Get over it people

I am so tired of everyone's doom and gloom attitude. I feel like this whole "recession" has put everyone in a funk. Since 2009 was dubbed "The Year of Me" by my friends and myself, I have tired my best to wake up every morning with a smile on my face and good attitude in my heart. It has really been working well for me up until the last few weeks. I don't know what it is but I think people's negative world views and spicyness was starting to rub off on me. I don't like it and I am not gonna take it anymore. People need to realize good things aren't just going to be handed to you and if you don't make your own good fortune then you are only going to have bad luck. This is why I have been doing my best to just be honest. I think if everyone just stopped for a second and were honest with themselves they'd feel a lot better about things and realize that maybe the reason they are down on their luck is because of decisions they made. Take some personal responsibility and do something about your life problems. Then after that awakening I think they'll be ready to be more like me... Putting a smile on their face and good attitude in their heart.

No more doom and gloom people!

There are too many things to be excited about. Here are 5 reasons why the world should be happy:

1. 90% of economists say the recession will be over by the end of 2009
2. People are finally paying attention to the environment and making an effort to be "green"
3. Conan O'Brien is the new host of the Tonight Show
4. It's the summer and its a proven fact that good weather can change people's attitudes
5. I'm writing a blog. Duh.

I heart NYC.

My Top Ten Most Random Things I Have Seen Or Hope To See In New York City
(in no particular order)

• A man dressed up like a lumpy Lady Liberty
• Mrs. Baxter... one of those scary bag ladies who lives in my friend's building
• A Mexican in full Mexican attire serenading me on the subway car
• A mugging where the person scares the robber away using loud profane language
• A cab driver who is a US citizen and speaks English
• Somalian pirates drinking beers merrily with Columbian durg lords
• A rich fashionista trip on her oversized heels while crossing a busy street
• A rowboat full of Canadians on the Hudson river
• Bret and Jermaine
• My sorority sisters on a rooftop

Dogs have feelings too.

I have always said how much I dislike puppy mills and I would never buy or advocate buying a dog from a pet shop. It's just terrible what some people will do for money. Some people may feel that purchasing a dog from a pet shop that has been bred at one of those horrible places is helping the innocent puppy they are about to buy, but I strongly disagree. It's just wrong. Of course, someone is going to buy that cute puppy in the window... however, that money is only going back to those greedy, inhumane asses running the puppy mills. Spend the money and get your dog from a REAL breeder or get it from the Humane Society. Don't let these people win. Here is a quote from a story I read on USAtoday.com:

The 56 PBK dogs purchased that day (plus some Pomeranians the auctioneer offered for $2 each because they hadn't sold and would be killed) were driven Saturday and Sunday to Denver. The Denver Dumb Friends League's examinations found that many had bad teeth and gums (at least one needed all teeth pulled) and most had foot lacerations and extremely long toenails from walking on wire cages. Nearly all, says Sarff, had poor muscle tone from lack of exercise, and some had infected ears and eye issues. Almost all were fairly well socialized.

One of two shelties that landed with Colorado Sheltie Rescue was in rougher shape. Penny had two large mammary tumors, one fist size, requiring complicated surgery, and her uterus was adhered to her intestines, which likely would have killed her in her next pregnancy. She also had a badly infected mouth; 25 teeth were removed. Penny, 8 ½, got medical treatment and loving care for days, but she just couldn't fight hard enough to recover. She was euthanized Monday.

Click Here for Full Article

Dinosaur For Sale

Isn't he beautiful? If you have driven down Orlando Ave and passed the World of Decor in the past month or two than you must have seen this gorgeous triceratops outside, for sale. I can't believe he has lasted this long without anyone buying him. I remember the first day I saw Tiny (yes, I have named him). I was driving along Orlando Ave on my way to work and looked over to my left and there he was... looking all Cretaceous period and horny. I thought to myself "Damn Amy, if you weren't on a budget you would have to buy that little guy, but I bet he will be gone by the end of the day." However, its been almost two months and he is still there at the glorious World of Decor. I mean, look how good-looking he is!!! If I had the money I would buy him in a heart beat and place in my front yard. Seriously, who wouldn't want a lifesize triceratops?! Help me, help find Tiny a home in which I can come visit. Thank you.

Happy Friday... but no more happy hour.

