What are YOU Looking For?

It's been a while since I've blogged on here. I didn't feel the need to broadcast to the world the details of my Christmas season, and I didn't even post the obligatory beginning of the year account on how I'm going to be a better person in 2010.

Rather, my first blog of the New Year comes after the Super Bowl and one week before Valentines Day. If you watched the biggest pro-football game of the year, between the Saints-Colts showdown and shoveling empty calories into your mouth, you saw the following Google ad:




And as thousands of women let out a collective "awww" when the final search was entered, I had to admit-although I don't claim to be the candy and roses type on February 14-that Google was pretty smart to release this commercial one week prior to the holiday that ensures that Hallmark will never need a government bailout.

I don't think that any other company could have pulled off this ad. I can't imagine a compelling Budweiser commercial featuring a man using a six-pack to convince his peers to point the way to the perfect study abroad program, and I couldn't picture an orange-fingered Dorito consumer picking up his special lady at the airport.

But Google was clever, and it even had me thinking I could find anything-including the perfect man who can assemble a crib-via its easy-to-use search engine. In fact, I got onto Google not long after the big game so I could find that adorable Google commercial, and of course I found it easily.

I guess I'll end this inaugural blog on a happy note. To all of you who will be spending Valentines Day with that special someone, I'm happy for you. To everyone else, I hope you find what you're searching for.

If My Life Had a Soundtrack

I love the show Glee. I've only watched a few episodes, but I'm hooked and eagerly anticipating a new season of this deliciously addictive sitcom.


Whenever a great musical comes out, I find myself wishing that it were more socially acceptable to burst into song in the middle of the street...or in my case, the office...or the grocery store. More than once, I've wanted to just start spinning around at the park near my house and sing "The hillllllllllllls are alive with the sound of music!" I've also looked at my bills and the first few chords of "Rent" have begun to play in my mind. I've also thought "Beauty School Drop Out" upon seeing a woman clad in animal print leggings and overprocessed big hair. And I've imagined finding the perfect guy and recited "Love is a many splendoured thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you needs is love" in my head.

Life is a whole lot better when it's set to music, so here it is...my life set to a soundtrack:

The first time I heard Everything by Michael Buble, I decided that if my life were ever turned into a movie or a television series that it would be played during the opening credits. I can just imagine myself twirling around on the streets of some fictional city dotted with fruit stands and flower carts. I've got shopping bags in my hands and a sweet little trench coat on. I am, indeed, Everything. And as I'm getting ready for work, the song She Is by The Fray is blaring from my radio so that I'll feel confident and fresh for whatever the day has for me. I walk to the office wearing 3-inch heels to the tune of One Step at a Time Jordin Sparks.

On the weekends, I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time by Mariah Carey will be playing as I go shopping, watch college football, go out, and have girl talk with my besties and of course, I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew will be playing in the background as I spot the man of my dreams from across the room. (Seriously, could it have been anything else? Don't you remember the origin of this blog?)

And as Mr. Right and I skip through what I can only imagine will be an open meadow complete with daisies and butterflies, Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now by Joss Stone feat. Common will accompany our first kiss. For some time, we'll be that couple that everyone envies; that couple that everyone wants to be; that couple that makes everyone want to barf in their mouths just a little bit. But it won't last long because he'll cheat on me...not because he doesn't love me but because he's a little bit afraid of relationships and commitment. As he's trying to sort out his feelings, Nickelback's Far Away and Kelly Clarkson's My Life Would Suck Without You plays over and over again in his dark and twisty mind while he tries to be bright and shiny to his man friends who try to convince him to get over me.

Meanwhile, I'm pissed. While he's listening to songs like Please Forgive Me by Bryan Adams and believe it or not, Taylor Swift's Teardrops on My Guitar, I'm listening to The M People's Moving on Up and Fiona Apple's Criminal not because I've done something wrong but because if I act on the anger building up inside me, I really will need a good defense. Then I switch it up to songs like Eminem's Lose Yourself and Eye of the Tiger while I shadowbox and run (a lot of running at this point) because frankly all I can think of is punching "Mr. She was there so was I and things just got carried away" square in the nose and working out is all that restrains me from actually doing so.

