711.

Our society is screwed up.. in more ways than one, but one thing particularly stuck out at me this morning as I stopped at 711 for my morning coffee.

I go to 711 usually once a day sometimes twice.  I am usually on my way to work, so I am dressed up, my hair is tamed, and I have already applied at least a little make up.  On these days, my trip to 711 is always a wonderful experience.  I park my car across the parking lot (because usually it is too packed in the morning to get a good spot).  A man who is already at the door spots me walking across the parking lot, and waits to hold the door open.  I thank him then head towards the coffee to fulfill my need for caffeine.  The coffee station is crowded as well, and I smile as a man turns to me and mutters something about the crowd, or mondays, or the need for coffee, or anything really.  I then fill up my cup and search for the milk and a lid. Everyone apologizes to me for being in my way of the milk or the coffee lids, and I smile and say its quite alright.  I then proceed to the cashier who greets me with a friendly hello, asks how my day is, and tells me to "stay cool" due to the skyrocketing temperatures this summer.  He then wishes me a good day, and I proceed to the door where a man walking in holds the door open for me.
All in all these days I have a wonderful experience at 711.  I leave happy.

Today it was a bit different.  This morning I was on my way home from my boyfriends house.  I had on a t-shirt and athletic shorts with flip flops.  My hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and the idea of makeup hadn't even crossed my mind yet.  Today I got out of my car, excited to grab that great cup of coffee, and expecting my usual experience at the chain convenience store.  I parked my car across the parking lot (as per usual due to the crowds) and proceeded towards the door.  A man went in right in front of me.  Not only did he not hold the door for me, but he didn't even do one of those "push-backs", where you give the door a little push for the person behind you.  No, he let the door go which hit me in the arm and he didn't even turn to apologize.  Then I proceeded to the coffee station, where I waited behind some people for the crowds to disburse.  No one smiled at me, no one tried to spark up conversation, and when I got my coffee and was searching for the milk people stood in my way not even noticing that I was patiently waiting.  I then went to the cashier who rang me up with little enthusiasm.  No "How are you?" No "Have a great day."  And, need I say, no one held the door for me on my way out.

So, was my experience today a rare coincidence?  Are people more susceptive and friendly to a "businesswoman"?  Do you have to be dressed up with your hair and makeup done to get a little courtesy?  What ever happened to 'don't judge a book by its cover', eh?

Graduation

Ah. Graduation is rapidly approaching.  In fact it is this Saturday.  Well if it were up to me I wouldn't go and the only reason I am attending is for my parents and grandparents, even though yesterday my Dad told me how he was dreading the ridiculously long 2 ceremonies I must attend.  So, why the hell am I going?!  I get that graduation is a time thats all about you where everyone in your life whom you love can praise your accomplishments.  But, seriously I would rather get a knock on my door with the University delivering my diploma scotch taped onto a 12 pack of Sam Adams Summer Ale with a note that says "Good job!".  That would be a better way to honor my accomplishments.

Really though...What have we accomplished throughout these four years of college?  College wasn't that hard.  I am sorry but it wasn't.  Yeah there were times that I was stressed, but I think I got through pretty easily minus one poor semester where I was in the midst of "finding myself"(yes, thats what I am calling it).

I guess the best thing about graduation is the money that I will hopefully get from my relatives. knock on wood.  I am not excited about the ugly blue gown and brown hood I must wear.  Ew.  I am  not excited about sitting still for like 5 hours. yuck.  And I am not excited about the endless amounts of pictures my father is going to make me take.  I am NOT photogenic so days like these are not my favorite.

The good news is that after this graduation ceremony there probably won't be that many more I will have to sit through.  My graduation from grad school.. but hopefully my parents will let me skip that one.  Baby bro's graduation which will be in 2 years.  Hopefully at that point I will have a SmartPhone and can be on the internet the whole time.  And, then I think I am in the clear!! :) ..until the one day I eventually have kids.  Then its like preschool graduation, kindergarten graduation, 5th grade graduation, 8th grade graduation, high school graduation, college graduation, med school and or law school graduation haha.

