What I learned at the Big E

The Big E is a huge fair in western Massachusetts. I found it very educational. Here is what I learned.

Vermont is known for their flannel thongs aka the "vong"

 Lil' Muffin is ALIVE! Thank God.

Llamas nap like this.

I look pretty good with a mustache.

Passenger shaming

I was reading this article on passenger shaming photos and it reminded me of two interesting people I encountered on flights.

On a solo flight to Kansas many years ago I sat next to a woman who had brought a feast with her on the plane. She reached into her purse and pulled out two turkey legs. Not small chicken legs but giant turkey legs. Then she pulls out a tupperware container that is filled with deviled eggs. And last but not least she brought a small bottle of paprika which she starting sprinkling on her eggs. I was kind of impressed but also grossed out. How did she get all this food through security?

My first trip to Florida was in early spring. This means you layer so when you get off the plane in Florida you're not dying of heat stroke. When the pilot announced that we were making our decent into Orlando the guy next to me stood up and ripped off his pants revealing shorts underneath. He was wearing those Adidas snap pants. If you've never seen these they look like track pants but they snap all the way up on either side of the legs. I turned to him and said "you are definitely ready for Florida". He agreed.

Because I'm a quitter

Here's a picture of my fridge.

Why am I showing you this? Well besides my pussycat card and my amazing bird magnet, this is the photo I took on the 8th day of my attempt at taking a photo every day for a year. I should have started on January 1st but you see I'm a quitter.

I have a habit of starting projects and not finishing them. I'm going to crochet a blanket! I'm going to write a book! I'm going to improve my French! I'm going to do all the things! I start something with good intentions and then I realize this is harder than I thought it would be or I get distracted by another idea for a project that sounds better than what I'm working on. It's a bad habit that I'm trying to break. 

It's great that I want to do all of these things but it doesn't really count if you don't follow through.

I'm tired of not finishing things so I'm taking baby steps. I shall no longer be a quitter. I've wanted to do a 365 project for a while. I meant to start one on January 1st but must have gotten distracted by something shiny. This time I have to do it. I'm declaring this on my blog so you can chastise me if I abandon the project.

So for one year I will be taking at least one photo a day and posting it on my instagram. So far I'm on day 8 and I'm finding that some days I don't know what to take a photo of and so you get a photo of my fridge. The weekends are much easier because I'm out and about and have more interesting things to photograph than my desk or my floor.

You can look me up on instagram under ginntastic.

It's happening. The quarter life crisis.

As of right now my life is going pretty good. I have a great boyfriend, amazing friends, a loving family and a decent job but despite all of that I think I'm having a quarter life crisis. I've been wondering what the heck I'm doing. Do I want to be a legal assistant the rest of my life? I like my job but I think part of that is because I'm comfortable there. Should I stay because I'm comfortable? I think the answer I think is no. I want more. I want to make a name for myself. I want to DO something.

When I was younger I thought I would be married with multiple kids by the time I was 30. Life doesn't work out exactly the way you planned it when you were 10 (thank God). I honestly don't know when or if I'll have kids. Certainly not now when I'm wondering if I'm on the right career path. There's also the whole enjoying my social life and not feeling financially secure enough to have a child. I can barely cover my cat's medical expenses and still have debt I'm trying to pay off. I know it's not the right time.

I met up with my cousin for dinner and drinks last night and she mentioned that she's questioning if her job is the right job for her and what she should do. Go back to hair dressing? Nursing school? (She works at a hospital now but not as a nurse). I told her I felt the same way. I don't see law school in my future. I'm too much of a sensitive person, at least to practice family law. I have this feeling that there's something else I should be doing.

I'm always one to trust my gut. If only my gut could send a detailed message to my brain with the specifics.

I know I'm not alone though. I feel like quite a few people in my life are experiencing the same feelings and it's helpful to just talk about it. Despite not knowing what I should do I believe at some point it will become clear. Life takes twists and turns that we don't necessarily expect and that keeps things interesting for sure. I'm still learning what will make me happy and how to make that happen and if I work towards that I have faith that it will all work out in the end

And hey if you're feeling this way too, it's ok. We're in this together. We'll figure it out.