Switch back to Mr. Trying to Improve Himself who has decided that he'll do anything to get me back. After all, he's just heard Sofia Barbosa's Kissing You which he made fun of me for loving the first time we watched Romeo + Juliet together. That line about "watching stars without you, my soul cries" was clearly just too much, so he enlists the help of my best friend who turns out to be a fairy godmother of some sorts (for whom isn't so certain). She convinces him to stop moping, bathe, shave, get a hot new haircut (which I was never able to do, but whatever) and buy me flowers from an aforementioned flower cart...all to a few lines from Madonna's Dress You Up in My Love (because what's life without a Madonna song?)

By this time, I'm starting to miss him, too, but because I am Superwoman a la Alicia Keys I have too much pride to go back to him. And just when things look like they're not going to work between us, he shows up with his slick new style and a radio on his shoulder, throwing rocks at my window. He lays flowers down on the sidewalk and it turns out he's recruited some of his friends to treat me to a choreographed performance of Jay Sean's Do You Remember...because people dance when lives are set to soundtracks. I pretend to be embarrassed, but of course, I'm totally flattered. Who can say no to that? So of course, I rush down the stairs to accept his apology, and that's when our new anthem, Til Kingdom Come (did you really think I could have a soundtrack to my life without Coldplay?) plays in the closing credits.

And of course, there will be a sequel to this story, not because it doesn't end there, but because I couldn't fit my favorite--The Nearness of You by Norah Jones--in this time.

What would be on the soundtrack of your life?

Weirdest Dream Ever

Photo from www.Tessellations.org

So, I've had a lot of pretty crazy dreams, but I had a really weird one last night. First of all, I was married (yeah, already weird, right?) to a really successful architect, and we had a very happy life together. He designed beautiful buildings and homes and I was a happy, supportive wife.

I got called to do an interview with some popular architecture magazine, so the writer of the article came to my house while my husband was away on a business trip. My husband had designed a pretty sweet pile of bricks for us. And I'm pretty sure we were living in Miami because this house looked a lot like the ones on CSI:Miami. You know, the spacious ones with light-colored interior, big windows, fancy staircases and tiled floors.

But anyway, there I was, sitting in my gorgeous living room with a reporter from Architecture Magazine talking about my husband's designs. When asked to describe his architectural style, I said that it was "tessellation infused." I didn't know what "tessellation-infused" meant this morning when I woke up, so of course, I Googled it and found this website:

http://www.tessellations.org/

So it turns out that tessellations have something to do with art, and likely could be incorporated into architecture. This proves that I may be smarter in my dreams than I am in real life.

Back to the dream...I offered to show the reporter around so she could see examples of tessellations throughout the house, and I noticed that every time she walked into a room, she would flick her wrist like she was casting a spell.

I must have also had a baby because after the reporter left, I was in a nursery going through a laundry basket full of baby clothes. And then my husband called to see how the interview had gone.

I was walking out of the nursery door with the laundry basket in my hands and all of a sudden, I realized I couldn't move. After trying to explain to my husband that I couldn't move, he said, "Baby...if you can't move and your hands are on the laundry basket, who's holding the phone for you?"

That's when I screamed because I realized that clearly the reporter had haunted our beautiful home and a ghost was holding the phone up to my ear. And that's when I woke up.

Man, this would make an amazing movie...or a book! Didn't Stephanie Meyer dream up Twilight?

On Being a Lady

It's possible to be smart and beautiful.

A while back, I blogged about the Ten Things Every Woman Should Do. I still stick to what I said, but I've begun to think more and more that there is a clear difference between being a woman and being a lady. Being a woman is biological, but being a lady is behavioral.

Not too long ago, I was listening in on a conversation about girls today and how too often they feel like they have to dress provocatively, have perfect bodies and hair down to there in order to get a boy's attention. We can easily blame this on the boys who salivate at the low cut shirts and napkin-sized skirts. We can even blame it on the media which splashes impossible-to-achieve images of "beauty" on billboards and television screens. We can blame it on big businesses that believe that sex sells. But the truth is that "sex sells...if you buy it."