So the moral to this story is.... Lets get rid of the ceremonies.  Graduations are about honoring the ones we love and praising them for their accomplishments.  Lets hand the graduates a diploma and then their family and friends can congratulate them and give them checks.  The end.

Technology

I really do not know what people did before technology.  I have to write a paper for my business law class about a case that relates to a topic we have studied over the past three months.  So, I played eenie meenie miniee mo and picked a chapter out of the textbook then picked a topic in that textbook.  I then went to google.com and typed in the topic "Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Cases 2011" and an abundance of sources came up.  How easy was that?  All within 3 minutes I picked a topic that I would write about.  What was it like when my parents were going to school and you actually had to do "research" that entailed going to the library and countless hours of reading through books.  For them, back in the day, it was probably fine.  They probably thought "Wow! The library is great!  All these phenomenal resources in books that are in one place and all I need to do is spending three hours reading through them." What a life we have when now 3 hours of research is reduced to 3 minutes of research.  And then I can start typing in Microsoft Word and ramble on for a few minutes until I go back and edit whatever I just wrote.  No need to rewrite anything, just edit it.  We are SPOILED with all this information at the tips of our fingers.  I can google anything I want and get a response.  Anything.  I can google a recipe, a person, a song, an event, and I will always be rewarded with an abundance of links that relate to whatever I searched.  And, if google takes more than 2 seconds to retrieve data I will get angry, which is ridiculous don't you think?

Cell phones.  I don't even understand how land line telephones work, let alone cell phones.  Texting is a miracle, and I bet that if someone told you 30 years ago that you would one day be able to send an instant "text" to someone saying whatever you wanted people would say NO WAY!  And not even just texting! I can take a picture right here of something in Delaware and text it to someone back home in New York and they will receive it all in the matter of maybe a minute.

I am starting to agree, however, with the many accusations that technology is actually hindering our ability to grow as human beings.  I feel that since I grew up on a "technology high" I can not even begin to imagine not having it.  I would go through some serious withdrawals.  However, I think I am going to try to limit my social interaction via the internet and cell phones.  I find that recently email, facebook, and texting are my primary forms of communication because they are simple.  I rarely call someone on the telephone because why call when you can text?  Here's why you should call:  It's more personal.  Here's why you should get out of the house and knock on your friend's door instead of calling them: It's more personal. If we are already a generation with limited face to face communication with other individuals I fear what the next generation is going to be like.  Is it possible that the next generation's individuals will be even more removed from other individuals?

So I think that we as a society need to snap out of this technology high.  We need to turn off our cell phones and computers.  We need to take the time to interact with other people on a more personal level.  If we limit our reliance and dependence on technology I feel that our society will really thrive as a whole in terms of relationships.  Life is about the relationships you have with other people, and technology really lessens the quality of these relationships.

So I challenge you to try to spend one day without technology.  And if you think that you would not survive, then you are proving my point that our reliance on it is ridiculous.

Horoscopes.

I am not that into horoscopes.  Why you ask? BECAUSE THEY ARE A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT!


And, I refuse to believe that shit until I get some more details okay?  Enough with the vagueness, astrological signs.

Here's some of my horoscopes from different websites for today:

1. Cosmopolitan.com: Spendthrift Jupiter could make money fly through your fingers.  If you're shopping, make a list and stick to it.

Nope! Wrong!  Because you see for money to fly through my fingers I would have to have more than 50 dollars in my account. So you suck.

2. Horoscope.com: Your ship comes in, Scorpio.  Don't be surprised if you find a big, fat check waiting for you.  Who knows what you've done to deserve such kindness?  Don't question your good fortune- just accept it with calm and grace.  Finally, you can implement some of those home improvements.  Deep down you deserve it!

Interesting and contradictory.

