Incredi-who?

Hmmmmm, JW seems to be losing his mind. After years and years of wishing me to worship the ground upon which he walks, he now seems to mind when I finally do act similarly. Case in point #1? My initial blog set up happened to be the same background as his. Mistake...big mistake. calls me out in a comment page for hogging his style. I swear on my first blog there were only three options, and I can't stand white backgrounds. Whatev, switched that up right quick. Case in point #2? Now he has gotten offended by my name: lil wash, "Enough with this "l'il wash" nonsense. ...There is no "l'il wash". The wash name is taken. You have to be something else. Come on man, you can't bite my name like that. You're like Incredi-boy from the Incredibles. Fly home l'il wash, I WORK ALONE!!!!!!!!! " I shall grant him that he is the original Wash. Alas I happen to be the youngest of the bunch hence the lil. But since he's being a baby and calling me out on comment boards I must, once again, change my format to prevent further hissy fits. I have reverted to my ghetto GW name that Andy and Joe bestowed upon me in high school and which Andy made sure stayed alive throughout college by telling people that my name was T-Dog. got a hat, got a poster and a jersey with that name on it. Shoot I've got two football jerseys with that name on it so I guess it sticks.

******Warning: the following should not be read while consuming food (got it Kellay?)****
So this am, papa w was returning from the west coast on a red eye. Sammy LOVES car rides and he's old and arthritic now so he's not really allowed to go so often which makes him depressed. Since he's going to fat camp for a few days I took pity on him. Plus how could I possibly reject this face.... Anywho, so big papa calls to announce that he is awaiting pick up at the bus station. I tell sammy he has to go to the potty if he wants to get in the car which immediately gets him revved. Then momma comes out and swears he's done his business for the day. So i let him in. BIG mistake #3. Sure enough he managed to leave a lil something something in my car again when we got home. I can't blame him because when I came in the house to retrieve my handy dandy rubber gloves again my mom then tells me that maybe she pulled him inside before he was done. Really? Ya think?? Perhaps the fact that he pulled me straight to the backyard after exiting the car to finish off his business might have been the first hint to me. Alas, the sheet is being washed because I have to put him in tomorrow to take him to fat camp. On the positive side, I do believe that his vet induced skin infection has finally cleared....eight months later.

April showers bring more showers?

All I have to say is what the f? I'm so tired of rain, not only for the dampering of the spirits and the inability to enjoy the outdoors but also cause it makes the ole knee swell up making clothing myself a difficult prospect. One can only wear sweats for so many days before people start thinking, "My she's really let herself go hasn't she? What a shame". Skirts are an option but I prefer covered legs during rain. Who knows why, its a personal preference. Checked on a job status that biggest bro is helping me with and I have tentatively passed the initial qualification! Course, I'm pretty sure that just means I filled out the app correctly online, but hey its something.
Now for a weekend recap. Nothing too exciting I must admit because financials are still not in a happy place. Friday rented some movies. Saturday, went to the mall with my mom again. We are a renowned tag team. People actually ask where the other is if we're not together.....that is a tad on the sad side but I digress. The Asian Hair Cart ladies were excited to see us again because we pretty much keep them in business, but their stuff is so good how could we refuse? Saturday night went to Wildwood with the folks and the Karps. Never been there before, despite what my family says I was left out of the engagement celebratory dinner. Quite tasty steak and conversation. However, I was unable to get a drink because i left my ID at home. Waitress with oddly pitches sing song voice rejected me despite the fact that my parents were there because I didn't have a pesky card. BUMMER.

