think like a woman. act like a man.

Moving on and Letting Go…

2012-01-26T12:25:00.000-06:00

You know, it’s weird. Sometimes clarity comes from meditating. Other times it’s a long walk outdoors or discussing ideas with a trusted friend. And occasionally it comes from drinking so much that you can’t feel your toes. When the outcome is the right one, it becomes hard to judge your method, even if you do find yourself inclined to remove fifteen or so facebook and blog posts the

We'll Call This Experimentation...

2012-01-22T04:04:00.002-06:00

Sometime shortly after moving into this apartment, I had a night where I couldn’t sleep…because the gal downstairs was playing trance music, and would not for the life of her, answer the door. The music wasn’t so bad as much as the bass shook my bedroom repeatedly. The next day she apologized profusely, telling me that she only puts the music on when male friends come over, and she wants to

A funemployment bucket list item...

2012-01-04T14:17:00.000-06:00

When I was working a zillion hours a week, I always seemed to have a list of things in my head that I would do “when I had more time.” Five months after my layoff, I’m still working through them. I think a lot of people would be terrified at a five month resume’ gap. I am enjoying life so much right now that I am more terrified of returning to work and losing the sense of calm that’s been a

The Beauty of Free Time...

2011-12-01T16:13:00.001-06:00

So when I moved into this apartment earlier in the year, it had a lot of great qualities - large, open, plenty of storage space. It also had some drawbacks - the owner hasn't put a lot into it over the years. The floors need to be refinished, a few windows are actually cracked in places, but the thing that really bugged me (once I completed painting the living room) was the bathroom. It looked

What to do AFTER a lay-off…

2011-11-16T20:34:00.001-06:00

Despite seeing it coming, despite being notified well in advance, I’m not going to lie, I took it pretty hard. I mean, I’d NEVER EVER lost a job in my life. Worse yet, I’d never tried harder at a job than I did at this one. Looking back, that might have been a sign. What do you mean? Well, today when I read job posts, as I’m scrolling through the qualifications I think, “Check, check, check

Ana, you're fired!

2011-11-11T14:49:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I wasn’t actually fired. Technically, I was laid off. This happened a few months ago. I haven’t written about it on the blog because, well, it seemed kind of embarrassing. I mean, there’s this assumption that when you’re laid off YOU did something wrong. I’ve been thinking about it for the past few weeks because, well, it isn’t as awful as it seems, and I hope that one day, some

Dating, discrimination, fertility, and bad journalism…

2011-10-28T12:31:00.033-05:00

The other night around 10:30 pm, I was lying in bed blissfully reading a book when a friend of mine in Chicago called. Her voice was high-pitched and fast-moving as she jumped from random topic to topic. My guess was that she’d had few cocktails.“Augh!!” she moaned, “One of my guy friends called me tonight to whine about this girl he’s dating. He really likes her, but he’s thinking of dumping

Show-stopping Opening Lines

2011-10-24T18:24:00.003-05:00

The following are some first lines I’ve noticed in online profiles. They make me wonder why the person has signed up (and possibly paid a fee) for online dating when their own words indicate that they're just not that into it.My friends made me do this/I’m not sure about this online dating thing/Just looking. When your opening line to dating a profile says something like the above, it makes you

Things you can't say in a dating profile, Part 4

2011-10-20T13:28:00.006-05:00

I think expressing these thoughts online would probably guarantee date-less-ness, but here are few more that go through my mind.People, why are you shooting yourself in the foot with some of these photos you post? Let's think about this...Shirtless pictures of dudes in the bathroom holding their phone/camera up to the mirror. Why? Why would you think this is attractive? Is there a male

Things you can't say in a dating profile, Part 3

2011-08-24T18:07:00.001-05:00

PS – To all the guys who say they’re looking for a “smart and classy” woman, I’ve got a few suggestions on how to attract her if isn’t working out for you. First, you might want to utilize spellcheck when writing your profile. Second, you might want to compose the profile from an actual computer rather than typing it out on a smartphone. Third, uh, the hair gel and pics of you bonging beer?

