How to survive Unemployment

Unemployed? Welcome to our sad, cranky little club. There are no free snacks provided, because we're broke. But you're welcome to scavenge the cabinets for what you can find.

And now for some advice, since you asked:

First let's get something out of the way. I'm going to tell you something and you just need to swallow it, so the advice that follows can actually have an effect.

Here's the reality: while you're unemployed, you're going to get on Facebook. You're going to go to lunch with your friend who calls you randomly, because you're not working on weekdays and so you can go to (a very cheap) lunch. That's actually OK, because some socialization will keep your spirits up, and lead to specific networking that you couldn't perceive on your own. You're going to take naps, and have moments where you just need to reel, again, at the fact that you're unemployed before you can get back to your job searching.

You're not going to be perfect, adhering to an 8-5 schedule of resume doctoring, networking, applying applying applying. I was in the midst of applying for a job when I veered over to my blog to write this. Unless you're a Type A workaholic, which I am not, you're going to get distracted.

Did you swallow that? OK, let's move on to this:

Because you're going to be a Facebook user and a lunch dater and a nap taker, just try to follow this rule: Reserve certain activities for evening. The watching of TV or movies, extended fun phone calls to friends, baking 100 cupcakes, reading for pleasure, hobby of choice - surfing, knitting, what have you.

Personally I think it's OK to exercise during the day. But that other stuff? Wait until 5:00. Try to treat your day (kind of) like a workday. Because the people who can give you a job work during the day. They're less likely to take your calls after 5, so you might as well reach out to them during the day.

What I'm saying is it's easier to get away from Facebook than it is to stop watching a movie. And it is possible (though not always easy) to spend just five minutes of Facebook, but movies are more than an hour of your time.

Make yourself some records to update your progress.

These don't have to be perfect. Mine are so spotty that those type A workaholics out there would sneer at them. But my records at least exist, and that is a good starting point.

Right now I have a few of these going. I have an Excel spreadsheet that has info about jobs I've applied to: where I found the job (what website or person who pointed me to it), date that I applied, link to the job posting, contact email, reference number.

Having this makes me able to say, "Oh yeah, I guess I did apply to three jobs last week."

I also have a spreadsheet of writing contest information. This includes links to the contest rules, deadline for entry, prize details. (P.S. If you're a writer, check out this site for contest postings).

And most recently I started a "What I did Today" journal. This is in a Word document, and I like it because it is akin to a kindergarten assignment. I am finding over and over again in my adult life that softball assignments are helpful. They offer us mercy to ourselves, in our messed up, overachieving society that doesn't fully understand the value of vacation.

My entry for today in What I Did Today, I kid you not, reads as follows:

"Fri May 31, 2013

Got up earlier than usual
made coffee at home"

That's all that's there. It's almost noon. But this shows me that: Hey, I didn't sleep 'til noon! and Hey, I saved 2 bucks. 

It also reminds me that there is more coffee in the pot, so I can get a fresh refill without forking over 50 cents to Starbucks. Bonus. 

Some other entries from this week include "put training distances in calendar" (for my half marathon in December, aka positive, active goal to work toward; a good mirror to the job searching), "blogged," "applied for job at UCLA," "wrote big long essay," "wrote essay about forming community." Those last two essays may never see readers' eyes, but I'm a writer so I need to practice writing. 

The point in all of these lists and spreadsheets is not to be perfectly up to date with them, documenting everything, and then to get down on yourself when you fail to document something. The point is to, in general, remind yourself that you're doing something. You're being active, healthy, looking for something. You're not being a total waste of space.

And even if you're not documenting in your unemployment diary the way you would in your 6th grade diary, the fact that there is even some sort of a diary - however sloppy - will be in the back of your mind, which will push you a little bit to do something, so that you can put it in your record.

It's a low-grade dose of guilt trip. Which is about the only volume of guilt trip I like to listen to.

Start fresh with your cover letters.

I HATE writing cover letters, so the fact that I, as a tried and true hater of the practice, am telling you this, is saying something. I'm not saying I'm right in this, I'm just saying this has recently occurred to me and seems to be working for me.

Even if you're applying to several jobs that are very similar to each other, go ahead and write a fresh letter for each one.