Sunday? Well Sunday brought about the start of Wedding Bonanza which meant it was my second official bridal shower, well third if you count one from college. But that one was actually held in the study room of a dorm so I don't. The picture to the left? Was it some wacky shower game to torture the future hubby? Stay tuned. I was immediately caught off guard when leaving my house because my mom got in the passenger side of her own car. Wha? Apparently I was voted to drive to Saugus. Made it there with mom and mama Karp in time for the shower. It was pretty cool. No cheesey shower games which was A-OK by me. Did feel a little badly for Mo though cause he was the only dude there. But he's a cool dude so he can hang. Course he was put to work...hence the picture to the left. That apartment got pretty toasty with the oven, the humidity and the rain preventing window openage. Former bball player Mo, got to rediscover his skill by balancing on a chair on an ottoman to turn on the fan. Lots of work, but definitely made a difference. The only weird thing about the shower is that I swear I could smell a certain wacky tobaccy odor seeping in from somewhere during the gift opening.
To finish up the night I gave Sammy his three pill nightly cocktail which he took with no problem so I felt compelled to give him his cheese. Having completed my duties, I set up getting ready for bed. I hadn't even gotten to floss my teeth before I hear an awful sound...the sound of retching. Sure enough I exist the bathroom and there is Sammy looking guilty and dangerously close to the couch and sure enough when I round the chair I see a lovely pile of vomit highlighted by undigested cheese. Oh trusty rubber gloves!!! Cleaned up the mess and went to bed. Took sammy with me to drop off the movie today and don't get fair before he gets an odd look of ecstasy on his face. Definitely means trouble. Just a matter of seconds before the odor-rific scent of doody fills the car. Too far to make it worthwhile to turn around but by the time I get back, he has also sat in it. Luckily he didn't play like he wouldn't get out of the car. Had to wipe him off and then fix the car with a lovely combo of rubber gloves, febreeze, resolve, and windex. Why windex? Oh somehow he managed to get it on the door too. Sometimes I really do feel like a glorified pooper scooper.

T-minus 4 days til boozin in the hotel time. Bought my gift today so hopefully it'll arrive before the big day.

News from the underground

Lots of random thoughts to get down here today....one of which I keep meaning to tell people about but I keep forgetting to do it. Perhaps because my mind is trying to block this experience from being remembered.

As I am still unemployed (new application sent in and prospects on the horizon), I have fair amounts of free time. So I meandered to the ole town mall where all the happening shopping occurs. Truthfully, it is pretty nice and with the new addition that they are building it'll be even better. Not sure what i was looking for...perhaps a father's day gift or one of many wedding/shower presents that are just waiting to be selected for a variety of big days. Naturally, I am drawn to stores that I like to shop in like Vicky S. Why do I like it so much? I have a sort of male mentality when it comes to laundry so I like to stock up on the essentials to push back the length of time I can take between laundry days. Kinda gross, but it is what it is. Anywho, as I peruse the store and make my way out I notice these two huge women. Like 6'5" which is incredibly tall. I've been around tall ladies before and they don't freak me out at all, but there was something about these two that just didn't fly. As I walk by them I hear them speak and I immediately know why my alarm bell went off. Ladies are dudes in drag!!! Now I lived in DC for 6 years so I got nothing against Drag Queens and have watched "Drag Races" in Dupont. It's cool, got no problems with their lifestyle. That being said...I didn't know they existed my lil suburban town and it was a lil weird to see them in a woman's underthings store.

If you'll recall from the Girlie Girl entry, me and power tools may not go together like rama lama dingy dong. I try I really do. The lawn needs a mowin and I'm available. So I put on my shorts, roll my sleeves ghetto style, get the glasses and the poo shoes. Poo shoes? Well if you have a dog you know about the need for non-textured soles in the event of an accidental step. Push the mower out of the garage, prime it, rip the cord a few times and off I go. The anal personality in me usually quarters the yard off and completing a section before moving on. Yesterday, I tried to just do a simple circle of the whole yard. I get around 2.5 times and then....mower dies. Try to start again. No go. Check the gas...still visible amounts and the gas can is empty so there's nothing i can do there. Prime again, won't start. Damn, the twisting motion of starting the mower is not doing wonders for the knee. I was foiled by lawn equipment again. Worse, you can barely tell i did anything because of my circling method.

Getting psyched for the trip to bmore. Pseudo brother is getting married to a very fun lady. Should be good times, good drink, and good food. And I'll finally leave the rain infested noreast.

The Interview

While I contemplate the appropriate gracious letter to my interviewers, i thought I'd take the time to give a brief recap. Before that I just got news that US lost to Ghana in the World Cup so I know my sister-in-law must be happy cause she has this thing with rooting for the underdog. Ah well, no biggie cause I'm not so much into the futbol, its okay live but I'm not gung ho about it by any means. Though being in such close proximity to little Brazil in the neighboring town means that I am well aware of how Brazil is fairing in the World Cup.

