents can carry on conversations with other adults while children are jumping around and doing whatever it is kids do all the time. I find it very hard to have a conversation when kids are around.... I think because I am not used to constant interruptions.

So then the other thing about the party is I didn't know all the adults there. So you introduce yourself, explain how you know the host, and then usually ask people what their job is, or if they are in school, or how old that jumping bean is that they call a kid :) One particular encounter highlights how awkward I sometimes find my state of life. A woman that my friend had known a couple of years ago was there, and she is single. So I asked her what she does for work, and she said she didn't have a job. So I asked about school, and she said she had just moved to the area, and had been going to school previously. So I said oh so you are getting settled and finding a new job now that you are done with school, that is great. So she asked what I did, and I told her I work at IBM. At this point most people get the wow look on their face, and so she asked what I do there, and I said I write software, and at this point she is backing away with a really wow look on her face. Now I feel that she is backing away because she has been confronted with a person who obviously has their life together because they have a concrete job. And I always feel awkward having a concrete job in front of people who are still figuring out what they want to do, because I don't have it all figured out. I am just very blessed to have a job that I seem to be good at.

Closing Time... You don't have to go home but you can't stay here

Work has gotten a little insane. For example, we were writing some software labeled 7.1.2 to be shipped at the end of 2009. Then management said ship it in June but have all the same stuff in it, then they said, change it to be 7.2, ship it in June with more stuff in it. The more stuff in less time is the insane part.

This has caused several of us to comment that we would rather work at Wendy's. And it got me thinking about my past jobs. I never did work at Wendy's, but my sister did and would sometimes bring home frosty's. That is a nice perk :) My first job was working at Brueggers Bagels. Yea, this was funny because one time I had to stand outside in the parking lot with one of those signs to try to get people to come into the store. Ok, perhaps humiliating is more like it. For my break I would always get a plain bagel with honey because it was 50 cents. Then a coworker introduced me to the everything bagel with a side of honey mustard, also 50 cents. Seriously, you dip the everything bagel into the honey mustard..... it is really really good. And I am not a big mustard fan. My boss had to show me how to make coffee, because up until that point I had never been around a coffee maker. The hazelnut flavor smelled the best, but in general, I don't like the smell of coffee. Also, taking out the filters with soggy wet coffee grinds is gross.
The next job I had was working at a drug store. It was an awesome little drug store where this one guy and I basically ran it because the manager was not around. And I learned alot about the pharmacy because the pharmacist would let us help her behind the counter. I think technically you aren't supposed to be behind the counter if you aren't trained. There would be regulars, who would come in and want the same cigarettes from behind the cash register, so I would always have them ready when they walked in the door. And the manager let me photocopy my AP Euro history book so I could highlight important sections as I read the homework. The best part was opening up new displays and setting them up. It was also a good job during the school year because we closed at 9.
I once worked in a game store for two weeks.... until I got a better offer from WalMart. The game store was really boring, because you just straightened up the games, and ran the cash register and it wasn't very busy.
WalMart was an experience. This was the beginning of my ambition. WalMart paid the most money as a recent high school graduate, and I started out working at 5 am as a stocker so that I could then do the drug store in the afternoon and evenings. But then WalMart offered time and a half for inventory for two weeks, so I worked a lot. Then when the summer ended, I switched to second shift, but they don't stock second shift, so they were going to put me on registers, but that is boring, so I said I would become a customer service manager, which is the person who stands at the podium and has the keys to all the registers. That was an awesome job because I would manage the shifts, when people got breaks, and who was on what register. I would run around the store to get requests from layaway or the garden center. I got to climb the back storage shelves during christmas to put stuff on layaway or get it back out again. I ran that store, and I think I was very good at it. But then my boss, who was very cool with me being a CSM (even though I was barely 18), decided to go and be heroic and try to stop a guy from robbing us..... and broke his leg in the process. So he was out on medical leave for a month. And the manager who replaced him didn't appreciate my youthful vigor and success, and wanted to demote me back to being a cashier. So I decided that it was time to move on. My real boss came back my last week at WalMart, and said I could stay on, but you know how it is when you have made up your mind. The other thing I recall about working at WalMart was wearing tights that matched a solid colored shirt, and patterned skirts (like plaid). Who wears skirts to work at WalMart? Or my boots?