Because I hate writing cover letters so much, I used to try and tweak old ones to mold them to a new job. So if I had applied for a writing position at one PR firm, for example, I used to open that file and edit it to fit another writing position at another PR firm.

I've found it's faster to just write a new one.

If nothing else, this keeps you from sounding like a robot.

Also, I used to get so nervous about cover letters. Now I just write them. I keep it professional, but I still let it be Bailey who is writing it, not the Career Center at my college or all of my friends and family and their advice doing the writing.

Tell employers what you're thinking. In almost all of my letters these days I write that "I'm not shy." They may not care, but they might like it. This week I mentioned in a letter that I am not above doing smaller tasks in a job, because I'm not. I kind of like making copies. An employer might like to know that they can ask me to put stamps on envelopes. They may not care, but at least you told them in case they do.

After a quick draft, I usually edit it on the second read through, maybe one more proof read, then send it. Don't spend all day on a cover letter, unless it's for a really big fellowship or the DREAM job. Otherwise, just write it.

One final thing I've recently started aiming for is this:

Meet one daily "unit" of active job searching each weekday/workday, as best you can.

I consider a unit to be one of the following:

• apply to a job posting
• send writing clips/resume/cover letter directly to someone who has requested them
• go on an interview (this is a big event, and it's OK if you dedicate almost your whole day to it, focusing your energy on looking good, having calories and caffeine in your system when you get there, and having all of your necessary documents with you. It's better to "waste" time getting prepared than to focus on other job opportunities and then finding yourself not in your peak state at the interview)
• have a coffee/lunch meeting or phone conversation with someone in your network
• if you have a freelance or temporary job assignment, each day of that counts as a unit, too

Try to hit one of these a day. Don't pressure yourself to hit two or three a day. If you can, great. But I find that I can overwhelm myself very quickly if I think about a writing contest, a job posting, and a person I should network with all at once. Pick one and make that your task for the moment.

I'm going to leave you with that for now, because you and I both need to get back to the job search - aren't you so excited?! But feel free to reach out to me - in the comments below or via phone/email if you know me personally - if you want to vent about your own job search. I'm all ears. Except when I'm in chatterbox mode, which is often, but hopefully sometimes helpful. 

Telephone talk

I signed up to run a race in Camarillo, California this December. Last night I told my Dad that "Penny" (Kaley Cuoco) is from Camarillo.

He asked me if she was running the race.

Probably not, I told him.

He told me to "tweet her" and find out.

Then he mentioned something about me and her being "besties" and running it together.

I wonder...

...what the cast of The Babysitters Club TV show is up to these days...

I've said it before...

I'm not going to say this "once and for all," because I will say it again:

People suffering from anxiety and/or depression who see a counselor and/or treat their symptoms with legal prescription medication are taking steps to be healthy. These are indications that such individuals both recognize a problem and take proactive, protective choices to solve it.

Insurance providers should view such behavior as healthy. Such actions made by an individual illustrate intelligence, awareness, and responsibility. They should not be grounds for jacking up the price of an insurance plan.

People who take no steps to treat mental health issues are at greater risk for bigger problems down the road.

If I have a case of gangrene and let it sit and get worse, I am creating bigger problems for myself and perhaps those around me.

If I have a case of gangrene and seek medical treatment, society views this as the right decision. The smart, healthy choice. One that is applauded.

Proper, proactive treatment of mental health issues should be treated exactly the same. I am so sick of seeing and experiencing discrimination surrounding this.

Work with what you've got

You know how job descriptions often list that you need to be able to lift 25-40 pounds?

I'm considering capitalizing on this in my cover letters.

I've been lifting weights since the 6th grade. Not consistently, mind you. But I'm pretty tough for a woman of my stature.

I can lift more than 40 pounds, employers. How ya like me now?

I think I will stop short of submitting a photograph of my gleaming biceps along with my cover letter. Besides, I don't own a camera.

Lyrics for the occasion

This just came on my Pandora station. My "Tween" station.

Great timing, during a week when I am feeling quite broke, peppered with moments of wondering whether it is crazy to chase my writing dreams in LA...

One step at a time, y'all.