Now for the interview. This is only the second interview I've actually engaged in since I got my college job. I went to a religiously affiliated non-profit organization. This job was totally not my gig but i figured I needed to expand my horizons and try new things anyway. There is a new organization to support cultural arts and they were looking for an office assistant. The initial woman was nice enough and asked all about me. She had a kid at GW, so right off the bat I knew she had a certain picture of my financial situation in mind. Let's be real, GW students are a world onto themselves. You probably have more kids from Long Island with extremely wealthy parents and the children of diplomats than at any other university. Accordingly, the image of the GW student as a whole is one of extreme wealth. Sorry folks, I don't fit the bill, i went there on a scholarship not cause mommy and daddy own some company or have a building named after them on campus. Anywho, after a spiel on the organization and the direction, the woman informed me that the greatest focus would be on seeking donations. Then the question....."what do your parents do"? Say what!? What exactly does my parents' employment have to do with my job potential? If my mom was a law firm partner instead of a paralegal does that mean i get the job? Hmmmmmm, sounded quite shady to me and made my desire for the job to take a stiff dive to the hell no range. Then I go out and meet two other women from the job to ask further questions. guess its a tight knit place so its key that everyone gets along. Talk some more about myself...truthfully just repeat what I'd already said. then I get asked about my religion. Again I say , "errr?" Now keep in mind I was wearing a religious relic around my neck that clearly defined what religion I observe. I kept my nasty comment in and answered. I left well aware that I didn't want the job even if I got an offer. Next day i talked to my agency and told them what happened. They were in shock. Such shock they called me back after the initial call to apologize. Course, i told them not to worry. Frankly, I think there are other things they could be apologizing for, not the questions of an interview that they weren't involved in. Sheesh.

Sunday marks the beginning of Wedding bonanza 2006, too bad its gonna start off with a rain storm. Lucky it's a bridal shower and not a wedding so the fact that nature is providing a shower during the shower seems somewhat appropriate.

Life, or something like it....

Yesterday was father's day. So first a happy dia del padres to all the papas that I know out there. Typically we bug my dad to do something on the weekends in order to get him out of the house. He doesn't seem to have a lot of hobbies and is perfectly content to spend the weekend in the house or becoming a very dark skinned man in the backyard. however, it was his day, so me and my moms left him alone. We went to our appointment in the AM and to brunch aftewards and then let him open presents. Then it was off to the backyard with the pooch. However, since it hit a blistering 92 in the Nay Nay yesterday it was not ideal conditions for the doggie. He's a stubborn one though (no longer prone to using child body parts as chew toys either Mr. JK) and refused to go inside. So eventually I had to go inside in order for him to get out of the heat. Very low key day, but that's how my dad likes to roll.

New Profession ideas from the parental front. Seems our kitchen sink, unbeknownst to us, had quite the leak going on. This vital bit of information was discovered last night. The plumber came in and we found that nowadays plumbers charge their time, from the moment they are dispatched to the moment they are done as well as a parts charge and a labor wage. Quite the payroll. Mom suggested I look into that. But methinks i've proved that I should not use tools in a regular fashion. Shoot, if it plugs in, I need a warranty. How many people can say that they have actually cashed in on a warranty for a cordless phone? Ding Ding Ding, that's right party people yours truly has actually purchased a warranty for a cordless phone and had to use it. Plus Grampa was a plumber and if he wants one thing its that no family members do better than he was able to do. The other employment brainstorm of the day is that I should get into physical therapy. Two knee surgeries prior to the age of 24 and about 18 months of physical therapy did spark an interest for me but i just never thought of getting an education in it. If this current tract doesn't work out for me I may just look into getting a degree for PT, cause that'd be nifty and helpful. Btw, I do have an interview today, but my agency didn't provide me with much info so i'll have to wing it.

Girlie Girl?

First, i wanted to post a picture of the original furry ninja for your viewing pleasure.

Well, like i've mentioned I'm the youngest of three, both older siblings are guys. Wash's two bf's are like brothers to me and a lot of my friends growing up were of the male persuasion. Because of this, I tend to not consider myself very girlie. Especially growing up, I would've classified myself as a tomboy. You can ask my mom cause she was none too pleased about it. I mean obviously they wanted a girl or they wouldn't have stopped having kids until they got me :) but i wasn't exactly the girl that my mom had hoped for. She forced me to take dance classes. I hated them, I would've rathered been enrolled in a sport. Hated shopping until I was in college. Didn't touch makeup til highschool.... you get the point. Big sports fanatic. know a lot about them and enjoy playing them. Even played some flag football in college/grad school until my team was finally able to win the Co-Rec Championship and I got the tshirt I'd so desired.