There's an awful lot of talk about feminism and the sexual revolution and women being able to take control of their own bodies. No need to limit yourself to one man, ladies. Be sexy! Date around! You're free! You're in charge of what you do to your body. But then again, how many times have I heard about women giving in to men and then complaining about men not calling or how difficult it is to please them once the spark is gone? How often do women cry when a man cheats on them with a hotter, younger woman? Once he leaves, who has the control then?

I'm sure that some women will come back and say that they can find another man once the flavor of the week leaves. But I say that the true control is in taking charge of yourself and not needing a man to fulfill you. That business of feminism and being in control of your body is true, just not in the way that it's most commonly portrayed. I think that women have more control when they assert their confidence in themselves inside and out. Women have more control when they spend their time the way they want to rather than waiting on a man to tell them what to read, what to watch, what to like and what to wear.

I hear statistics all the time about how the cosmetic industry is constantly growing and how more and more women are getting plastic surgery to change the way they look. Young girls aspire to be famous whether they have the talent to do something meaningful in the entertainment industry or not.

I'm not gonna lie. I like to look nice, too. I wear makeup and match my clothes. But despite that, I don't ever want to be known as being "sexy" or "hot." I'd rather be smart, classy, interesting, kind, generous. Being sexy is transient. Being clever will last however long you want it to last. I'm sure that there are girls out there shaking their heads now, saying that I'll never get a man if I'm not willing to show some skin, but really...if you're always out there showing skin, that's what the man's gonna get because frankly, that's all that he wants. But if you're able to carry a conversation and truly be caring and compassionate and a man sticks around, then he's tagged you not as the girl he wants to take home, but the girl he wants to take home to mom.

Gobble Gobble!

So it's Thanksgiving...my presentation may not be that great, but I sure did enjoy stuffing myself like a little turkey!

I only made the turkey breast because I only eat the white meat anyway. As I was making this, I kept on thinking about what Malia Obama said when her father pardoned the turkey, Courage. "It looks like a really big chicken." You can't tell in the picture, but it's actually stuffed with pistachios and different herbs.



Individual apple-zucchini stuffing servings....because everyone likes the crispy part the best! This way, everyone gets their own crispy bits.

Mashed potatoes and chipotle gravy...chipotle because I can't just make regular gravy. Gotta spice it up a bit!


The ever classic staple, green bean casserole, which despite that recipe on the Campbell's soup can, I refuse to make with canned beans. These were fresh!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a phyllo dough MASTER! These pumpkin tarts were delicious!

Thanksgiving may end at the close of the day, but be thankful for what you have everyday!

Twitter > Facebook.

It seems like everyone these days uses at least one social networking website. Many people use a combination of MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (I'd like to merge them all into one and call it Link My Face You Twit...but that's another story) for professional networks, keeping in touch with friends or simply satisfying their own needs for attention. I've asked myself, "What's the big deal? Why can't people just call or visit each other anymore?

The answer is simple: Interaction via the internet is convenient, easy and dare I say it...just plain entertaining. MySpace is where you go when you want to promote your "talent" with a cheesy twinkling glittery background. YouTube is where you go when you want to post videos of your cat dancing the cha-cha while tapping out mariachi music on the piano with its tail (Ok...maybe a little exaggerated, but there's some weird stuff on YouTube). LinkedIn is where you go to post your resume and find your next job. I have a MySpace account that I never log into anymore. I've never had LinkedIn. And I only go to YouTube to find music videos, how to tutorials or clips of my favorite TV shows.

I've had a love-hate relationship with Facebook for about 3 years, and while I had fun for a while, I eventually got so annoyed that I started deleting friends who I never spoke to, who constantly talked about their drama, kept on posting annoying quizzes about what Twilight character they would be, who friended me because Facebook told them to or who friended me just so they could pump their own egos and say they had 1000+ Facebook friends. Then I started "hiding" activity that was clogging my NewsFeed. Did I really care about who you just friended or what events you'll be attending? NO! As Facebook started to decide for me what I wanted to know about my friends and post ads about meeting single men in my area, it became more and more unattractive.

