Interesting Article...

Tracy McMillan: Why You’re Not Married


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You want to get married. It's taken a while to admit it. Saying it out loud -- even in your mind -- feels kind of desperate, kind of unfeminist, kind of definitely not you, or at least not any you that you recognize. Because you're hardly like those girls on TLC saying yes to the dress and you would never compete for a man like those poor actress-wannabes on The Bachelor.

You've never dreamt of an aqua-blue ring box.

Then, something happened. Another birthday, maybe. A breakup. Your brother's wedding. His wife-elect asked you to be a bridesmaid, and suddenly there you were, wondering how in hell you came to be 36-years-old, walking down the aisle wearing something halfway decent from J. Crew that you could totally repurpose with a cute pair of boots and a jean jacket. You started to hate the bride -- she was so effing happy -- and for the first time ever you began to have feelings about the fact that you're not married. You never really cared that much before. But suddenly (it was so sudden) you found yourself wondering... Deep, deep breath... Why you're not married.

Well, I know why.

How? It basically comes down to this: I've been married three times. Yes, three. To a very nice MBA at 19; a very nice minister's son at 32 (and pregnant); and at 40, to a very nice liar and cheater who was just like my dad, if my dad had gone to Harvard instead of doing multiple stints in federal prison.

I was, for some reason, born knowing how to get married. Growing up in foster care is a big part of it. The need for security made me look for very specific traits in the men I dated -- traits it turns out lead to marriage a surprisingly high percentage of the time. Without really trying to, I've become a sort of jailhouse lawyer of relationships -- someone who's had to do so much work on her own case that I can now help you with yours.

But I won't lie. The problem is not men, it's you. Sure, there are lame men out there, but they're not really standing in your way. Because the fact is -- if whatever you're doing right now was going to get you married, you'd already have a ring on it. So without further ado, let's look at the top six reasons why you're not married.

1. You're a Bitch.

Here's what I mean by bitch. I mean you're angry. You probably don't think you're angry. You think you're super smart, or if you've been to a lot of therapy, that you're setting boundaries. But the truth is you're pissed. At your mom. At the military-industrial complex. At Sarah Palin. And it's scaring men off.

The deal is: most men just want to marry someone who is nice to them. I am the mother of a 13-year-old boy, which is like living with the single-cell protozoa version of a husband. Here's what my son wants out of life: macaroni and cheese, a video game, and Kim Kardashian. Have you ever seen Kim Kardashian angry? I didn't think so. You've seen Kim Kardashian smile, wiggle, and make a sex tape. Female anger terrifies men. I know it seems unfair that you have to work around a man's fear and insecurity in order to get married -- but actually, it's perfect, since working around a man's fear and insecurity is big part of what you'll be doing as a wife.



2. You're Shallow.

When it comes to choosing a husband, only one thing really, truly matters: character. So it stands to reason that a man's character should be at the top of the list of things you are looking for, right? But if you're not married, I already know it isn't. Because if you were looking for a man of character, you would have found one by now. Men of character are, by definition, willing to commit.

Instead, you are looking for someone tall. Or rich. Or someone who knows what an Eames chair is. Unfortunately, this is not the thinking of a wife. This is the thinking of a teenaged girl. And men of character do not want to marry teenaged girls. Because teenage girls are never happy. And they never feel like cooking, either.



3. You're a Slut.

Hooking up with some guy in a hot tub on a rooftop is fine for the ladies of Jersey Shore -- but they're not trying to get married. You are. Which means, unfortunately, that if you're having sex outside committed relationships, you will have to stop. Why? Because past a certain age, casual sex is like recreational heroin -- it doesn't stay recreational for long.

That's due in part to this thing called oxytocin -- a bonding hormone that is released when a woman a) nurses her baby and b) has an orgasm -- that will totally mess up your casual-sex game. It's why you can be f**k-buddying with some dude who isn't even all that great and the next thing you know, you're totally strung out on him. And you have no idea how it happened. Oxytocin, that's how it happened. And since nature can't discriminate between marriage material and Charlie Sheen, you're going to have to start being way more selective than you are right now.