However, sometimes i find myself being a girlie girl and I don't know where its coming from. I like shopping (well for the most part) and I am unwilling to camp cause i can't handle bugs. though if asked, I may just respond that due to my surgical knee repair I prefer to lay upon cushioned surfaces so as to not reaggravate the problem and require a third surgery before i even turn 30. Alas, I tried to be helpful last weekend and do some lawn care. AWash refers to this as "man's work" a term that I find a bit on the obnoxious side. But he might be on to something. I managed to trim two of our hedges without a problem, but somehow during the third hedge trimming, I was able to get the power cord around the vibrating blade and cut almost clean through it. While the extension cord didn't not survive this impromtu surgery, I came through with flying colors and not an ounce of electrical shock. But maybe there's something to my brother's mantra about power tools not being for girls.

Scammers

Add another entry on the old pet peeve list: scammers. Now I'm not one to name names normally, but when you cost me money all bets are off. Course this is most likely related to the unemployed bum status I hold so every penny matters. Let's start with my young friend "LC". She's a very sweet young girl, I've known her since she was 14 since she worked for GW. When I realized I was moving home and she was beginning college, I realized that perhaps we could work out a deal whereby i would make money and she would save money on college supplies by purchasing things out of my apartment. I should have known better because this girl was all talk. She would say that she would do things that would never happen, which i attributed to youth. She even claimed that she would help me move which would have been most helpful, but alas she bailed on the move and instead had someone else come collect her stuff and I still almost a year later have yet to see my $50. Now that's not a lot of money this particular scammer makes the list on principle.
The Next scammer is particularly bad because it is an awkward situation. Thanks to JW, I am a football fan and probably have more knowledge than your typical lady. In fact several people at my old job would underestimate my knowledge only to have to eat their words after a sunday game. hehehehe. anywho, i digress. I've played in a fantasty football league with work related people for a few years....according to Yahoo i'm practically a pro. This year, the fee was $20 a person with half of the winnings going to the regular season winner and half going to the league winner. $100 apiece. I lost the season by a half game but kicked some serious bootay to win the league title. Again where is my payment? Worse yet, this perpetrator happens to be the brother of a very good friend of mine who does not wish to intervene on my behalf because he is not his brother's keeper. Both of these people have gotten emails from me and reminders on my address for where they can send their money. Alas to no avail. Much harder to pursue these scammers since they are in the DC area and I'm back in Nay Nay. Lucky for me, I happen to have a very important event to attend to in Bmore in a few weeks which is in the neighborhood of these scammers, so maybe i'll come back from the wedding with a heavier pocket.

And one last scammer to that comes to mind is everyone's favorite convenient store Cee Vee Ess. They have their own card that they scan in order to track your purchases and, ideally, provide coupons on your favorite products. But if you look at these coupons they have a short valid time. If you just bought a large bottle of conditioner what are the odds you'll need to replensih within three to four weeks? Same with pain medicine. If I just bought a bottle of Advil why do I need a coupon for pain medicine that only lasts til the end of the month? I mean if you're going through a bottle of Aspirin/Advil/Tylenol/Aleve within that short period of time you may just want to consult your doctor about what's buggin you....cause that ain't healthy.

The Capital Life

So I have finally done it...I have begun the job search back in the DC area. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy DC for the 6 years I was there. I mean I lost weight because of the walking necessary in the city and it was nice weather with the exception of three months in the summertime when it is hot as Hades and definitely not TW-Fro hair compatible. Truthfully, the one time I did stay into the summer months I frequently looked as though I had stuck my finger in an electrical socket as part of getting ready for the day operations. And while electrical shocks are cool to some folks, that's just not how i roll.

If you think about DC is probably a cool place for me to be. I still have a bunch of friends in the area from the GW days. My pseudo big brother jk and his soon to be wife angie are minutes away in bmore as well as nay nay's finest in kelmic, throw in the fact that ms. kimmy will be moving down shortly and the fact that biggest bro has a tendency to frequent the city on "business" and you've got all the makings of a perfect locale. Close enough that i can visit home whenever i so choose, yet far enough away that I can feel as though i'm living on my own. Cause that's what MA is coming down to, in addition to the employment issues, i'm starting to wonder if its possible for me to be truly independent being in such close proximity to the parentals. I felt like an adult in DC on my own, with my own apartment and my own bills but in MA I seem to be more dependent and "youngest" mentality. Don't like it, don't really know how to get out of it. I know its doable cause i got plenty of friends who stayed in MA and are on their own, but I'm not sure that they come from as close-knit of a family as mine. Surely, people that know me and the jw would not on the surface believe we are close because we have a tendency to push each other's buttons. But you can only really be annoyed by those you love, right? Otherwise you wouldn't care what the other person did.