It's time to make a start

To get to know your heart

Time to show your face, time to take your place

In every speck of dust

In every universe,

When you feel most alone, you will not be alone

Wearable Art

The Copley Mall is showcasing wearable art by MassArt students. I'm getting ideas for a whole new wardrobe.

 I would have gone with the Capri Sun dress simply because you'd have to drink all that Capri Sun.

The gold part of the dress is made out of thumb tacks.

This is my favorite dress, the Doritos dress. I don't think I could wear it though because I would be hungry all the time.

No MAGIC! You are rude.

I'm sure by now you've heard the song Rude by MAGIC! If you haven't, you're lucky but now I've probably jinxed you and you'll start hearing the song everywhere. The song as about a man who goes and asks his lady love's father for permission to marry his daughter.

Here is the part of the song that irritates me:

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life?

Say yes, say yes 'cause I need to know

You say I'll never get your blessing 'til the day I die

Tough luck, my friend, but the answer is 'No'

Why you gotta be so rude?

Don't you know I'm human too?

Why you gotta be so rude?

I'm gonna marry her anyway

Marry that girl

Marry her anyway

Marry that girl

Yeah, no matter what you say

Marry that girl

And we'll be a family

Why you gotta, be so

Rude

Listen guy, why bother asking permission if you're going to marry her anyway? Not only are you going to marry her anyway, you're going to say this to her father's face? I'd like to hear the father's side of the story. Maybe he has a good reason for saying no? Maybe this guy is a loser who can't hold down a job and her father wants better for her? Maybe this guy wore his girlfriend's shirt to dinner and didn't make the best impression?

This is pretty much exactly what I pictured a Canadian reggae band to look. I am pleased that I was correct.

We need a rebuttal from the father.

Why you gotta be a tool?

My daughter can do better than you

Why you gotta be a tool?

Be careful what you say

If you're going to follow antiquated social norms be prepared to face the consequences

I got a good one

Derek was talking about his new ipod and what features it had when he mentioned that he had a picture of me on his ipod. I asked to see which one and he showed me. It's a photo I took of myself from my friend's 30th birthday last weekend.

It dawned on me that most of the men I dated in the past would never do something like that. Keeping a photo of me around is something so simple but it really put a smile on my face. I don't need grand gestures or expensive gifts, I just need to know that he cares. I'm lucky though because Derek is also a very thoughtful gift giver.

I wish I realized I deserved better when I was in my early 20s. I dated guys that did the bare minimum to keep our so called relationship together. I often felt like I was the only one putting effort into the relationship. I was smart enough to not stay in these relationships but some of these guys I should never have dated in the first place. 

That's what your 20s are all about though, you make mistakes and learn and tell your 30 year old self to not judge to harshly.

Ugly stuff to buy if you have money to blow: Anthropologie edition.

Anthropologie has some fantastically ugly items for sale at very unreasonable prices. Just in case you had money to blow and were wondering "hmm how can I make my home look like crap".

Deconstructed sofa. On sale for $2,499.95. What a bargain!

Do not purchase if you have pets or small children. Dangling strings are entertaining to both. If you would like to make your own deconstructed couch just get a pile of branches and tie some pillows to it. Your house guests will never want to sit on your sofa again.

Maybe you're looking to be a little more frivolous with your money. A sofa could be practical. Fear not for here is the Large Pulmonary Wonky Pot. Also on sale for the bargain price of $699.95

It looks like something Lydia's mother from Beetlejuice would have made. Sure to spark a conversation.

Maybe you're looking for something more rustic. How about this Grey Beast Hat and Stand? Only $514.95. 

Unsure if this is a wearable hat. Might possibly smell but just vomit in the wonky pot.

Thank you Anthropologie for providing the world with ugly expensive crap. I was looking to blow my money.

I enjoy having a job so I can destroy men.

One of the assistants at my work was let go last week and it turns out he wasn't exactly keeping up with his work. We found piles of filing that should have been done. Now the rest of us are playing catch up and covering for the two attorneys he worked for.