4. You're a Liar.

It usually goes something like this: you meet a guy who is cute and likes you, but he's not really available for a relationship. He has some condition that absolutely precludes his availability, like he's married, or he gets around town on a skateboard. Or maybe he just comes right out and says something cryptic and open to interpretation like, "I'm not really available for a relationship right now."

You know if you tell him the truth -- that you're ready for marriage -- he will stop calling. Usually that day. And you don't want that. So you just tell him how perfect this is because you only want to have sex for fun! You love having fun sex! And you don't want to get in a relationship at all! You swear!

About ten minutes later, the oxytocin kicks in. You start wanting more. But you don't tell him that. That's your secret -- just between you and 22,000 of your closest girlfriends. Instead, you hang around, having sex with him, waiting for him to figure out that he can't live without you. I have news: he will never "figure" this out. He already knows he can live without you just fine. And so do you. Or you wouldn't be lying to him in the first place.


5. You're Selfish.

If you're not married, chances are you think a lot about you. You think about your thighs, your outfits, your naso-labial folds. You think about your career, or if you don't have one, you think about doing yoga teacher training. Sometimes you think about how marrying a wealthy guy -- or at least a guy with a really, really good job -- would solve all your problems.

Howevs, a good wife, even a halfway decent one, does not spend most of her day thinking about herself. She has too much s**t to do, especially after having kids. This is why you see a lot of celebrity women getting husbands after they adopt. The kids put the woman on notice: Bitch, hello! It's not all about you anymore! After a year or two of thinking about someone other than herself, suddenly, Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford comes along and decides to significantly other her. Which is also to say -- if what you really want is a baby, go get you one. Your husband will be along shortly. Motherhood has a way of weeding out the lotharios.


6. You're Not Good Enough.

Oh, I don't think that. You do. I can tell because you're not looking for a partner who is your equal. No, you want someone better than you are: better looking, better family, better job.

Here is what you need to know: You are enough right this minute. Period. Not understanding this is a major obstacle to getting married, since women who don't know their own worth make terrible wives. Why? You can fake it for a while, but ultimately you won't love your spouse any better than you love yourself. Smart men know this.

I see this at my son's artsy, progressive school. Of 183 kids, maybe six have moms who are as cute as you're trying to be. They're attractive, sure. They're just not objects. Their husbands (wisely) chose them for their character, not their cup size.



Alright, so that's the bad news. The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won't. Once the initial high wears off, you'll just be you, except with twice as much laundry.

Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it. Strangely, men understand this more than we do. Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession -- a free-agent penis -- and for us, it's the culmination of a princess fantasy so universal, it built Disneyland.

The bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it. Because most of the time, your messy, farting, macaroni-and-cheese eating man will not be doing what you want him to. But as you give him love anyway -- because you have made up your mind to transform yourself into a person who is practicing being kind, deep, virtuous, truthful, giving, and most of all, accepting of your own dear self -- you will find that you will experience the very thing you wanted all along:

Love.

Reaching that moment...

For reference: I start work at 8:30(ish)am

For some reason I reach that moment where I just don't want to do anything else productive at 8:15am. I don't think that bodes well for me!

S#$% my boss says...

So the other day I was working on something and I realized that somebody had submitted a form that shouldn't have come to our office. I went and asked my boss to make sure I was right before returning the form. At first he agreed with me and then as we were talking about it, he grabbed the file out of my hand and said that he just realized it was fine, there was a piece of the puzzle I didn't know, but not to worry about. (You would think the man had never met me before to make a comment like that!) For the next 4 hours every 5 to 10 minutes I would go into his office and ask what it is I didn't know. At around hour two he started to threaten to fart if I came back into his office. By end of hour four he had had enough.