Of course, while I'm applying to jobs in DC, I've also come up with a brilliant plan to hire on with a doggy day care place, cause that could be a fun interim position, what's better than playing with puppies all day? That or a postal position, but i fear for my own sanity and safety in the postal world.

Thirteen days til the beginning of the Summer of Wedding Festivities begins, and the 49 cent dress is back from the tailor's and ready to be worn...

Confessions of an Unemployed Bum

I admit it, I am leading the life of a bum/mooch. I graduated May 2005 (technically August but whatever I have a diploma) from a good university with an advanced degree. I stayed in DC to live out my lease and then moved home with the parentals while I searched for a job. Well, it June 9 2006 and i'm still at home and still looking for a job. Don't get me wrong my parents are pretty cool tenants and let's be honest $0 monthly rent is significantly better than the monetary rape I suffered for the two years of Foggy Bottom, DC living. But being unemployed blows big chunks. Part of the reason I decided to move back was for my friends and family and well, i don't have the funding to afford to go out with my employed friends cause they're in the fancy Boston Bar stage of life, a stage that I have never and probably will never be in. So besides Thanksgiving I haven't seen any of my friends. Shoot, I don't even get calls from them anymore, which is cool i guess, I mean how many times do people want to hear that someone can't go out? Plus it'll make it easier to leave if I get a job outside of the state.

Then there are the well meaning friends who have managed to get jobs. They don't get why its so hard, and I suppose I wouldn't either if I were them. But there isn't a single one of my friends, except maybe Kellay, who has a job that I would want and therein lies the problem. I want in on Criminal Justice, a tricky field to get into. No one wants an educated but underexperienced employee. How does one get experience if no one is willing to give it out? on top of that frustration, I can't even get a regular boring retail job. I'm too educated and too much of a flight risk for them to give me a shot.

All I know is someone better bite on the resume and at least give me a chance to interview soon cause I got three weddings, two showers and a bachelorette party that's gonna cost a minimum of more than a c-note from now til October so I either 1)need a job 2)need to rob a bank or 3) win the lottery. Personally I vote for #3 cause i got big plans for a lottery windfall, I won't forget either wash or the old homestead, and I'd get to really hold out for something I like to do.

where the money's at

Over the last six months, I've realized that I made a huge mistake in my educational pursuits. I attained a BA in Sociology with a minor in psychology and then went on to get a Masters in Criminal Justice before the age of 24. Pretty sweet right? But is that where the money's at? Heck no! I've just returned from yet another visit with our darling vet and realized that the true money is in Animal medicine. Let's be real. People who have animals but not kids treat their animals like kids....meaning that they are willing to pour endless amounts of money into the well being of the animal.

Take Samson for example. He's at the ripe age of 10 years old now, graying fur and all. For the first nine years he was was the picture of health. Sure he had the occasional issue but what living being doesn't eventually have some kind of health problem? He was "fixed" because 1)it was the right thing to do and 2) there was a hypothesis that it would cut down on some of his more aggressive tendencies. Not so much on that one but whatever, at least we don't have to worry about a knock on the door and being yelled at cause Samson tried to spread his seed. However, the last year of his life has resulted in a ghastly amount of medical bills. When I returned in July from DC, I couldn't help but notice that samson was biting himself rather regularly and was whining. After a few weeks I took him in. They gave me an antibiotic. That didn't work, we tried a second, that appeared to work a lil. Then we left him at the kennel because my brother, nephew and sister-in-law were coming into town. When I picked him up the skin infection had blown up and was now on both sides of his abdomen. It occurs to me now that they never really knew what was going on, just experimenting. They did a biopsy and gave medication that they thought would work but it didn't. In the human world the word malpractice comes to mind. It is now June and he is still battling the infection he got while under their care. The same infection that they claim he must have had and gotten a cut and that's why it surfaced while being kenneled. I think that's bulls&*t to a royal degree, but what proof do I have? I don't regularly photograph his abdomen so it's our word against their's. Even better, because of his size (150) all medications cost an exhorbitant amount of money.