We put up a craigslist ad right away. So far most of the applicants have been disappointing. One woman showed up 15 minutes late for her interview. Um, nope, you can go now. If I have a job interview I leave my house ridiculously early. Another woman complained about the walk from the T to our office. It's really not a bad walk and if that's too much for you I don't think you're right for the position. This job can sometimes be a bit physical with having to lug trial boxes around and running downstairs to grab documents from a client. You don't just sit at your desk all day.

Another woman looked like Elise from the movie Insidious.

Not that that's a bad thing. I just wanted to share because I found it amusing.

There is one guy they are considering who is coming back in for a second interview today. Hopefully we'll have a warm body soon.

Apparently I missed drama in the food court yesterday since I was covering phones. This guy who works in a building close to ours sometimes eats lunch with us. The receptionist knows him just from passing him in the mall all the time (the entrance to my office is in a mall). Well I don't think he'll be eating with us anymore. Apparently he made some comment about how woman earning their own money is ruining men. I'm sorry the actual wording was something like "raping men emotionally and destroying their soul". My co-worker K went off on him and basically told him that she's sorry he's not man enough to not feel threatened by women with good jobs. His response was that she's a "fucking bitch" and a lesbian. She's not either. The lesbian part came from her saying she's all set when he asked her if she was single or not.

He then stormed off. Good. See you never. He is so lucky I wasn't there. We have gone at it in the past over other stupid statements. And yes they are stupid and usually don't make any sense but none of us have ever resorted to name calling.

On top of this the Paycheck Fairness Act failed again. Why should woman get equal pay? We just show up to work so we can destroy the egos of every man.

I saw the sign

Despite what you might think from the photos in my last post I woke up early today and was not hungover. I went to Payless and exchanged some shoes. I am now proud owner of leopard print sneakers and comfortable dress shoes for work. Finally!

After shoe shopping I went to visit my mother for lunch. She's been having a hard time since her boyfriend Tony passed so I've been spending more time with her. We watched a pretty horrible movie that she rented from Redbox called "Legendary: The Tomb of the Dragon". Bad acting, horrible CGI and plot holes were all present. It's not even laughably bad like Sharknado, it's just bad. Why my mom picked this, I'll never know. We both fell asleep at some point. Dolph Lundgren plays the bad guy and he was the only actor I recognized in the movie.

I was walking back to my apartment after visiting my mom and this woman stops me in a panic and says "you do know it's street cleaning tomorrow, they'll tow you!" Yes I do know this lady and I'm walking down the street not driving so why would you feel the need to tell me this? You don't even know that I have a car. She then showed me the sign she made to let people know that street cleaning is tomorrow. I guess the signs posted all up and down the street by the city are not enough. I told her it was a nice sign.

When I got home I finally updated my E-ZPass for my current car. No more waiting in line at the tolls. Eat my exhaust suckahs!

30th birthday > 21st birthdays

One of my best friends celebrated her 30th birthday last night. It was 80s themed and we had the whole basement part of the bar to ourselves.

 Tron legs.

There is a trail of glow sticks around my apartment because I thought it would be fun to use them to light up the bathroom.

Happy 30th Germana. I hope you save that light up tutu for your 80th birthday in the retirement home. Also, I'm sorry that once again I got you a necklace that you already have. At least it's something I know you like.

The story behind the Annabelle doll and my own experience with a creepy doll.

If you saw the Conjuring you'll remember the very creepy Annabelle doll.

Now Annabelle is getting her own movie.

From IMDB: John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia - a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress.

I would not describe this doll as "beautiful" and I think John needs a lesson in gift giving.

The real Annabelle doll is actually a Raggedy Ann doll.

The Annabelle doll was given as a gift to a nursing student named Donna in the 1970s from her mother. Donna and her roommate contact a Medium after weeks of strange things happening with the doll such as finding the doll in different parts of the apartment when they returned home and notes being left in childlike handwriting saying things such as "Help Us" or "Help Lou". The Medium contacted the spirit of a little girl named Annabelle Higgins who had died on the property where the apartment was built. She claimed to like the girls and wanted to stay in the apartment. The girls gave Annabelle permission to inhabit the doll if she stopped doing things that scared them.