While I probably won't quit my current job to work at Wendys..... it is nice to think you have options. I would probably still be a really good CSM :)

Driving a pink cadillac

My best friend in elementary school belonged to the girl scouts, and she invited me to a girl scout activity to learn how to put on makeup. What I remember is sitting at one of those long folding tables and someone showing us how to put on eye shadow, three different colors in three lines on our eyes. It was a very girly night.
My next encounter with makeup was during a trip to the outlet stores with my other best friend in elementary school and her mom. Well, maybe they weren't outlet stores.... it was the huge mall with Ikea in it. So in this mall there were a million stores, and one of them was one of those huge makeup stores were everything is cheap, so I bought some mascara. It wasn't until I got it home that I realized it was teal. I mean.... really teal. I had no idea mascara came in other colors than black until that point!
In high school Clinique was the was the cool thing, and after college Ulta became cool. But essentially, the only makeup tricks I knew were the ones I learned at a girl scout activity.
That is, until I was invited to a Mary Kay party. Now come on, you knew where this was going based on the title. I will admit, I was a skeptic. The last time I went to a party of this type, I had to move out of the ward to quit being stalked to host a party :) But this was seriously awesome! The Mary Kay consultant was very knowledgeable, and she had a ton of different tricks, and she seemed like a real person. Also, I didn't feel pressured to buy anything, and I learned how to put mascara on my bottom lashes so my eyes look more open. During a Mary Kay party, you compliment each other. It isn't fake, you really do provide feedback based on what colors or things look good on each person. And you get really soft hands. So I agreed to host a Mary Kay party, because I had such a great time.
My party was even better! Because I was the host, I got special treatment (read: more colors to pick from to try out! Seriously, imagine a binder with those little plastic inserts in it full of different shades of eye shadow and blush). So this time around I learned how to apply eye liner to the bottom lashes which makes my eye lashes look even longer! I also learned how to add dimension to my eye based on my particular eye shape and eye lid shape. Yes, there is an entire book that shows different eye shapes and exactly how to use colors of eye shadow to accent your eyes and bring them out. Amazing! This is a vast improvement over the makeup counters in the mall that put the makeup on you, and you can't ever recreate the look at home. Anyway I realize this sounds like an advertisement for Mary Kay, but I am in no way affiliated with them. I just had a really great time, and had fun learning new techniques to apply makeup. So next time you see me..... notice how gorgeous my eyes are :)

I've Been Tagged

At least I think I was ..... But whether I was or not, I love these sorts of lists.

~~4 things about me
1). I am playing the violin in an orchestra, and right now we are doing Italian Opera Music, which is seriously fun
2). I am so excited to have mornings that are in the low 60s because I can bust out all my cute little jackets!
3). I like rearranging my furniture, thank goodness for those little furniture slider do-das
4). I like taking random classes just to learn stuff

~~4 movies I would watch more than once
Only 4?!?!
1) While you were sleeping
2) She's the Man
3) Pirates of the Caribbean
4) Hitch

~~4 TV shows I watch
1) The Office (F I N A L L Y, the new season will begin!)
2) House
3) If I am somewhere with cable, I love the HGTV station, the shows on buying houses and interior design, and What Not To Wear

~~4 places I've been
1) Scotland - My family lived there when I was 7
2) Honduras - Come back for a great story
3) England - High School exchange trip
4) Austin, Texas, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles CA, SLC, Pocatello ID, St Louis, Chicago, Nauvoo, Charleston SC, Boone, NC, and probably several other places in the continental US

~~4 places I'd like to go:
1) The Great Wall of China
2) St. Petersburg Russia
3) To see the northern lights
4) Everywhere in Europe

~~4 people who email me regularly
1) DSW, Banana Republic, JCrew
2) Ward News
3) Postings from facebook
4) Liz

~~4 things I would like to eat
I decided this meant the 4 things I love to eat
1) Lasagna (but not just any lasagna.... )
2) Ice Cream
3) Mashed Potatoes
4) My Mom's Rolls (oh yea.....)

~~4 things I'm looking forward to in the coming year (2009)
1) Italy baby!
2) Maybe a new assignment at work
3) Ummmmmm yea, probably watching some movies, reading some books, taking some classes, who knows
4) Turning 30 - oh yea, one more year closer to retirement

~4 people I tag (is this only limited to people with blogs? too bad)
1) Emily
2) Liz
3) Christa
4) Krissy

These mashed potatoes are so creamy

While You Were Sleeping is my all time favorite movie. (I actually had no idea this came out on my sister's birthday until I looked up the IMDB page). The ward was having an activity at one of the local parks, the cool park with three really great slides, tire swings, and bouncing bridges. In case you live in the area: Black Hills Park. I was a sophomore in high school. There were some girls who were a year ahead of me, and they were really cool. They invited me to go see a movie with them, leaving the ward activity. My mom said yes. Of course, you know how cool that made my mom! I was thrilled! The movie was great. When it came out on video (yes, it was video back then.... I didn't switch over to DVDs until college) I got it, and would watch it all the time. It was my comfort movie, the movie to watch when I was sick, or when I wanted to work on a cross-stitch project. The movie that gets quoted whenever we have mashed potatoes for dinner, or big family gatherings that are chaotic. It is the greatest movie ever. It is one of the reasons I love Sandra Bullock. She was great in this movie.