So here's what I want to know Mr. and Mrs. Horoscope Writers.  Is my ship coming in or am I going to be spending all my doe?  When is this big, fat check coming and how much is it for so I know how much money I can charge to my credit card?  And, how did you know I needed home improvements?  Can you tell I live in a beat down college house in which there are birds and other creatures living in the attic?

I think I should start writing horoscopes for people.  Really spice things up.  It actually seems pretty easy.

Scorpio:  You will be a lazy piece of shit today and watch reruns of Law and Order: SVU all day until you finally get out of bed to shower.  You may even take some time to write in your blog that no one cares to read anyway.  But other than your pathetic waste of a life you will have a great day!

See!! no need to read my horoscope for that! :D

The Sale of Beer at a Gas Station.. Does anyone else see the irony in all this?

When I began college in Newark, Delaware four years ago I was APPALLED to learn that I would be unable to purchase beer at the local gas stations and 711s.  And, no not because my fake ID said I was 26 and would literally fall apart if you grabbed it in the wrong spot, but because Delaware does not sell beer at places other than liquor stores.  Hmm then maybe it should be called an "alcohol" store? ahem. just sayin'.

I come from good ol' Long Island where you can purchase beer just about anywhere.. 711s, supermarkets and best of all.. gas stations!!  I never really saw the irony of the sale of alcohol at a gas station until I lived somewhere that this convenience did not exist.  But, with so many laws regarding driving while intoxicated , why does it make sense to sell alcohol at gas stations?  Okay, gotta take the hour drive from my mother's house to my father's house.  Let me just fill up my tank and get a 6 pack for the road?

Don't get me wrong.  I am not hating.  It was a fantastic thing back in the day because all the gas stations were more lenient with the purchase of alcohol.  Perhaps I would have never drank at such a young age if they did not sell beer at gas stations on Long Island, because where would I have gotten it?  Surely, not 711s because I still get carded there.  And, there was NO way I was stepping in a liquor store.  Or perhaps I would've just stuck to stealing smirnoff raspberry vodka from my mom's cabinet.  I do not know.

But the point is... Thank you Long Island for being so cool and encouraging drinking beer at such a young age.  If not for the sale of beer in gas stations it is quite possible that my love for beer may not have grown to be the love I have for it today.  And that would just be a tragedy.

Chivalry.. Something of the 1800's? I think NOT!

When I looked up the word "chivalry"on dictionary.com this is what popped up:

chiv·al·ry

  [shiv-uhl-ree]  Show IP
A

–noun, plural -ries for 6.

1.

the sum of the ideal qualifications of a knight, includingcourtesy, generosity, valor, and dexterity in arms.

2.

the rules and customs of medieval knighthood.

3.

the medieval system or institution of knighthood.

Then I decided to look up the word "chivalry" on a much more liberal site, one of my favorite dictionary sites.. urbandictionary.com.  And here's what I found...