Things only got worse. The girl's friend Lou was mysteriously attacked in the apartment with claw like marks on his chest. This prompted the girls to call a priest, Father Hegan. It was Father Hegan who contacted the Warren's. The Warren's determined that the doll was not possessed but haunted. Spirits do not possess inanimate objects, they possess a person. The spirit was moving the doll around to make the girls think that the doll was possessed but really the spirit was looking to possess a person. Annabelle the little girl never existed. By giving the doll recognition and then giving it permission to inhabit the doll they invited this inhuman spirit into their lives.

The Warren's determined that by the amount of activity they were still in the infestation phase. An exorcism was performed and the Warren's took the doll with them at the request of the girls. The doll is now in the Warren's occult museum at their home in Connecticut. 

You can read more about Annabelle here.

I used to be a big fan of the Raggedy Ann doll.

I used to sleep with her at my grandmother's house. Good thing I had no idea about this as a child. I was very particular about the dolls I liked. Certain dolls scared me and I wouldn't want them in the house.

A couple years ago my friend Melissa found a doll and took it home with her. I came over and saw the doll and was like "what is that!". She told me it was a doll she found but weird things had been happening since she brought the doll home. She told me that her clock radio in the kitchen was going off all the time even in the middle of the night but the alarm was not set. This happened when I was at her apartment and we both went over and tried to turn off the radio and it would not turn off! We finally got it to turn off. Melissa got rid of the doll the radio stopped turning on by itself.

Anyone else have a creepy doll story?

Blogging meme. My blog is the wildcard.....Lieutenant Dan you got new legs!

Abby posted a meme for writers and/or bloggers on her blog and although I rarely do these I thought it might be fun to answer this one. And if you're curious, I put myself in the blogger category not the writers category.

1) What are you currently working on?

I'm not exactly working on any one thing in particular. I'm working on moving my blog in a little bit of a different direction. I plan on posting more about interesting things I find on the internet but I still plan on keeping up with personal blog posts as well.

2) How does your work differ from others in the same genre?

I don't think my blog fits into a certain genre but I feel like I'm not the typical 30 something blogger. This is not a mommy blog or a fashion blog. If I was going to do either they would involve my cat but I don't think he would let me dress him up. My blog is different because I'm different.

3) Why do you write what you write?

I feel like my blog can be all over the place. Most people are consistent in how they write or what they post. I feel like my blog is a wildcard or a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get. Sorry I watched Forest Gump the other night.

4) Describe your writing process.

My blog is what's going on my head. If I find something funny or annoying I'll post it. It's like this tiny bell goes off *ding* "this should go on your blog". Sometimes my friends will suggest when something should go on the blog and I'll post about it because they get me and my blog. I usually write blog posts pretty quickly and don't edit too much except for spelling and grammar. I think it feels more natural that way. Over editing is a thing.

If you answer this meme on your own blog post a link in the comments so I can check it out.

Jeremiah McDonald has a conversation with his 12 year old self.

This video is a few years old but I just discovered it. I can only imagine what 12 year old me would have recorded if I had a video camera. I'm sure I would have been off the wall. The editing is great.

Is this the best senior portrait of all time?

No contest, this is the best senior portrait I've ever seen. Someone give this photographer an award already! Just look at the cats facial expression. The lasers are a nice touch.

Draven Rodriguez I hope your school allows you to use this as your official yearbook photo.

King Bosco

Here the King sits upon his throne. I thought I ordered a cat bed but I actually ordered a dog bed. It works out since the King is quite large. Also note his mousey (one of many) and his yoga mat (which is my old yoga mat that he likes to lay on).

Yes, King Bosco is spoiled.

One show I'll be checking out this fall

Galavant


Described as "Spamalot meets Princess Bride" and Weird Al is going to be playing a singing monk.

SOLD.

Passive aggressive co-worker. Coffee cup edition.

One of my co-workers is very passive aggressive. He loves typing up notes on his computer and printing them out, mostly in the kitchen which he thinks is his own personal kitchen. This week PA co-worker is really pushing it.