HIM: You just keep picking and picking and picking and picking. I feel like a pimple that is about to burst and puss all over your glasses!!!

ME: Bobby, that is honest to God the most disgusting analogy I have ever heard in my life.

The information was revealed shortly after that and it was nothing super exciting. I later repeated the story to some friends that know the two of us and they could not believe that I had brought such a quiet, respectable, peaceful man down to that level. You can only imagine what my mom has had to deal with for too many years now.

That funny feeling...

Around two o'clock this afternoon as I was in the middle of something, my boss came and asked me if I normally do what I was doing first thing in the morning. I said yes. He asked was this morning a particularly busy morning. I said no. He than asked what happened today. I get the funny feeling he was not too impressed when I shrugged my shoulders and said "I just didn't feel like it" *sigh*.

Truths for Mature Adults

There are some truths that by a certain age you simply need to know. I found this list and thought that it summed everything up quite nicely...


1. I think part of a friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Day 1 - Harry Potter Wizarding World

Picture Post for Antonio

So the entire trip I was looking for just the right souvenir for my brother and on our very last day I found this...



I couldn't have found something more perfect if I had made it myself!

A Picture Post for Sue

So we're at the airport waiting for our flight to Orlando, when out of the blue my dad says, "Look! There's Sue!" So we all look over and I hear Sara say, "Yeah, it is Sue". I'm thinking what the hell are they talking about and then finally the 400 pound man blocking my view moved and there she was...

SUE!

SO I had to take a picture...

A Picture Post for Peri

PENIS, PENIS, PENIS!!!

Okay, so being the thoughtful, caring, considerate, wonderful friend that I am, when I went to Trinidad in 2008, I picked up a very special gift for my friend, Suzy. In fact I love Suzy SO MUCH that I bought her the exact some gift I bought myself and put up on my mantle. It was a beautifully decorated Penis Mug. Now I love my Penis Mug, but Suzy was not as excited as I was with my great find. IN FACT, she actually returned it to me and took a much less expensive and special souvenir. Which was fine because friends are allowed to have different tastes. Anyway, recently Suzy and Steve went to Morocco, and I of course am waiting for my reciprocal Penis Mug. Yesterday when I noticed her pictures on facebook, I commented on one to indicate I am patiently waiting, fingers crossed for my Penis Mug. On other picture I found a fantastic hat and told Suzy to forget the Penis Mug, I wanted that hat instead. Unfortunately, Suzy had to take the comments down... She said I'm not allowed to say PENIS on facebook... so here it is...
PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!! PENIS!!!

Things that go through my head...

I've come to realize that I can be a very "not nice" person. Yes, I know this is something many people have picked up on some time ago and really isn't "breaking news", but today it proved extremely true and I thought I would share. first things first, those stupid TNA bags. Are teenage girls truly that dumb that it has become cool to walk around advertising "tits n' ass"? You can tell me until you're blue in the face that it is Touloula National Association or whatever the hell it's called, but I don't know a single person that sees that bag and doesn't think "tits n' ass" (maybe that says something about the company I keep)! Every morning I'm tempted to walk over to them and ask where they got the "tits n' ass" bag from, but I'm so afraid that they might not catch on to the sarcasm and engage me in conversation and I don't think my brain could take gaining that many stupid cells all at once. The next urge is one I don't think I'll be able to fight for too much longer. Every time that young, black boy rides his skateboard through the subway station, I can't help but want to say "DUDE, YOU'RE BLACK, COME ON!!!" Finally and probably the least nice thing about me, I don't know if I should share this, but here we go...
I currently sit in a shared cubicle with two other people. Their job requires a lot of concentration and quiet. I am not a quiet person and this has caused a "little" bit of conflict. I now must conduct the majority of my phone conversations in whispers. BUT, I've figured out the most passive-aggressive tool to use against them. THE NOISIEST FUCKING LUNCH IN THE WORLD. This is how it starts... I get an apple, some carrots, a straw, some chips, just think of things that make noise and it's in my lunch bag. I proceed to wrap everything in aluminum foil and then in put in a plastic baggy (if it come pre-wrapped I wrap it again!) I then take out everything all at once and begin to pull out my lunch single piece by piece. That means one chip *munch, munch, munch*, tussle bag, one chip *munch, munch, munch* and within 5 minutes I have the cubicle all to myself! Even better I've just started doing 6 smalls meals a day... I'm having too much fun!!! So there you have it I'm very "not nice" person!