To top it all off, despite being on an antibiotic for six months, he somehow has managed to get a yeast infection in his ear and now an infection (immune to his current antibiotic obvi) in his....arse. He's also getting arthritic so we've had to put him on a vitamin supplement to prevent further damage and an arthritis medicine to improve the quality of his last years. Fourteen pills a day! There is a daily bag made of his pills as well as a color coded chart near his picture so that the parentals can give him the appropriate pills at the appropriate time even if i'm not home. Forget the fact that I don't even like the vet we go to but can't switch because the cost of running new tests at a different place is mind numbing. Since July, we've probably paid enough to cover the cost of college for the vet's kids. Why? Cause there was no such thing as pet health insurance 10 years ago and everything is out of pocket. Poor Sammy, the indignities of old age.....

On the other hand

So while entering my, as Jessica Simpson put so eloquently, "mid twenties" was kinda lame, I realize that I neglected to mention the things that went well. Kinda a bad habit of mine, more of a half empty girl though trying to change the outlook. Got some cards from Kellay from the Dirty Nat and phone calls from the nephew, Blair and Andy. Also got a couple of email shout outs including some folks I hadn't talked to in a year so that's always nice to remembered. Facebook allowed my favorite current college bball player Mr. Ricky Lucas to contact me and wish me a happy day. And since this is the boy that has sung Ashlee Simpson to me (don't ask) anything from him brings an instant smile to my face. Just thought it was important to not make it sound like everything was bad.

As for the weekend? Well it seems as though New England won't be suffering from drought problems any time soon. Yet again it was a wash out. Now rain is cool, I don't mind rain in the summer because its nice and refreshing not like the winter rain that is so bitter cold that you can't do anything but wish that it would just turn to snow. However, by the lovely age of 24 I had already had not one but two surgical procedures on my knee. The first experience is worthy of a blog entry on its own, the second was more to fix boo boos done by the first doctor as well as correct an injury incurred during physical therapy. Anywho, the second surgery was a success for the most part.....the only problem is that when it is very humid (i.e. raining) my knee throbs with the same intensity prior to surgical repair. In addition to the throbbing pain, it swells up usually preventing the wearability of anything except sweats or bottoms that aren't fitted around the knee. So Friday, with the pain I decided to rent some movies. Saturday was shopping with mom, which has lost its luster since we go to the same places every weekend and I can no longer afford to spend money until i get a job. Sunday meant taking Dad to the bus for his business trip. But the bright point was bringing a smile to the puppy's face. See Sammy loves himself a car ride, in fact the mere mention of either of those words and he gets giddy and whiny unless you make movement towards putting him in the car. Usually, he got to go every saturday on a route from the bank to the dump and back to the house. But lately his arthritis has gotten the better of him and he has some difficulty getting out of the car. He has even had enough trouble that its taken hours and some aspirin before he could be extricated. This latest development has meant that sammy has not gone for a non doctor's appointment ride in quite a while which makes him sad......very visibly sad and depressed which in turn makes me sad and depressed. At the very least he deserves to enjoy the end of his days. So I made a deal with him, as I develop a new method to take him in my dad's car (i'm good at doggie inventions for examples view doggie seat cover made by me for $5) I will take him with me to return movies as long as he will get out of the car. Call me a dog whisperer or a freak but I feel confident that this particular animal can understand human speech. So i took a risk and took him with me to Blockbluster and then the "long way" home. He got out of the car without issue! We'll see how it goes tomorrow when we have to go back to the vet for a followup. This dog's health issues are also worthy of an entry on their own and depending on what they tell me tomorrow you may hear about it soon.