On Monday I come into work and there are coffee mugs on the kitchen table. PA co-worker saw the mugs in the sink and rather than put them in the dishwasher PA co-worker moved the mugs to the kitchen table, which is further than the dishwasher.

Yesterday there were no more disposable coffee cups next to the coffee machine. Someone took the last one and did not walk the five feet over to the shelves to replace them. Annoying? Yes, but PA co-worker did not replace the coffee cups, oh no, PA co-worker went into his office and typed up a message to place on the kitchen counter. The message read "hmmm something is missing here" with an arrow pointing to the empty spot where the cups should be.

I should let you that I can be passive aggressive too and so I wrote my own note that said:

"In the time it took you to type up this note you could have just replaced the cups. I managed to write this note and replace the cups."

Was I over the top? Maybe, but really just replace the cups. PA co-worker spent more time on that note than it would have taken to just get the cups which are in the same room less than 5 feet away. I shall report back if there is a response note. I don't plan on a rebuttal if there is but I don't think PA co-worker can help himself.

*UPDATE* he thought it was my boss so he didn't respond.

According to Urban Dictionary I'm a crazy hot chick who will light your backyard on fire but I will totally cheer you up after I light your yard on fire.

Sometimes you find yourself on Urban Dictionary and sometimes you decide to type in your name and see what comes up. Urban Dictionary has me all figured out.

Why yes I am caring and kind hearted with a goofy streak.

Really...REALLY? People actually misspell guinea as ginny? I shouldn't be surprised.

Oh yea I get all the hotties. FACT.

Lighting yards on fire and cheering you up since 1984. Manic pixie pyro dream girl.

Well this is not true. I am a very classy and neat eater. (Derek do not say a WORD).

I hope you feel like you've gotten to know me better. I'm a crazy caring hot chick who will light your backyard on fire. Just follow the trail of boys and food and you'll find me.  Or just look for the fire, that's probably easier.

Praise the hair Gods! Finally a shampoo that works for oily hair.

If you're a male reader of my blog your eyes are probably going to start glazing over but hey maybe you have oily hair too and don't know what to do about it.

I've had oily hair for as long as I can remember. I've tried many products and home remedies to try to control the oil but nothing has really worked. Sorry, apple cider vinegar still stinks even after you wash it out.

My hairdresser noticed my hair had a lot of buildup which is funny considering I rarely use any product in my hair. She suggested a shampoo called Curbicia by Rene Furterer. Her salon doesn't carry the product so I knew she wasn't suggesting this to me just to make some money. Plus she's a nice woman and I don't think she would do that.

I looked on Amazon and found the Curbicia Purifying Shampoo for $23.00. Shit yo that's a lot of money for a shampoo! I decided to purchase it anyways because you're only supposed to use it twice a week.

I've been using the shampoo for two weeks and I can definitely see a difference in how oily my hair is. If I use the shampoo I can usually skip a wash the next day which I would rarely do before as to avoid looking like a trash bag. The smell is light and refreshing. It doesn't have a weird chemical smell, it just smells like shampoo.

My hair type is fine and wavy so I can't say how it will work on other hair types but usually us fine girls are the ones that get the oily hair.

* I was not compensated for reviewing this product and paid full price. I just wanted to share something that works for me. I am an Amazon affiliate, and if you purchase through that link I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

Shopping is not good for the ol' self esteem

I went shopping today at the Arsenal Mall, the ghetto mall of my youth. I spent hours trying on clothes and shoes and although I did buy a few things I felt crappy by the end of my shopping trip. Mirrors in dressing rooms are the worst. Usually I feel ok with my body but after clothes shopping I feel fat. I think it's just trying on clothes that I think will look good and they look horrible on me. I feel better now that I'm home and I do like the things I did buy. You know I'm feeling better because I'm eating pizza.

And if you're wondering to yourself "it's Saturday night and Ginny is home?!" Yes it's true. I am home on a Saturday night eating pizza and drinking water. I might get crazy and make a cuppa chamomile tea.

Hey nose, you're not so bad.