P.S. Did you know that Jordin is best friends with a Bailey? True story.

Twins

My best friend Corie and I have joked for a long time that we are the same person. A few examples:

• Both of our fathers were at one time engineers (hers still is; mine had a mid-life career switch).
• One time we bought the same pair of running shoes, unbeknownst to each other. 
• We wore the same style of David's Bridal bridesmaid dress to our brothers' weddings. 
• We each went to a Lutheran college, in attendance with each other's brothers. 
• We both majored in Psychology and minored in Social Work.
• We both attended the same social work graduate program (she graduated, I left and later studied journalism).
• We're tomboys.

I could go on.

Today I was thinking about the fact that a year ago today I left Kansas to start driving to California, for my big life adventure. That night, when Dad and I arrived at our first overnight stop, we got a call alerting us that Corie's water had broken. I had seen her the day before and razzed her stomach about not wanting to meet Auntie Bailey and thus staying put until I left town, of course.

It just occurred to me today that such a line up of timeliness should be added to our list of our twin tendencies. One friend drives cross country for a BIG move, and the other goes into labor with her first child in the same 24 hours? That's noteworthy. Took me a whole year to realize it, but still. Probably took me that long to realize it because at the time I was just kicking the air because I wasn't able to be there to meet babe, or hang out in the hospital waiting room, like they did on one of our favorite shows, "Friends," for several sitcom births.

It's OK. I met the little cutie pie in good time. Baptisms are a nice occasion to go home for.

Like incense before You

Late last night I watched "Never Say Never," the documentary surrounding Justin Bieber.

I sang along through most of it.

There are several moments involving prayer in the film. Justin's crew prays before shows. There is a part that shows Justin and his buds praying over their pizza.

While "Never Say Never" was being filmed, Justin had to postpone a show because he was ill. The cameras show Justin in bed, and his mom is praying with him, asking God for complete healing.

It made me miss praying with my family. My parents still pray with me often, over the phone, and I'll take it. But watching Justin and his mom praying in the wee hours last night made me miss praying in person with my fam.

Lotion woes

I don't know if any of you have come across this, but apparently the following is too much to ask for, in one bottle of lotion. I cannot seem to find a bottle of lotion that:

1. Is for one's face (i.e., not as thick as body lotion)
2. Has no sunscreen
3. Costs less than $10
4. Does NOT smell like baby wipes!!

Seriously, what is the deal? Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

I made a new year's resolution to wear sunscreen every day, which I do several days, so I'm counting that as a lot better on my part than only wearing it on beach days.

But at night, after I wash my face or shower, I want just a little something to add moisture to my face, sans sunscreen. Yes, I hang out by my reading lamp every night somewhere between the hours of 11 and 2, but I don't think it's so bright that SPF is necessary.

I have used several face lotions over the years, but recently when I went to two separate drugstores I discovered that finding a face lotion is a lot harder than it used to be.

Bottles of 2 - 4 ounces, without sunscreen, are around $15 on average.

A lot of them have anti-wrinkle "capabilities," which I am calling crock and thus not purchasing. Plus I turned 28 yesterday. Even if I am an avid cross stitcher, I'm not exactly shopping for Metamucil these days.

I finally bought some Olay stuff this week for $9.49 before tax. I haven't used it and I am quite certain I will be taking it back. Because, just like all the other non-sunscreen, non-anti-wrinkle, less than $15 but not more than 4-ounce bottles of lotion, it smells like baby wipes.

If I were putting this lotion on my feet, a baby wipe scent might be OK. But this is my face, friends. I would not rub a baby wipe on my face for aromatic reasons, so WHY would I put baby wipe scented lotion on my face?

I've experienced a similar issue with deodorants and their scents. For whatever reason the scent that you place on your underarms has a direct wafting path to your nose. I'm a relatively spontaneous person, but I keep my deodorants within a specific scent spectrum, because if a deodorant has a gaggy smell it is going to be hard for this chick to get through a day's work.

I'm sure you all care.

Can we please put a stop to the baby wipe facial lotion madness? They've figured this out with all the allergy and cold medications out there. You can get NyQuil, to treat every last symptom you have, or you can simply get Benadryl for your sneezies, or Sudafed for your "head is going to burst" feeling. But you don't have to pay for all the drugs to treat one symptom. You can pick and choose.