Birthday Blues

This is a few days late, but what the heck. I've always been wicked big on birthdays. Why? Not so sure, perhaps a result of youngest child syndrome when both brothers pretty much cover the bases in excelling in all fields of life thus leaving the day of my birth as the one thing that was totally mine. Who knows? I'm feeling all of those psychology classes coming back to me now about the pitfalls of every birth order position. Anywho, for someone who enjoys birthdays so much I feel like i haven't had the best of luck when it comes to them. My family has surely tried, I even remember my brothers putting on magic shows at my early birthdays. And wilingly entertaining my friends during my 'tween' years. Year 13 wasn't so bad, but that's probably due to the extravaganza that only a Bat Mitzvah can bring. Sweet sixteen? Well my mom and best friend made a valiant effort. But unfortunately I did not and still do not surround myself with people who are very good secret agents. Thus resulting in the Surprise! factor not really existing. It started when i went to get a drink out of my friend's fridge and noticed my mom's work number on a stickie. Very odd, i didn't have her mom's work number on my fridge. A decent attempt at a cover up and i was still fairly unaware. Then a few days later another non secret agent started asking what cd's she should bring to.....and then faded out as she realized I was standing there. DING DING DING I think we have a party. Further evidence? My dad actually wanted to take me shopping on the day of the party because he needed help picking something out for mom. Dad wants to shop? Needless to say there was little surprise to this party.
While I was in college i became friendly with a guy who had a birthday they day after mine. Our sophomore year I desperately tried to plan something for his birthday and tried to get some help from mutual friends. I became increasingly angry as my calls and emails were ignored but they had no problem talking to my roommate about it. I got so angry about the whole thing that I ultimately forced her to reveal to me that i wasn't being ignored but that everyone had decided to try and plan something for the both of us and wanted it to be a surprise. Whoops! I was always torn in college where to spend bday time since it was that awkward time of year when my friends were pretty evenly divided between being at school and being in the dirty nat.
Senior year...year 22 rocked. It was the festival of Taryn. A seven day long party that started with a impromptu wine and oreo party with the roomies and a few guests. It extended into dinner at a mexican place and continued and corresponded with graduation activities. ALso the baddest ass party ever thrown in my honor. Seriously there were people I hadn't seen since Freshmen year and they showed up. It was rad. My bud Vivek and I were the only sober ones in thurston 3 years earlier and we knocked back some drinks remembering the day. Then the fam bam including brothers came to town which involved more partaying. My brother's best bud Jon and his always fun fiancee Angie came down to enjoy as well. So much fun was had that were doubts I'd show up to my school ceremony the next day. Alas, I made the brothers proud by not only showing up, but showed up lacking any signs of a hangover. Then the black tie celebration for gw. Totally awesome....totally unfortunate cause it meant that nothing would ever live up to it.
The next year was kinda lame. Chose a restuarant based on ease of access not taste of food. Some people didn't come cause they didn't like other people. And a drunk ass popped a balloon of mine with his ciggie on my walk home. Almost resulting in an altercation with my roomie who took issue with that (rightfully so) then I got a royally bad sun burn setting up commencement resulting in a bout of sun poisioning ruining the actual birthday night festivities. Though some very nice friends came over anyway so i wouldn't be alone. Bust
Year 24 will go down as the most disappointing. I invited tons of my nearest and dearest and I was done with finals, but apparently I was the only one. Only my grad school buddies, Jordan and Vdez showed up to the club for dancing and drinks. Maggie happened to be in town and made an appearance but I was kinda bummed with the turnout. Don't get me wrong the TA's were fun and Jordan always gives a good time and Vdez? Shoot can't do much better than that but I was still sad. Then I got the bright idea to say hi to one of my athlete friends on the way home. Little did I know he had previously gotten in a bar fight and wasn't in a good mood. He and another of my friends got into some bizzaro macho bullshit and I wound up getting shoved pretty hard out of the way while they postured against each other. I fled home in tears at this turn of events.

this year? Well let's see, it happened to be raining which no pun intended rained on my parade. It was like the 2nd straight week of this rain something I thought I left behind when I left dc. Couldn't get appointments for my day of beauty because all of the people i currently see have decided that they don't do Fridays anymore (or saturdays for that matter). Got a mani/pedi but i hated the way my hands came out. Couldn't go where i wanted for dinner because of the weather so my parents took me where mi madre wanted to go. Big bro wasn't around because his fiancee's sis was getting married the next day. Other big bro was in sunny cali. Next day had an engagement party to attend where many people who every Thanksgiving like to tell me how they remember the day i was born couldn't really remember the actual date. Which was a little sad for me. Lucky Cheryl was there, can't be down when Cheryl is around. Oh and to top it off the aunt and grandparents forgot. As of June 1, still no card. SInce this was the last milestone birthday for another 5 years I guess I'll have plenty of time to stop caring so much about one day a year.