My thoughts on change

I try to never complain about change, as I accept that it is a constant in life, but honestly at times I have a really hard time coping with it. I kind of feel like Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle (my mom's favourite movie). You know the scene when he's talking to the radio shrink about his wife dying and what he is going to do and he says "Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while." I think when change first happens (regardless of what cause is, be it death, relationships ending, or just a change in a phase of life) the first few days I have to remind myself to get of bed, breath in and out and just keep pushing. As time goes by and slowly I begin to adapt to the change and the routine of getting up and doing what I have to do kicks in and with it the acceptance of the change, eventually I become content with my new lot in life and the need to feel regret for the loss of what was great and perfect slowly recedes as the memory fades. Sometimes I even find myself questioning if the time that was great and perfect ever really existed.

So true....

Failure

Failure does not exist. Failure is simply someone else's opinion of how a certain act should have been completed. Once you believe that no act must be performed in any specific other-directed way, then failing becomes impossible. - Wayne Dyer

I find this fascinating, the concept that failure does not truly exist. Imagine going through life and never having that fear of failure hang over your head. There would be no pressure, no shame, no self-doubt, that would be a great world to live in. On the other hand, failure can be a great motivator, I know there have been times I would not have have accomplished much if not for that pressure not to fail and to continually prove myself. I guess it's finding that place where fear of failure is not an inhibitor, but a motivator. As well, to base success and failure not on someone else's conditions but standards I have set for myself. I suppose it's looking at life as though the only person I truly can fail is myself, just as much as I can only be a success based on what I consider success to be. I'm not sure if that's a good thing?

Zero-Based Gratitude

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

- Albert Einstein


Zero-Based Gratitude

Perhaps you have heard of zero-based budgeting as a technique for governments, businesses, and occasionally individuals. Zero-based budgeting is in contrast to traditional incremental budgeting. In incremental budgeting, one starts with the budget for the last year, or other period, and prepares a budget for the next period based on the budget for the last period - incorporating whatever increases, or very occasionally decreases, are deemed appropriate.

Zero-based budgeting begins with a base-line of no expenditures, rather than the base-line of last year's expenditures. Each and every proposed expense must be justified on its own merits rather that falling back on the argument that it was in the last year's budget, and that everybody expects and demands it.

Most people's gratitude is incremental gratitude. If they receive a raise, a bigger house, a third car, a new love interest, or a healthy new baby, they are grateful. If they lose their job, are forced to downsize, have a tiff with their spouse, or have an illness in the family, they are disappointed and angry. Why disappointed and angry? Because they have not been blessed with as much today as they were yesterday.

Suppose our gratitude could be zero-based gratitude. With zero-based gratitude, we would be grateful for everything we had each day - regardless of whether it was more or less than yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful for a warm comfortable one-bedroom apartment, even if I had a four bedroom house yesterday. I can be grateful for being able to walk, even if I could run yesterday. I can be grateful all the people, the love, the food, the shelter, the services, the health, that I am blessed with today, regardless of what I had yesterday. With zero-based gratitude, I can be grateful each day for the gift of life itself.

Consider adopting the ongoing practice of zero-based gratitude.


http://www.dreamthisday.com/

Why I love my parents...