Back in my glory days of college life at Florida State, my friends and I had a Friday Happy Hour/Drink Special ritual... mainly Lauren Kelly, Brittani, Kristin, Kari, Lindsey, and myself. However, LK and myself seemed to be the two that were always there. We would wake up Friday afternoon to enjoy a lovely lunch of leftovers at the Chi Omega house, we would then prep for the afternoon/evening/night of debauchery. First stop, Potbellies. We would arrive before Happy Hour(s) started around 3 pm. We would always be those bitches who pushed three tables together and save about 10-12 chairs for people who wouldn't get there until about 5. Oh well, we didn't care if the Zeta's and ADpi's were given us the stink eye. We were professional drinkers back then and they should have gotten there early like us. After gambling (and winning everytime) at flip cup against the same guy (but who had to recruit new friends each week), we would take our earning to Sports Deli for their Beat the Clock pitcher special at around 7 pm. Again, we would kick guy after guy's ass at flip cup until the special was over. By this point we were usually pretty hungry so it was onto Momo's for pizza. The only challenge? Getting there without driving. Occasionally, we would bum a ride but a lot of the time we would call FSU's Safe Bus to take us to the furthest edge of campus and then walk the rest of the way. After scarfing down a delicious ham & pinapple slice for me and a banana pepper & bacon slice for LK, and getting a free pitcher of beer for the guys that worked there (the knew us...we were regulars obviously) it was time for AJ's Sports Bar where the $3 jager bombs and $2 big daddy's flowed like water. Oh man. It was always a good time. On more than one occasion, we would head over to see our buddies at Lambda Chi for some late night sport events (as seen to the left).

Now don't get me wrong, I love my job. I am very lucky to enjoy coming into work everyday with amazing bosses and a really positive work environment, but it is still work. There is no afternoon nap or gossiping on the couch at Chi O. So as excited I get every Friday morning about the weekend beginning, I still get that nostalgic feeling for the college years... the best years of my life. Sandra, Kari, Lindsey, LK, and myself have had some amazing times here in Orlando after graduation but they really do pale in comparison to the past. And now, it seems like we are really getting old. Sandra and Jim are moving in together... Kari, Lindsey, and myself all live alone. LK has a real boyfriend... and she is moving back to St. Louis.

I am going to miss my partner in crime. It's going to be the first time in years that we've been truly apart. I feel like its all coming to an end. We are all moving on, getting older, living our lives as adults and not a bunch of college kids just hanging out. After graduation, I thought it was over, but I was wrong (and I'm glad). All the playtime and going out is really coming to an end. I'm okay with it. I know I will still have the friendship and love my Chi O sisters for the rest of my life. I just miss the closeness, the sorority house, the Saturday football brunches, the keg parties, and now I am going to miss the random nights at Wall Street, the Saturday beach madness, and the occasional game of Ultimate Frisbee. That's not to say that we won't ever do those things again, we will, in fact we will do it tonight...its just that things aren't going to be quite the same.

Yes, this is for real.

While on my second trip to Grand Cayman in the past few months I noticed this sign. I was cruising along the east coast of the island when out of the blue (seriously the water is incredibly blue) pops this sign. Now, I have seen some funny signs there... one (along the same road) says "buy one jerk, get second free," which isn't talking about my previous suitors, its talking about jerk chicken. However, the elderly people crossing sign just seems ridiculous to me. The sign is positioned on an open stretch of highway without any sort of crosswalk and the only thing on the other side of the road is the beach. Now, I'm not old and I don't walk with a cane, but I would think strolling across the street to walk down to the beach would be quite challenging. I mean, what are they going to do when they get to the beach?! Walking in the sand is tricky for even me and I am a young, limber twenty-something, I can't imagine the difficulty of walking in the sand with a cane. Plus, not all elderly people walk like hunchbacks with canes.

Jumping on the bandwagon.

It seems like everyone I know recently has started blogging and everywhere I look people are talking about blogs and what makes an appropriate blog and if its ok to call it a blog or should we call it a weblog or is it a web log. Anyways, my point is that even though blogging has been around for probably 10 years minimum now, it seems that just recently its all I hear about. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook... seriously, even Oprah is posting tweets and Lindsey Lohan found out she got dumped via Facebook. "Social Media" (as the ad world calls it) seems to have suddenly caught fire. So I am following the lead of my good friends Julia and Spring and starting a blog (obviously you have figured this out since you're reading it right now).

But this brings me to my next point... The other bandwagon that seems to be popular these days is the baby bandwagon. I feel like I can't pick up the phone without another person telling me they are popping out a kid! Blake's friend Keith and his wife just had a little boy, my friend Michelle is having a baby shower at the end of the month, my childhood babysitter is having kid number two, my landlord is probably at the hospital having little baby Liam (I think that's his name) right now, and then there is my cousin Carrie. While Carrie was visiting over Easter I was spending time with the fam and my grandma felt the need to tell Carrie and myself that we are "worthless" because we aren't giving her any grandchildren. She went on and on about how much she wants to be a great grandmother (keep in mind this is the first time I introduced my g-rents to Blake and she already has us tied together for a minimum of 18 years). Well, two weeks later after Carrie had come and gone we find out that the whole time we were getting shit from our grandmother, Carrie was pregnant! Honestly, she let me be tortured and embarassed by good ole Dolores in front of my new boy. Not cool. Oh well, apparently babies are the new puppies.