I don't want to pay for sunscreen for use past sunset. I don't want to pay $5 per ounce.

And I don't want to smell like baby wipes.

All right, back to your lives, if you were kind enough to read to the bottom of this post.

28 things I've learned in 28 years

Today's my burfday. Here are some things I've learned:

1. Don't ever apologize for crying. I'm not sure I can think of a single occasion where it might be inappropriate to cry. I can think of several times when people might tell you not to cry, or to ask you to stop crying, because they find it inappropriate, but I have found that it is always OK to cry.

If you are crying every day, in a way that is not just evidence of a sensitive personality but rather is making you uncomfortable and indicating depression, then you should take steps to get yourself healing. But shedding tears as a reaction to something is fine, and should not be accompanied by apology.

2. Disneyland is more fun than Disney World. It just is.

3. A job that makes you cry is not worth it.

4. The outdoors are your friends. Get acquainted.

5. Just about everything on this earth is in constant flux, and nothing this side of heaven is going to be perfect, even things you love.

You will not always love that dress in your closet. You may someday find that coffee isn't doing it for you the way it used to. A friend or family member who you can hardly get through a phone conversation with now, due to eye rolling and irritation on your end, might be your best friend down the road. If today you're panicked, you might have the demeanor of someone at a spa tomorrow.

My favorite writer, Anne Lamott, tells herself to lower the bar of expectations. I find this advice extremely helpful. Lowering the bar doesn't make you a pessimist. It can help you keep your sanity, as a human among humans.

Keep moving forward. Take deep breaths. That traffic jam will end.

Call your friends. They'll talk to you, even if about nothing in particular, to get you through a long night, or a rough decade.

(I'm essentially saying here: "This too shall pass," but as a writer it is my job to rephrase things.)

6. Exercising is worth it.

7. People, for some reason, are way too competitive when it comes to volleyball. Which is why you will have to pay me large sums to get me to play it.

8. Even though I often find myself at my most judgmental while at church, I am still going to attend.

9. Drink free coffee when it is available.

10. If you have the freedom to do so, consider chasing after the weather that makes you happiest. Rain, sunshine, show. Put yourself in a climate that has a proven tendency to keep you calm. It makes life a lot easier.

11. Every city and town everywhere has an ego. You can trash talk any place in the world you want, but where you live is just the same when it comes to its regional pride.

12. I HATE guns.

13. Dating suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. I want it to be fun, but it's just so not.

14. Making out, on the other hand, is very fun.

15. I love to write. And I think I'm not terrible at it. It's the only thing I've ever felt convicted that I am called to do.

16. I am exactly like my father, and turning into my mother. I do not view this as a negative.

17. For goodness sake, be nice to people. You don't always have to be feeling great yourself, and you are allowed your moments when you get to break down and be the mess, and let people take care of you. But even if you are one giant ball of anxiety, say hello to your coworkers. Make time for your grandparents. Understand that lines are long and slow, but they do not exist to make you furious. They are just a part of life.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." --Socrates

Until just now, for years I thought that quote was "...fighting a harder battle." Either way, good advice.

18. Try flossing. You might end up loving it, and it can help your heart. The jury is out on the heart thing, but it's my birthday so we're going to be positive and assume that it can help your heart.

19. Old men are some of the most adorable creatures on this earth.

20. My cat is cuter than yours.

21. If you are having the worst day of your life, try remembering how it could be worse. This is not the solution to all your stuff, but it is a start. Be grateful, for example, that you never tried drugs, that no one ever hit you, that you have the ability to walk, or see. Whatever it is that has been protected in your life, be grateful for it. If you can't feel grateful in that moment, recognize the existence of the good things that are there. Genuine gratitude will probably, eventually, follow.

22. Living alone creates its very own breed of mental illness. Or self awareness. However you want to characterize it (my definition varies depending on how forgiving I am feeling, in general and of myself).

23. You can cheer for the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas.

24. Give people a chance. Have common sense in this: Don't spend time with someone who makes you fear for your safety. But if you find someone boring or arrogant or aggravating on first meeting, give this opinion the option to change. You wouldn't want someone to write you off after one impression.

