weather & me

It always amazes me with how the weather affects my mood. Yesterday, for example, was cold, damp, and it rained on and off throughout the day. Therefore I was told by my boss to put a smile on my face and I moved like a slug. I really hate it when people tell me to smile. I can't smile all of the time, it wouldn't make sense. I can't look like I'm excited to be somewhere when I'm not. Today's Friday, so I'm a little wired but not enough to get things really going because it's cold and misty out. However, on Monday and Tuesday-two of the worst days in a week, the weather was sunny and warm enough to wear a dress. I was happy. Not ecstatic, because it was early in the week but content with life.

I've noticed on the weekends that I'm more likely to be productive if the weather is nice outside. There is something that is just so attractive about staying in bed or lounging on the couch when it's gross outside.

Maybe it's because I don't like the cold weather nor the gloom that it brings. The layering of clothes is always obnoxious. I dislike having to plan outfits. I'm more comfortable just being able to throw on a dress and be done. So on gross weather days I'm more likely to just through on jeans/sweats with a t-shirt and a sweatshirt, especially on the weekends. After having to dress up for work during the week, the last thing I want to do is dress up again when I know that I won't be seeing anyone. While I'm sure that the people on "What Not to Wear" would be appalled, I'm sure that they would agree that it's hard dressing up all of the time. Sometimes it just nice to be able to relax and if it happens on a gloomy day, all the better.

It's the little things, like a change in scenery

There are sometimes when I just love my life. Like everything falls into pieces and while it might not be perfect, it completes the moment. This past weekend was like that. One of my college friends and I road tripped down to Virginia Beach. We had gone down earlier this summer in June, and it was so crowded, it reminded me of navigating at Tysons Corner. This weekend however had people but it was not crowded. You could walk around the streets and on the beach without worrying about touching other people. (Always a plus).

Here's a brief rundown:

Friday night we were able to get elevated seats at a bar so we were able to people-watch (one of my favorite things to do). Seeing a 'cougar' in action and seeing her admit to being a 'cougar' was definitely a highlight because that's not something that you would normally see in a bar. As the bar closed and I failed to bring back the bartender-he had a girlfriend-we walked the whole two blocks back to our room.

Saturday, we were woken up to a parade. I've never seen a parade like this before outside of DC (I probably don't get out enough). Streets were blocked and there were police on horses and old men playing musicians. It was great once I was able to wash down some aleve and brush my teeth. The beach itself was gorgeous-not too crowded but great people-watching. I really enjoy watching people interact with each other, especially families with toddlers.

Flirted with some cute guys at the tattoo parlors-why are they called parlors? Enjoyed a delicious dinner in which I was grateful for my lose fitting top which hid the 6month food baby and the fact that my friend and I did not feel the need to converse in loud tones so that everyone would know what was going on in our lives at the moment and how sometimes you just need to bitch. Went out early to bar because otherwise could have spent the entire night just hanging out watching tv, trying to figure out which celebs had had plastic surgery and what they had done. The bar itself was a long narrow thing, and slightly empty when we walked in. Starting the night off with shooters with a side of water, I knew that things had the possibility to get out of hand fast. They did once the dancer that was a friend of the bartenders' came in and started doing her thing. And free shots from the bartenders never helps. My friend found someone so I hung out with the bartenders once the bar closed to allow her to do her thing.

Sunday, after several attempts to get my act together, we left a weekend of tomfoolery. And despite the little rest I had over the weekend, Sunday night I was wired from the events of the weekend most likely. That euphoria has carried over to the next couple of days where almost nothing could bother me.

Virgin Festival & Life

So this past weekend I went to the Virgin festival up in Maryland. In the past, the festival had been a two-day affair with large acts such as the Chili Peppers and Bob Dylan. This year, it was one day with smaller acts but also for free. It was my first time and I enjoyed the experience completely. I designed a converse shoe for a contest (which I lost of course), picked up a ton of awesome free stuff like hair products and t-shirts.

Days later, I'm still on a music high. I'm still rocking out to the bands that played-Weezer, the Hold Steady, Wale, Blink-182, Franz Ferdinand, and Public Enemy among others. But it made me wonder if Virgin would have held a free concert if the economy was better. A lot of the advertisers hacking their wares mentioned the economy as the reason for giving away free stuff as a 'pick-me-up'-free beer too at a certain place and time. But at the same time, I'm trolling for jobs and I'm noticing spelling and grammer mistakes on these ads. I personally have a hard time taking these companies seriously when I see mistakes. Now I understand that everyone is human and that we all make mistakes but come on, job stuff is serious business. To me, an ad with mistakes says that the company doesn't really care about the position or the person necessary to fill that position. So the economy sucks and the companies that are hiring don't really care about the message they're sending out because they know that they still hold the upperhand.