So I'm helping my mom to prepare Thanksgiving dinner and she sets aside the turkey neck for my Nonna. I'm sitting there looking at the turkey neck and decide to ask "Mom, what if they've been tricking us for all these years and that's not really the turkey's neck, but the turkey's shlong?" straight faced she turns to me and says "Tina, if that was the turkey's shlong, we'd be idolizing it, not eating it".

My dad and I stopped by a Chinese restaurant for dinner the other and as we were leaving I noticed a car with a bunch of little ribbon bows tied to the radio antenna. I ask "does that serve any purpose?" my dad's response had me pissing my pants "Yes Tina, it indicates that the driver's an asshole."

And that my friends is why I love my parents!

Perspective

I really appreciate this one. I hope you do too and ~ enjoy!

This is one of the best explanations of why there is pain and suffering that I have seen...

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: 'I don't believe that God exists.'

'Why do you say that?' asked the customer. 'Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.
Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children?

If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.
I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.'
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.
He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
'You know what? Barbers do not exist.'
'How can you say that?' asked the surprised barber.
'I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!'
'No!' the customer exclaimed. 'Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.'

'Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me.'
'Exactly!' affirmed the customer. 'That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.'

Dildos and my mom

So, I threw a bachorlette party for one of my best friend's a couple of weeks before her wedding. Suffice to say the drama involved has got me determined to elope when it's my turn. It went from a party of 20 to a party of 5. The only way we even made 5 was thanks to my mom giving in and coming out with us. I'd organized a great night of dinner followed by a passion party in a hotel suite we had booked. It's sad? interesting? confusing? to think the highlight of the evening was when my mom decided to use the massive, pink vibrator to massage her back.

Favourite Memory... Trinidad

So all of the Trinidad trip was pretty great, but if I had to pick a favourite it would have to be our trip to the pitch lake. We left my grandparent's house pretty early that morning with a driver my grandfather had hired for us. The first thing I noticed when we got in the car was that there was no seatbelts. The second was that the brakes were screeching louder than anything I've ever heard. Before we started our journey from the north end to the south end we made a quick stop in Port of Spain. At which point I told my dad he needed to pull out the seatbelts as I wasn't in the mood to die that day. Only able to locate 2 of the 3 seatbelts my mom ended looping her's into Sara's for safety and off we went. The first part of the day was great. We went to the pitch lake and had a very informative walking tour. (The Pitch Lake is a lake of natural asphalt located at La Brea in southwest Trinidad. ) Later that morning we headed to the mall and did the majority of our sovenior shopping. From there we were suppose to go visit my dad's aunt for a while before heading home. Unfortuneately, that was just not meant to be. It all started out with one missed turn. As soon as we left the mall all the driver had to do was making a left turn and we would have continued on as planned. Instead we went straight as Mr. Brown (the driver) knew a short cut. I'm not sure of the exact definition of the word short cut because generally in my opinion that does not mean the trip should take an additional four hours (thank God Mr. Brown was not being paid hourly). The upside to our adventure was that we got to cover most of Trinidad, during our time with Mr. Brown, the downside was that we got to cover most of Trinidad with Mr. Brown. After running us off the road onto someone's lawn, my confidence in Mr. Brown started to waiver. The next almost two accidents and getting lost 3 addtional times while lost did not help anything. The one thing I can confidently say is I will never forget my time with Mr. Brown.

My Thoughts... on Family Reunions

I love family reunions. We have one of those as seen in the movies, people don't really do that, who are all these crazy people kind of reunions. We have the egg and spoon race, the musical chairs, the inappropriately dressed girlfriend of a cousin and the insanely delicious homemade food. It's always a lot of fun and makes me appreciate how great our family truly is. We do one every two years and each time it's in a different location. This year it was in Trinidad and I had a blast. There's something about feeling and knowing you're loved by people you don't even know exist that hard to describe. You get there and everyone knows what you've been doing and what's been going on in your life and telling you they remember cuddling with you when you were just a baby and it's a really great feeling. One of the more interesting aspects of our reunions are some of the different "lectures" or talks that we have. This year a presentation was given on our medical history and another was given on financial planning. It's great to know we want each other to succeed and care about what's going on with one another. I have to say I truly love my family and feel blessed and privileged to be a part of such a great one.

