Summer Blog Challenge

Inspired by our Florida friends and their 2nd Annual Blog-A-Day in May Challenge, Justin and I have created a Summer 2010 blog challenge, and you're welcome to participate if you'd like!

To participate in the Weekly Summer Posts Challenge, bloggers must post at least one blog entry during each week, starting May 30 and continuing through September 4. For the purposes of the challenge, the blog entry must be posted anytime between Sunday at noon - Friday at midnight. Participating bloggers are encouraged to read and comment on each other's weekly posts, to add more motivation. The only rule about content is that it has to include a section that is both written and original.  A video or picture cannot be the sole content of a post.

Want to join the challenge? We'll create a running list in a post on our individual blogs of all participants. Simply send your blog name and address to jbrady221@mac.com, and we'll include you in the running list, too!

Get excited for some great blogging!

Too Old for Mixed CDs?

I heard somewhere once that there is an age limit on mixed CDs.  Apparently after the age of 24, you are no longer supposed to make them, should not give them, and really should not like them.  Well, I'm going to disagree.  I think they are great!  Here is my break down of when and why I would make them, give them, and why I really like them.

MAKE THEM

Okay, I don't really make many mixed CDs for myself these days.  The discman has gone the way of the 8 Track so there isn't much call for CDs in my life.  So let's just fold MAKE THEM into the GIVE THEM category since the second is dependent upon the first.

GIVE THEM

The other week I assembled 3 mixed CDs for a friend.  I call it my breakup collection.

CD 1: Cry it out

CD 2: Shout it out

CD 3: Go out!

Because every breakup deserves a good soundtrack.  She listened to them in the car all the way to Houston and told me later that that was when she really considered me a friend and not just a friendly acquaintance.

LIKE THEM

And honestly, a good mixed CD is one of my favorite gifts to receive.  And by "good", I mean a collection of 10-12 songs that a person considered carefully with their musical tastes and yours in mind because they thought you would like it or it would remind you of a special occasion.  There are few things that take as much time to sort and assemble that show that a person really thought about YOU.

So I'm a few years past 24, but I still look at the mixed CD with favor and as a round token of love.  After all, a nice show of affection never has an age limit.

Holy Wedding Season Batman!

I thought I had gotten through the worst of the wedding stage.  You know, the time in your life when all of the friends you ever made in life meet that special someone and decide to tie the knot.  Usually on 6 consecutive weekends.  I was happy to be through that stage and not into baby stage.  Because I have absolutely no problem passing up a baby shower.  Weddings on the other hand are hard to miss.

To be honest, I entered the spring knowing that there would be two weddings this fall.  My best friend from high school, Kelly W. and my very own older sister's.  They conveniently scheduled two weeks apart so I only have to book one flight.  But that was supposed to be it for weddings.  Pretty much everyone is now married off.  Those remaining are should be well spaced out.  Or so I thought.

No sooner had I arranged my budget for the two flights home for my sister's shower and Kelly and my sister's wedding (not to each other) as well as the bridesmaids dresses, shoes, etc. than I learned what else the year had in store.

There would be a lull of false security in November.  December - home for Christmas.  January - a college friend's wedding in OH.  February - very good guy friend from college's wedding in Chicago.  March - potentially a good guy friend's wedding in California.  April/May - a break thank goodness because I can't take time off during those months.  June - close friend from grad school's wedding in Tennesse.

Oh my goodness!  There is just no way I can do all of this.  Which, I'm afraid, means that I will have to a) stop making friends b) defriend some of these engaged friends on Facebook and hope that they don't invite me so I don't have to choose or c) be a responsible adult and prioritize my need for a vacation that does not involve white dresses over weekend trips that revolve around tiered cakes.

The Blog-A-Day in May Challenge

One of my best friends, Kelly, works at FSU.  Last year she and some of her friends started a competition to blog every day in the month of May.  This year, to my delight, they have decided to continue the tradition but with a bit more structure (read: more competition).

Ordinarily, I would support Kelly 100% in her quest to claim as many of the prestigious titles as possible, particularly the Reader's Choice Award.  However, on the fifth day of competition, my support has been derailed.  Kelly's theme for the month was Quote of the Day.  And by quote, she intended to use only quotes she saw or heard or were written by someone she knows personally - not sappy quotes by someone famous.  Our other friend from grad school, Josh, wanted her theme to be dinosaurs.  I was thankful that quotes won even though Josh's request for dinosaurs received an honorable mention. 

Then, on the first day, the very first quote was ... about dinosaurs!  From her friend Mike.  Admittedly it was funny and appropriate and I liked it.  But day two was another quote that included dinosaurs, compliments of Josh.  It was also clever and relevant, but the post ended with this: I do not know if we can keep up the dinosaur quotes enough to keep them relevant, especially when things begin to pick back up around here, but I promise that if Josh keeps sending them my way, I will incorporate them into each post. Or maybe dinosaurs will just become the new theme.

This is problematic.  1) I do not like dinosaurs that much and 2) If dinosaurs are the theme then Josh has won.  It doesn't matter if he was actually trying to win.  It doesn't matter that there was no one competing with him.  I am just not okay with this scenario in which he is inadvertently winning.  

 

Therefore I have done what I thought would be unthinkable.  I have chosen to boycott commenting on Kelly's blog and have publicly thrown my Reader's Choice support behind another blogger, Regina.  I'm sorry, Kel.  I wish it didn't have to come to this.  But the end must justify the means.  Nix the dinosaurs and I will be happy to comment on Droplets again.

Home Alone: 27

Not episode 27, but I am 27 and home alone.  Justin is visiting his family for the week and I am home by myself.  Never mind that I lived alone for over a year before J. moved to Austin; after just six months of having a roommate, it is distinctly strange to be alone in the apartment.  

Yes, it's nice that I have it all to myself.  I can do things that I am not ordinarily able to do when he is here.  Like watch TV in my underwear... in the living room!  But really, I know that I won't do that anyway.  The most "rebel roommate" I'm going to get is leaving my bag lie in the middle of the floor where I drop it when I get home.  

Woo hoo!  Wild and crazy!  That's me.  

Sigh.  I hope J. gets home soon.  I'm bored.