Of course, after telling you that great story, I would like to say that it could be completely false. For example, I was talking to my sister the other night and she was like, don't you remember? you saw Get Smart with me when you came to visit. and I said, no, I don't remember. And she said that it was raining, and we got soaked..... and I said, yes, I remember pulling into the parking lot of the theater and it was pouring rain, and we parked on the main street, so you said we wouldn't be able to get back out of that spot, and we ran, and you lost a shoe, and we were soaked, and everyone was crowded by the front door of the theater because they didn't want to get wet, so we couldn't get into the theater, and someone offered you $10 for the umberella and you said no, and they said $20...... and then you went to the bathroom to try to dry off, but there were no paper towels..... and we sat in the theater, but I have no recollection of what movie we watched. What I remember seeing in that theater was Superman, but that was probably the very first time we went to that theater. Funny how memories work....... or in my case, don't work :)

Which is what made it so funny in a class I took where I wrote a chapter of my own memoir, to have my family read it and correct all of my "false" memories....... or are mine right and theirs wrong?

So ..... if anyone really remembers what happened on the While You Were Sleeping story, let me know.

If this is torture, chain me to the wall!

In 1988 we went to visit my mom's aunt and uncle in New York for Thanksgiving. They were a cool family with a trampoline. I can't say when the tradition began, but my family always goes to the movies on Black Friday. This is the earliest Thanksgiving Movie trip that I can remember, and I am not exactly sure I am remembering it myself, or remembering the many times my parents have told the story. Oliver and Company had just come out, and we were really excited to go see it. According to my parents, we went to a matinee, and my dad walks up to the ticket counter and says he wants 15 tickets. This is way to much for the ticket counter to handle, because 15 is more than the fingers on both hands, and no one has ever bought 15 tickets before. A manager is able to hand my dad enough tickets for all of us. And then, according to the story, my dad tries to buy drinks. I will be honest, the entire time I have known my family, we have been "sneak the candy in your purse" kind of people. So I am kind of surprised that we bought movie theater priced refreshments. But according to the story, my dad tries to buy 15 drinks. Once again, this is more than the poor employees behind the counter can handle. They have to call in for backup, and it takes forever just to get 15 drinks poured, and then my dad can't carry them all. The movie was awesome, it had great music, and really quotable lines.
The movie going continues today with a much smaller group of people. Only one sister still lives at home, so the four of us went to the 1.50 theater to see Get Smart this past weekend. Yea, obviously in the last twenty years our tastes have changed.... slightly..... last weekend we did see Space Chimps. You know, they just don't make animated movies like they used to.

A rose by any other name

Naming something is exceedingly difficult.  I don't feel an association to one thing.  My sister has a great blog name, the professor's armchair.  She is an English professor, or a literature professor, and you can imagine her sitting in a big plush arm chair by a fire with a stack of books.  It is perfect.  Another friend has a cute blog name, the cavage patch, which is a play on their name.  I was thinking about naming the whole blog a rose by any other name, but someone else claimed that.  Would it smell as sweet?  Having had two different names in my life, I can tell you, a name does make a difference.  

So why history or memory?  I took two very enjoyable classes on this topic.  What makes history official?  What do we remember?  Why are memoirs so powerful?  How are they different from fiction, or are they?  

Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York.  It was a tragic event.  But one of the interesting things to come out of it are some memories that shape how we think of the historical event.  There is a booth in New York that started as a way for people to record what happened on 9/11 and to try to heal from the tragedy.  The project has expanded across the country to include memories from average Americans that illustrate different aspects of American life.  There is a memoir about 9/11, or rather, about four women who were affected by 9/11 and started meeting for coffee to help each other through it.  Because of TV, radio, and other media, we are able to view the event through individuals memories, rather than just having a top-down "official" historical point of view.

Blogs seem to be the perfect way to remember, to pass your memories, your history, and your life out into the world, and perhaps, create history.