Jonas Brothers = O.K. in my books

So, Sara and I did end up going to the Jonas Brothers concert. To make a long story short, I searched and searched for those stupid tickets everywhere. After spending 4 hours on craigslist I decided to check out kijiji. The first ad I saw I gave them a call and the lady had 3 tickets she had bought because of her 6 year old that no longer felt like going and was willing to sell them for whatever she paid for them. We call ticketmaster and it was as easy as transferring her tickets from her credit card to mine. There I am 2 hours later sitting on the lawn with Sara and Daniel for under $100. Sara was thrilled, she got her concert t-shirt and I officialy snagged the "best sister of the year (ever) award".

My Thoughts... on Marriage

Three of my best friends are getting married this summer. As long as they are happy, I'm happy for them. I'm actually going to be in the bridal party for one of them and it's made me think a lot about the institution and what my opinions on it are. So I started asking myself some questions and this is what I found:

What is my first thought when it comes to marriage?

I think Mae West said it best, ""Marriage Is a Great Institution, but I'm Not Ready for an Institution Yet. "

Do I actually want to get married?

Sure (some day in the very (very, very) distant future)

Do I believe a marriage can last in this day and age?

Absolutely (trust me, if my parents can make it work anyone can)

How will I know when I'm ready to get married?

A co-worker and I were talking about marriage and when I said I'm totally not ready to be married anytime soon because I'm not ready to be tied down or be responsible for anyone else but myself, she couldn't have agreed more. She said that if that's how I'm looking at it, as though it's a burden, I'm definitely not ready. She went on to explain she knew she needed to marry her husband when after years of being together, she couldn't wait to get home to him, to talk to him, to see him. When she couldn't imagine coming home to anyone else. When doing the things she'd never liked before was no longer a pain but a joy because she knew how much it would bless him to have all his socks tucked away properly or that special pie for dessert. When making him happy made her happy and vice versa is when she knew they were ready to get married. I thought that was great, the way she made it sound, you could tell she was married to her best friend and couldn't be happier. I'm sure there is no set way to determine when you're ready to get married, but there are a million ways to tell when you're not.

I personally don't believe that marriage is something that is right for everyone and I definitely don't believe that 'gun-shot wedding' is always (or ever) the answer for certain situations. I think the reason why so many marriages fail today is that people don't enter it with a "failure-is-not-an-option" attitude. It's more like "we'll-give-it-a-try-and-if-it-doesn't-work-out-we'll-get-a-divorce" way of thinking. I'm sure all marriages require work and attention as a key to success. When you start on the right foot of making the decision that you want to spend the rest of your life with this person and have put in the proper time and thought in making that decision your chances for happy marriage can only be increased. When the decision to marry is rushed or something you feel pressured into, I'm positive, that doesn't help your chance for survival. I don't even like to be rushed to place an order at a restaurant, I can't imagine what it is like for people who feel rushed into a marriage. I'm of the opinion that should you and another person enter into a sexual relationship, you should be pretty darn certain that spending the rest of your life attached to them is a possibility. Does that mean if you get pregnant you must marry them? Not at all, it means should you get pregnant be aware that this person may become a permanent part of your life. I simply can't believe that if you get pregnant you must marry the father of the child. I know for a fact that children benefit from having two parents in their lives that love them, but that doesn't mean they have to be married to each other. If someone makes you totally miserable and brings out the worst in you, because you may have made the wrong (and stupid) decision of sleeping with them, you don't have to multiply the wrong (and stupid) choices by now marrying them. I've seen families were the parent's openly hate each other and staying together for the kids couldn't be more wrong.