25. Given what I just said in #24, you do not, I repeat: do not, have to go on a second date with someone you find to be, in the words of Chandler Bing, "a big dull dud."

Be loving with people, but you don't have to marry them all. In fact, you shouldn't marry them all.

26. Get. Out. Of the house!!! E'rrrrrry day. Except for days that you are very ill or taking a rare but well deserved complete day off, get your bum out of the house. Even if for a five minute walk around the block, get out. Listen to me. Do it. We are social creatures. Don't isolate yourself. And this is coming from the queen of "I need my alone time!". I have learned the hard way what isolation can do to you (See #22).

27. Ellen's YouTube channel is probably the funniest one you will ever find.

28. Surround yourself with good friends. I find that the best of the best are those who can make you laugh and will let you cry. Bonus if they'll pray with you. People who have a serious and a lighthearted side are, to me, people who have survived something. They know that life is rough, and they know that if you don't laugh, you die. Find these people and keep them close. If they are thousands of miles away, put them on speed dial.

Not the reaction I expected of myself

I am at Starbucks. There are two women at the table next to me, and one of them keeps telling a story about someone - her daughter, I've gathered - named Bailey.

She is using the name Bailey so heavily in her story, every other sentence or more, that I could no longer read my book and rushed myself over to Pandora.com, headphones in.

I am so unused to hearing my name, not in reference to me, in public. It is unnerving.

Strange sensation.

I'm a Fran

If any of you are wondering just Who Exactly is watching those original shows on TV Land - you know the ones: "Hot in Cleveland," "The Exes," "Happily Divorced" - that would be me.

I used to watch "The Nanny" a lot, and am especially pleased that Fran is back in this reprise role.

I was driving home last night and got rather happy thinking about the next time I would sit down to watch "Happily Divorced."

I also read Fran's memoir, Cancer Schmancer, when I was 18. That's how most high school graduates spend their summer before going to college, right?

Um, this is a gift for you.

I was setting up the shot  to film my upcoming Pixar review video (to make sure I was centered in the frame and not too close or far away from the camera), and as I was doing so "Wannabe" came on my Pandora station.

So I went with it.

I believe that when you are being ridiculous and awkward, or obnoxious, or something similar, that the people around you feel more at ease because at that moment in time they don't look all that ridiculous. So here is me putting that into practice. Putting myself on the Internet for all to see, while I'm not looking all that great and not bringing forth my best dance moves.

So if you're feeling out of place today, watch this, and then stop feeling that way.

Vent

Does anyone else find that job postings are, well, obnoxious?

Perhaps it is just me, and perhaps things are colored by the fact that I am unemployed and thus always sporting low-grade, isolation-induced, low self esteem, but:

I find that job postings are often written in a tone that is just barely shy of scolding, so strong sometimes in their "don't screw up" message that it makes you feel as if you already have screwed up. The term "proven ability," for example, makes me think of an elementary school report card: Bailey has "proven" that she can now work in art class without overusing the glitter or glue.

Does anyone else find the word "proven" in these contexts (not the art context, that is a hypothetical, friends) condescending?

I have to remind myself that there will--or should be--a training period when I start a job, and I won't be expected to walk in and know automatically everything about a company and how it carries out day-to-day functions.

Again, maybe I am in a biased seat (I am), but let's look at some examples, shall we? These are from actual current job postings:

• "Ability to think through fast-paced reaching news situations and act prudently without making mistakes"

Because people never make mistakes, obviously. And anyone who can make it through an extended interview process these days should have "proven" that they are perfect and polished enough that he or she won't make a mistake on a new job.

The thing that makes me laugh here is the term "reaching news." Do they mean "breaking news"? Did the job posters themselves make a mistake here? Hmm? I could see how that could be a buzz term--news that reaches people--but I am skeptical. A Google search turns up nothing.

Came across this gem today:

• "In addition, we ask that you are a happy and relatively well-adjusted human being."

Wow.