I thought about deactivating my account but decided against it for the sake of a few people who I wanted to keep in touch with. Meanwhile, I had a few Twitter invites in my email inbox. I took a look and thought "Glorified Facebook status" and ignored them all. As Facebook became more and more annoying, I started to take a second look at the forum for 140 characters or less. I'm now proud to say that I'm beginning to favor it over Facebook.

Here's why:

1.) No more annoying friend suggestions, fan pages, groups or applications to approve or reject.

2.) If someone wants to follow you, they can. If you want to follow them, you can, but you're not required to. Twitter relationships don't have to be mutual.

3.) The possibility of Tyra Banks, Jay Sean, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, Alicia Keys or even the President himself of ever communicating with me goes WAY up. You can't say that about Facebook.

4.) Practice in pith. Once you hit 140, that's it! Some people call it the death of the English language. I take it as a challenge to be more succinct...and to be clever with short quips about everyone else's Tweets.

5.) Trending topics. The ones on thinnest books ever written are hilarious.

6. It's so much easier to follow blogs that I like and find information that's relevant. The shorter entries are easy to filter through and I only click on links that I decide are interesting to me.

7.) SIMPLICITY. There are no profiles where you expose your favorite quotes, likes, dislikes, contact info, or birthday. Just brief pearls of information to get you thinking.

8.) No need to feel like I have to talk in 3rd person because my posts start with v55173w, not my real name. I still remember how much it hurt when status updates on Facebook automatically started with "is" and how annoyed I would get when I would see statuses like "Sue is I love to eat!"

I'm sure this list will continue to grow...or I'll be one of the 60% who leaves Twitter within a month. But so far, things are looking up.

The Importance of Investing in Youth

I think young people are fascinating. I think that I learn more from them than I do from most adults. I think that they need attention today more than ever. That's why I've dedicated so much of my life to making things better for them, and that's why I spend "free time" reading reports on the state of young people around the world, and that's why I drop what I'm doing every time I hear a television program about the plight of children.

Occupations that deal directly with the youngest members of our population aren't glamorous. Teachers are underpaid. Pediatricians are mocked for going into a "soft" sector of the medical profession. Involved with a non-profit that serves children? HA! Do you really think you can "make a difference?" Don't get me started on how underrated mothers and other childcare providers are...

In my line of work, I deal with children from age 3 to age 18. The three year olds are presumed to be spoiled brats who probably sit around watching Sesame Street all day. The elementary kids are out of control. The middle schoolers have too much attitude. The high schoolers are beyond being saved from a future littered with drugs, alcohol and promiscuity. Why do people look at our youth and assume hopelessness rather than envisioning opportunities?

I've seen a lot. I've seen pregnant teens who feel like they've lost their identity because of one mistake. They're merely looking to be accepted by someone without judgment. I've seen a girl who was running away from home and coming back high. She just wanted someone to talk to about how scared she was about trying to live a better life. I've seen kids shy away from their peers who assumed they were "weird." They were experiencing death of loved ones or other difficulties at home.

The point is that these kids weren't lost. They were HUNGRY for attention. They were HUNGRY for a mentor. They were HUNGRY for someone who would take the time and give them the respect that they deserved and the encouragement that they so desperately need. How heartless would we be if we passed by a child in need of food? How can we simply pass by a child who was in need of spiritual, mental or emotional nourishment?

The argument that it costs too many resources--time, money, energy--to invest in these little ones will always exist. But I ask, more importantly, what's the cost of not making that investment? What's the cost of not having a dedicated teacher in every classroom? What's the cost of not having counseling services for young people for whom everything is a crisis? What's the cost of not having productive after school programs that address the needs of young people? What's the cost of not developing a child physically, mentally, spiritually, creatively and emotionally? And is that an expense that we're willing to take on?

So again, I see 11 year olds who think they're 18. I see 18 year olds shouldering the burdens of keeping the house clean, making sure that dinner is on the table and taking care of younger siblings when all they really want is to make decent grades and go to the game on Friday. I see 8 year olds whose parents appease their needs with new toys and video games. It's easy to look at them and wonder "How can one person possibly make a difference?" Given the responsibility we have in shaping the next generation, I can't help but wonder "How can one person not?"