Okay, I can see I'm beginning to ramble on and because I have a million and a half thoughts, I'll have to continue on another day. If I didn't cut myself off soon I would end up writing the night away and that (trust me) would make me even more unbearable on a Friday, when I know I'm working overtime on the Saturday (is there possibly a sadder occurrence in the world than having to work on a Saturday?? (I think not!))

That's just my thoughts for now, but you can bet that won't be the last you hear on the subject from me!

The F**king Jonas Brothers

My 10 year old sister is in love with the Jonas Brothers. She has decided that she will one day marry Nick Jonas. I've never minded her obsession with them as up until recently they hadn't been all over the place. Since, Camp Rock came out 14 days ago, I've probably whatched the bloody thing 20 times (and believe me it wasn't worth watching the first time). They now have there own television show which basically shows you a day in their lives and to be honest I'm all for reality t.v., but to watch the same episode every single time it's aired, I think is deserving of the Best Sister Ever Award in and of itself. When she found out they were coming to Toronto, she begged to go to the concert, I (of course) stepped up and said if we got tickets I would go with her (simply because I didn't think either of my parents would make it through). I went Ticketmaster to purchase the tickets and was pleasantly surprised to see the price ranged from $20-$50, truthfully, compared to the tickets I buy, I thought it was a bargain. That was until I tried to purchase them and found the concert was completely sold out. Ticketmaster has this link (trying to be helpful as always (major sarcasm there)) to a site that may have some tickets available. I click on it thinking if it's not that bad I'll purchase my 2 tix and be on my merry way. It was fricking $100 for $20 tickets and $500-$600 for the $50 ones. I'm thinking good luck with that buddy if you actually think anyone is going to purchase Jonas Brothers tickets for that price. I've been checking back everyone once in a while see if anything reasonable had came up and every time I went back it seemed to get worse then before. When I checked last night someone had 12 almost front row tickets for $535 or $565 (something like that) and I'm thinking, watch that asshole end up with a bunch of stupid tickets left over. Sure enough this morning I checked the site and all 12 were gone. By the time all the service charges and everything is added that amounts to more than $7,000, some jerk just made over $5,000 (possibly more than $6,000) in profit because other people are just that stupid. It's a sad, sad day when someone pays $600 to sit in Molson Amphithatre seats. Sometimes I think the world is made up almost entirely of incredibly stupid people.

Vegas Baby!!!

Vegas was a blast!!! I would probably need to write a novel to explain just how fantastic that entire trip was. 14 women in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party is not a concept that is easy to grasp or put into manifestation, but when it happens it is definitely a once in a life time experience. We tried to do it all and it felt like we just barely got the tip of the iceberg. I can now say that I am a fully certified stripper (with a stripper license to prove it!) We went to the Bodies Exhibition which was truly exciting for me as I had missed it here in Toronto a while back and was thrilled to finally get a chance to see. I can definitely say I wasn't disappointed. The only thing is that you can't take pictures inside the exhibition (in order to protect the features (which does make sense)). If you're ever in Vegas or any city with Bodies I would highly recommend it. Since no Vegas trip is complete without a show we went to see Alicia Keys (with Jordin Sparks and Ne-Yo). They were all phenomenal!! So good that I saw the show again when it came here to Toronto. Considering that we bought our tickets like 3 hours before the show, we had pretty good seats. There was also a lot of sightseeing and partying (A LOT of partying), but that's a story for another time.

No more pain in the ass!!

So my bottom is almost completely healed and I couldn't be happier. After 6 months of having to wince every time I sit down I can now take a seat (mostly) pain free. If anyone wants to see the scar all they have to do is ask! Apparently what I had is called a perianal abscess and to be honest it was not very fun. Now that it's over and I'm free to enjoy life again (not that I really stopped (I did go to Montreal twice and Vegas for the first time while I was "suffering" from it)) I plan to enjoy it to the fullest (life that is not my ass) starting in Trinidad!!