Could this be a little more insulting? Could I walk into an interview for this job and ask the CEO if he/she is a "relatively well-adjusted human being"? I would be shown to the door!! This is outrageous to me. However, I see a loophole. "Relatively." So, one could fall just about anywhere on the well-adjusted scale, eh? If it's relative in an applicant's mind, then there's no argument, right?

Seriously. Unacceptable. It is fine for a team to want applicants to be easy to work with and capable of getting through an average day of work without dramatic incident, but there is no need for it to be expressly written on a job posting.

Last week the LA Daily News had a front page story with the headline, in all caps, "HIRING HELL." The art that accompanied it was the back of a woman's head, facing a room full of interviewers. I read the article and could totally, totally identify with the things that it discussed: people being sent through several interviews, job postings that "shoot for the moon" in their expectations of candidates, being asked to provide freelance work as part of the interview process.

I understand that our country is experiencing economic difficulty. I'm not ridiculous or naive. I get it why things are so over the top. But they don't need to be so over the top. I shouldn't have to feel nervous to press "Publish" on this blog post, lest potential employers see it and think I am a disagreeable person to work with because I am speaking up about this issue.

I can strike up a genuine conversation with just about anyone. I don't create drama in an office or, anywhere, really. I can work under pressure--I'm a journalist, for crying out loud. My family moved three times before I graduated high school: I am insanely adaptable.

But I am human. I will make mistakes.

I have proven myself in many situations. I learn quickly, should you ask me to dislodge a wad of paper from deep inside a copy machine, make hundreds of espresso drinks in a two hour period, ask someone about his business plan and then put it in simple language for the public to digest.

But in any job, I will still need to learn something new.

I have creative thoughts and ideas that you, as a creative company, might love to hear.

But I respect you as a successful entity, and I need your help to teach me your communication standards and schedules and whatnot so that I can most effectively insert myself into the corporate conversation. Please don't expect me to walk into your doors and have everything figured out about how I will perfectly contribute to your environment.

So, please, Companies:

Keep your job descriptions shorter than a novella. Tell me the overarching things you need me to do for you. The non-negotiables. Speak to me with respect. Give me a chance to prove to you that I am well adjusted, without expressly asking me to do so.

Calm Cooking

If I were to hang out with someone from the Food Network, it would be Ina Garten. 

Pretty much hands down. 

Sure, Giada is darling (and could be a stand-in for Liesl in the Sound of Music) and Alton is quirky, but Ina? Ina lowers my blood pressure and makes me happy. 

I could write a sample script for an episode of the Barefoot Contessa, and it would go a little something like this: 

Ina: "This afternoon my friend Ralph is coming over, so I'm making some zucchini slices, just lightly drizzled in oil and honey...

...I think we'll add a light spinach salad, with some roma tomatoes just tossed on the top there, because I just love roma tomatoes. They're just wonderful...

...Ralph just called, he's on his way over, so I'm going to check on the zucchini slices...Oh, they just look delightful...

I think we'll pair this with a nice Pinot Grigio. My friend Sally picked this up for me when she was on vacation in the Grecian Isles... 

...."

And then Ina and Ralph sit outside and eat the light meal and clink their glasses before they commence their day drinking in a peaceful garden setting. 

Love. Doesn't even make me jealous. I mean, jealous of the people who get to hang out with Ina, yes, but not jealous of Ina. And so often when I see someone who is so calm and peaceful and delightful, I get jealous of that calm and peace and delight. But not with Ina. I just want to be Ina's friend. 

And I love that her show is all about friendship and just sharing a meal. So many hosts, at the end of an episode, sample the delicacy themselves and say "Mmmm" to the camera. Ina shares (so does Giada, I know, but we're overlooking that right now). And that is how I like to host people. I love to have people over, and serve them rice and beans in my mismatched set of bowls. Put pistachios and fruit snacks on the coffee table for parties. Offer guests one of 12 drinks that I often have on hand (I'm a beverage person--currently my fridge has iced coffee, V8, beer, Coke Zero, milk, and OJ in it, plus there's always the classic water). 

Anyway, point being: if someone put laboratory-type probes on me while watching Ina, I bet you my heart rate would show a decrease. Statistically significant.

Wow. Really.

I am reading a job posting online. 