When the doorbell rings (or buzzes) I sit there like a deer in the headlights. What do I do? Who could it be? I know it's not a friend visiting, they would call or text. After a minute of sitting there I decided to go to the door. Oh it's the postman with shoes I purchased off ebay. Oops, probably should just answer the door so I don't have to go to the post office later. I am a strange one, I know.

Last night Dirty Dancing was on so of course I had to watch. Every time I see Jennifer Grey pre nose job I'm like "why Jen, why?" From what I've read she regrets the nose job and it hurt her career. People didn't recognize her anymore and so she wasn't getting work.

When I was younger I hated my nose. Really it's not that bad but at the time I hated this bump on the bridge of my nose. It's only noticeable to me and one guy I went on a date with years ago (he meant it as a compliment somehow) now I laugh that I worried about it. My nose and I are very happy together today.

And let's pour one out for Joan Rivers who passed away yesterday. I know some people were offended by her but I found her hilarious. She was blunt and always herself and I respect that.

What is happening here?

I am a nosy person. If something is happening near me I want to know what's going on. Last night Derek and I were at Good Life and there was some meeting with many laptops happening behind Derek.

I suggest that maybe they're LARPING but Derek reminded me that LARPING does not involve computers and there were no costumes. That would have been fun to watch. Good Life does have a gaming night but it's usually on Tuesdays. Maybe they're all sitting in a bar blogging? Please feel free to submit your guesses as to what this group is doing.

If you're wondering if I have ever LARPED the answer is yes. Back in the 90s I used to make all my friends play Sailor Moon with me in the backyard. Does that count?

I would also like to mention that Good Life has a very tasty chicken sandwich AND I got a side of veggies instead of fries. I'm trying to eat healthier but it's not easy with so many delicious potato products available.

I'm trying to be sympathetic but it's just not happening

If you follow me on social media you're probably tired of hearing me talk about the return of the college students. I promise to stop after this. Well, unless something really blogworthy happens.

I knew riding the T to work this week would be miserable. Yesterday there were college students who didn't have money on their Charlie cards and do not understand the concept of moving into the train. The T driver was shouting lovely things over the speaker such as "riding the T is a privilege!" I pay to ride the T lady so no, I do not consider paying for this hell ride a privilege. A dose of rage is a good way to start your day.

After work I stopped by my local supermarket and noticed that the shelves were stocked with the essentials.

There were also classic stainless steel flasks if you want to class it up a bit.

I am trying to have patience and be sympathetic for these college kids out on their own for the first time but when they mess with my commute and keep me awake on a work night I just can't. Clearly I'm too old to live in Allston.

Textual sms favorites vol 1

Here are some recent favorite texts I've received or sent. I shall not tell you which ones were me.

I'm heading home don't know about Skankerella

Omg!!! Just ran into my domestic assault atty in freaking Belfast, ME!!

Right? We're like those people in Peru... Home swallowed by sink hole, husband died while trying to save the car...

Bought a cantaloupe today. Thought of you.
Barf

*Textual sms is what a German man who dated a friend of mine would call text messages. "You send a textual sms message?" Hence the title of this post.

I hate the Mass Pike

I mean does anyone love the Mass Pike? Yes it's a convenient highway but when you are charged to use a road I am not a fan.

I was visiting my mother yesterday for her birthday. We went to the movies and saw As Above So Below. I was glad to get a break from the moving insanity that was happening in my neighborhood. I take the Pike to get to her house as it's the quickest route. On my way home when I came to the first toll where you grab a ticket there was no one at any of the ticket booths. I kept looking and looking and I just drove through because I can't stop in the middle of the highway. When I get to the toll collector I tell her why I don't have a ticket and she tells me that I have to pay $5.50 since I don't have a ticket. Are you kidding me? I explained to her that there was no one handing out tickets at the last toll and she basically said they must have been switching shifts and there is nothing she can do. The rage I felt was Hulk level. I was pissed.

So the Mass Pike can kiss my ass. I shouldn't have to pay to use a road in the first place and now you charge me extra for your employees not being where they are supposed to be.

At least I got to hang with Mr. Binx. Animals are a good stress reliever.