Things you can't say in a dating profile, Part 2...

2011-08-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

Who dares me to add this gem? PS – I read a lot of profiles from guys who say they’re looking for a woman who is spontaneous and can do things on a moment’s notice. Hot dog! I’ve been waiting for a guy like that all my life. You know, the guy who doesn’t care if my legs are shaved, if I’ve showered, if my hair/make-up is done, if I’m wearing pajama pants in public. That is truly an awesome

Things you can't say in a dating profile...

2011-08-22T21:52:00.003-05:00

So, I recently signed up for online dating again. It's not so bad. I've realized that I'm much more open to meeting people these days and (somewhat) less defensive/protective. However, occasionally I find that there are things that I "wish" I could put in my online profile. These are the blunt statements that would keep the goofballs away, but sadly would also probably cause the well-adjusted

Spiders Welcome Here...

2011-08-15T20:56:00.002-05:00

Am I the only woman who is not afraid of spiders? Wine-time-girl hates them as well. FREAKS OUT at the sight of them. Can we take it one step beyond? Am I the only woman who LIKES spiders? They kill annoying insects that bite me. I love them. To me, they’re all like Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web. They save cute pigs and weave words into their web like, “Radiant.” I mean, really, what’s

If you love something, set it free...

2011-04-10T11:48:00.002-05:00

Moving into the new apartment seems to have freed up an abundance of mental and emotional space in my brain. For the last year or so, I’ve only been able to react to situations, and lately, I find myself having more time to think things through. The result has been a lot of internal changes. The following is a very simple example that involves the dog…Martha has always been a bolter.

The Essentials...

2011-03-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

I hate grocery shopping with a passion. Last weekend, I looked at my list and willed myself to go because there were certain things I needed in order to get through the week. When I got home and unpacked my items, I laughed because, well, here’s what I bought:-Coffee-12 pack of Lone Star Light-3 boxes of granola/protein bars (my typical lunch/breakfast/snack)-A bag of caramelsIn the last few

Lazy Sunday...

2011-03-09T06:00:00.002-06:00

Sunday morning I woke up at 10:30 am. It wasn’t surprising that I slept that late; I’d been out past 2 am. However, it’s the kind of thing that would normally send me into a tizzy…“Oh egad, Ana! You stayed out late last night accomplishing nothing, woke up groggy, and half of the day has already passed you by!” The rest of the day would be spent feeling grumpy, irritated, and rushed for the

Not Alone...

2011-03-08T23:19:00.002-06:00

Midday yesterday at work, I started to feel a little icky. Was I getting sick? I spent the afternoon downing hot tea, never feeling any better. At ten ‘til five, I walked out the door, grabbed some soup on my way home, and went to bed early.This morning, I woke up at six feeling like complete death. As I took the dog outside, I found that I had to sit down and rest at the bottom of the stairs

Push It?

2011-03-06T13:17:00.007-06:00

Several weeks ago, after a particularly stressful week at work, I looked out my office window one Friday and thought, “I never take a lunch hour. I think I’m going to do that today.”As I don't eat lunch, I ended up at the DSW shoe store which is in dangerously close proximity to my office. Forty-five minutes later I was back at the office, the new proud owner of a pair of wedge sandals and the

Happiness...

2011-03-01T14:32:00.003-06:00

I love the new place. Love it.If you are ever in an unhappy living environment, don’t worry about the cost or the time or whatever else, just get out. The new neighbors seem pretty cool, stay up late like me, have a social life, take turns dragging the trash bin to the curb, and best of all, we can barely hear each other.The new place is an old, brick, two-story duplex built in the 30’s, and I

Hey there...

2011-01-27T19:57:00.003-06:00

Weef asked for an update on everything.The update is, I am swamped underneath a pile of paper and haven’t done anything on the moving end. Well, I take that back. I called the movers today, and I will be out of here sometime mid-day next Thursday. JOY!!! Bonus, they’ve officially announced the construction of a massive grocery store one block down the street. As it turns out, if I’d stayed

Quick update...

2011-01-18T19:42:00.004-06:00