One of the things it say is this: 

"Thinking at work may include listening, learning, analyzing, evaluating, and the ability to interpret what is seen and/or heard, or to link information from one issue to the next."

??????!!

Perhaps I should work into my cover letter examples of all the times I have exhibited: listening, learning, and interpreting what is seen and/or heard.

Toy Story 2 Review!

Monsters Inc. review is next, homies! Thanks for watching my vids! And of course for visiting The Daily Bailey! Much love!

Yup.

Guys,

When I got in the shower yesterday I realized something wasn't quite right.

Namely, I was still wearing a bra.

Grooming Foul.

Keep life fresh

I think that when the day comes that I am prego, instead of telling people that I am pregnant I will announce that I am "with child." Mix things up a little.

Pixar Review #2: A Bug's Life!

Hey, Friends! Here's my second review of the Pixar movies. Missed the first one? Catch it here.



Next up is Toy Story 2!

Can't help myself

When I went to Starbucks today, there was a man out front wearing a Kansas City Royals hat, and a child with him was wearing a jersey that said “Royals.”

Naturally, I went up to them and asked if they were from KC, expecting him to say ‘yes’ and for us to then share what suburb we’re actually from, ask if he lives here or if he was on vacation, etc.

But when I asked him if he was from KC, he told me no.

What??

Uhhhh.

I thought maybe he thought I was flirting with him and felt uncomfortable about it. Well, maybe he did, but it turns out his kid’s (or nephew's or whoever--I'm not assuming things here anymore) team is the Royals and he just had the KC hat to accompany his fandom.

But, and this is just a suggestion here, shouldn’t he get something that says “Royals” on it rather than “KC”?

Ah well.

Ironically a week ago at California Adventure theme park, I saw a man wearing a KC hat and he was actually from the greater KC area. He was at the park with some students who go to my rival high school. 

I also saw a girl at the park last weekend wearing a Jayhawk shirt. I said, “Go Jayhawks!” and she did not slow her pace at all as she gave me a very half-hearted “Yeah, Rock Chalk” as she kept moving past me.

When I went to California Adventure in November, there was a couple there who used to live about two streets away from where my parents reside. They were friendly.

So, moral: asking people if they’re from Kansas City or Kansas has various results, but I’m not going to stop asking. 

Sportsmanship

Quite often when I'm on a machine at the gym, and I reach that point where I think, "Yeeeeeeaah! I've been on this sucker for [X number of] minutes and I'm still going!," I want to high five the person or persons on the machine(s) next to me.

I think it's only a matter of time before I give in to this urge.

You think alcohol lowers your inhibitions? Have you seen what endorphins can do to people's social boundaries?

By the way, if we weren't in America (or Europe, probably), we wouldn't be having this conversation. High fives would be the norm, me thinks.

Friday Confusion, yay!

Friends,

I think you all should know that I get you mixed up.

I know who you all are (well, except for those I don't), but you have to know that I moved a lot growing up, and I'm a chatterbox, so I'm always meeting new people, and now that I've had 28 years to accumulate a social sphere, and I'm 28 so I'm not as sharp as I used to be, ...

...Well, sometimes I get my wires crossed. I seem to be doing this more lately.

I was just perusing "People I might know" on LinkedIn, and saw someone and thought of someone else I know and thought some vague thought about them knowing each other.

Highly doubtful that they know each other, because while I can't remember even 5 minutes later which two individuals I was thinking about when I had this vague thought, I realized quickly at the time that one of them went to, say, college with me and the other went to high school or some other non-college place with me.

Thus, probably don't know each other.

I feel like I do this a lot. I have to remind myself that while a lot of my friends do know a lot of my other friends, a lot of them don't know each other.

So, I guess this is a fair warning: if I say something strange to you about "our" pal from college, or from after school care at the YMCA when "we" were in elementary school, or some other place that you have not traveled to with me by your side, just know that it's not you. It's me and my overextended, oversocialized brain.

Over and out,
Bailey

Too much!

It's a rather miserable feeling when you're worn out, stressed out, and spread thin, and as you wonder how you got yourself into this mess you realize, "I did this to myself."

It might be time to shave some hobbies off my list, or at least put one or two on a temporary hold...