10.	chivalry	31 up, 79 down
	buy chivalry mugs, tshirts and magnets Doing whatever a woman wants and tells you to to try to get laid. Being pussywhipped and being a chick's slave. See "gentleman" and "real man". John thinks spending lots of money on his girl and doing what she tells him is chivalry. Even though she thinks she's equal she wants none of the responsibilities of being an adult. His balls are in his purse and she doesn't respect him. Hmmmm Well I don't think either one of these definitions is legit, and now I get why chivalry is said to be"dead".  Clearly we are no longer in the 1800s or whenever it was that the medieval times occurred (and I am probably way off  with the time period.. not a history buff) so we can't relate to that ideal vision of a knight.  And then we have the definition as it relates to today's society which involves being pussywhipped... and why would a man ever want to be called (and I am quoting urban dictionary) "pussywhipped"?? Do men who are actually good guys and chivalrous get made fun of by their friends for being "pussywhipped"?   Should women believe urban dictionary's definition that every man that acts chivalrous is trying to f#$% you? If a man opens the door for a woman should she assume he is being a nice guy, or is she to assume he is trying to get in her pants? Well, I personally believe the former, even though I am sure there are plenty of guys who perform the latter. Personally, I believe that chivalry is not dead.  And, personally I would never date and/or ever consider dating a man who does not take the time to open the door for me at a restaurant, or open the car door for me (all the time), or push me to the inside of the sidewalk so that I am not walking close to the cars.  Call me spoiled.  Call me cheesy.  But I think its a wonderful thing.   Why are we, as women, in today's society so shocked when men actually do something nice?  Last week I was at the bar with my girls and this guy was talking to one of my friends.  He introduced himself, shook all of our hands and I thought WOW! what a nice guy!  Something as simple as a handshake made me determine that this random person was nice?  Why?  Because it DOESN'T happen all the time.  Matter of fact.. rarely.  But, the truth is we shouldn't be all that surprised when a guy does something so simple as shake our hand?  We should expect men to be nice and respectful.  Just sayin. So the moral to my story is if your man/ a man is not chivalrous now chances are he'll never be so ditch the loser and find your "knight in shining armor".  Yup, that is my advice.  And please don't tell me chivalry is dead and that men aren't like that nowadays and that is just how it is. While chivalrous men may be an "endangered species", I can tell you for a fact that they are certainly not extinct.  And, if chivalry is something you value, like me, you should never settle for anything less.

My life without coffee.

My life without coffee would be a DISASTER.  I thought about giving up coffee for lent, but realized that that would mean 40 days of crazy, psychotic, angry, unproductive, bitchy me which just would not be fun for anyone.  Today I went to the foodstore with only 20 dollars to spend.  I have no food in my house, and my mother gave me $160 on Wednesday so that I could buy food to last me the next 3 weeks at school, but instead of purchasing nutritional food that would last me 3 weeks, my dollar bills found their way to every bar on Main Street and Margheritas pizza.  So, hence I was left with 20 dollars for food :( .  What was on my list?  Oh you know the essentials.  1. Milk 2. Bread 3. Coffee.  4. Pretzels.  And that's about all I could afford considering I can't buy the cheap Acme Brand coffee, but have to buy Java Hazelnut Cream thats like $8 for a tiny package.  But, I rationalize it by saying to myself that without this good coffee I would not do well in school or life.. in fact I would probably have 0 incentive to get out of bed.  Well, that's a bit extreme, but you get the picture.  Or better yet heres a picture..

Me Without Coffee

Now about fifteen minutes later...

It is honestly amazing what one drink can do!  Whenever I am bummed about going to class.. what do I do?  Stop and get a cup of coffee!  Whenever I am in no mood to go to work.. what do I do?  Stop and get a cup of coffee!  Whenever I am stressed, angry, happy, confused, sad, you name it.. coffee is where I turn.


I am not really sure when I started drinking coffee. I think it was during the midst of my adolescence when I just thought it made me look "cooler".  Little did I know I would never be kewl.  Oh yes, first I began with Dunkin Donuts Caramel Lattes which were super delicious because you couldn't even taste the expresso..in fact the only reason I would drink them would be to get down to all the caramel at the bottom..yum..

Then I was soon able to stomach the idea of drinking regular lattes and even cappucinos.  And, one morning I eventually found myself gulping down a huge mug of good ol fashioned coffee.  And, that was the day my life changed.  And so now its every morning.. 2 cups of coffee. little bit of milk.. then a stop at dunkin donuts or 711 on my way to class or work for a large dose of some more goodness.. then around 3 or 4 my afternoon coffee.. and sometimes during exam weeks I will even have a cup or two at night.  What an addiction!  But, its something I have grown accustomed with and everyone who knows me knows that before you speak to me in the morning you better make sure you get a large cup o joe in me otherwise you may wind up listening to a string of curse words.

So my point.  For me there is nothing better than a good cup of coffee.

And thats the way the cookie crumbles.. and cookies with a side (aka pot) of coffee are delicious.