Bailouts!

Prepare yourselves, I'm going to wax political, economical and poetic!  Ok, I can't rhyme, so I'm going to wax political and economical.

For those of you who don't know, I work as a Registered Paraplanner for a small investment management firm.  My job is very much like a paralegal to a lawyer, which means that I do a lot of economical research throughout the day.  To back all that up, my degree is also in Economics from the University of Utah.

Today was a bad day on wall street, the worst one-day point loss in history!  (Don't believe me, just look it up, there are plenty of resources)  It was down just less than 7% today.  This is not good news.  For the last few years I have been talking about the mortgage crisis, unethical lending and greedy behavior by banks looking for more money.  Don't get me wrong, this absolutely does not let the borrowers off the hook.  When hundreds of thousands of individuals took out loans, without knowing the terms, and never being 100% honest as to their ability to pay...WE all end up paying in the end.  Eventually a bailout package will pass through congress, but I believe, along with many, MANY others, that this is a good thing, although I would always prefer not to have to do it.  

In simple terms, the US Government is the only player big enough, with enough cash to buy up these assets.  They are NOT worthless mortgages, they will just take time to pay off.  In simple terms:  you have a family who purchased a home during the rise in the real estate prices, they took out a 3 year ARM (adjustable rate mortgage), two years into their loan, the real estate prices started to fall, so now this family has a mortgage for more than their home is worth.  Now comes the bad part, at the end of year 3 their ARM adjusts to a much higher rate, the value of the home has fallen and now the family cannot re-finance at a lower fixed-rate mortgage, and the family cannot afford the new "reset" mortgage payment.  The bank cannot afford NOT to "reset" the mortgage, because they have leveraged the mortgage to buy other assets and now the bank needs the money.  Two things can happen at this point:  1) The bank forecloses and sells the tangible asset, which means the family is out of their house and out of their equity.  The bank gets some money, but they have to take a loss.  2) The government steps in, buys the mortgage, does not "reset" the mortgage and the family is allowed to stay in their home and hopefully pay it off in 30 years at 100% of the mortgage value.

Now, obviously scenario #1 does not bode well for the individual or the "Main Streeters", but if we allow the government to step in and buy the troubled mortgages for a discount (possibly $.50 on the dollar) then the individuals have a chance to pay back the mortgages.  There is a bonus to this...the greedy banks get SCREWED!

Now anyone can read the various reasons why the bill did not pass today, and I'm sure some are right, but the Republicans AND Democrats who held their "yea" vote due to political reasons need to realize that they are responsible for todays historical loss!  Apparently the Republicans need somebody to talk nicely to them.

I'm not saying this bill was perfect, but it might be the only shot we have in the short-term.

OK folks, there is my take.  It's only mine, it is most certainly not the opinion of my employer, it most likely is not the main opinion of the man I will be voting for and not all of my friends would agree with me.  It's just my humble, EDUCATED opinion.

Randomness

Some topics that I would like to expand upon, alas it's Friday and I'm just too lazy.

I'm now International - Yep, Salt City Miss has two readers in the UK and Canada- woohoo! Don't know who they are personally, but HI GUYS!

Friends - My UT friends suck lately! OK, not really, I just wanted to see if they're really reading this. LOVE YOU!

Laundry - OMG, it's been piling up for two weeks, I absolutely need to do some wash, it just takes so much time!

Shoes - I have been neglecting my shoes far too often lately and I need to do some fall shoe shopping - it's totally on the schedule!

Social Life - Even without dating anyone special, I'm still doing a lot. Never fret my dears, I am not becoming a hermit!

Dating - OK, I have to clarify, since moving here full-time I have been on dates, but nobody really interesting, at least nobody that I would consider going out with again. That's just to clarify.

Economy - Since I deal with the economy and it's current situation daily for work, I will not bore you with my opinions, and they're educated opinions too!

Politics - Even though I haven't posted about politics at all thus far, let's just say socially I'm about as left as they come! Fiscally I'm to the left of the middle, so...Vote Obama! And let me just say this, when Obama/Biden wins, I'm going to change my name to Monica and see if I can get a job as an intern for Joe Biden! He's not quite Bill, but I love a smart guy and I'd totally show him my thong.

Weekend Plans - Kerryman tonight with the girls, Oktoberfest tomorrow with TBills and then Sunday Funday. I promise to watch my intake of mimosas and bloody marys, we all know where that got me last Sunday!

Cheers!

The New Sexuality - Asexuality

I have decided that my vagina is broken or at least temporarily out of order!

The effort one must put into getting "some" is just too much for me. Waxing, shaving, working-out, cleaning the house (visitors), small-talk, primping, lingerie, etiquette and all those little things just add up to too much time and effort wasted on one person when I could just simply take care of it all by myself, is daunting to say the least.

Asexuality is a much better option for me at this point. I got to thinking why I was just not into "J", please don't ask me why I've wasted a lot of mental energy on this, I just have. He's attractive, seems to be smart and could possibly be a good friend, I'm just not into him, yet he is apparently into me. Except for the Demolition Man, who stood me up, I have spent nine months in Chicago and I have not met one other guy who interests me. At ALL! I think I have lost my sex-drive completely! This was a tragedy when I first thought about it, but now I think I may have unlocked a creative energy that I haven't had in quite awhile. I could totally be noble here and devote my new creative energy to say helping the sick, homeless, indigent, down-trodden and countless others, but I can't think of where I should devote my time.

Any ideas?

Why Oh Why?

Why do I do this to myself? I decided to play on Sunday Funday, and well it turned out good and bad. Here in Chicago, Sunday Funday means you start at brunch in the late morning/early afternoon, there are mimosas, bloody marys and tons of food. You usually move from brunch in the later afternoon to either the beach in the summer, or a sports bar to watch whatever game is on during the other seasons. Seeing as how football just kicked off around here, and 'da Bears' first home game was Sunday, we started with brunch at Duffy's, took a break at Jennine's apartment for a bit and then continued our eating/drinking at Stanley's.

At some point in the afternoon/evening I started getting physical with "J". He's a friend of a friend and I don't really know too much about him and I think one too many mimosas in the early afternoon and too many Jack & Ginger's in the evening led to too much physical affection. Now I have "J" calling me and texting me and e-mailing me and I just want him to not be calling me and texting me and e-mailing me!

He's not unattractive or boorish or dim-witted or any of the other undesirable traits I usually attract, but I'm just not interested. Ugh, this is the part I hate; telling somebody you're just not interested, especially after making out at every opportunity a few nights before. I'm going to blame the dry-spell and call it good...oh and finally call "J" back.

I Need an Intervention

This last weekend I was supposed to put a major dent in my bank account to do some much needed fall shopping. I had planned this trip to coincide with Linds' visit to the Windy City. Seeing as how she had to stay and take care of business, I decided to play with the WC friends instead and didn't do any shopping whatsoever! My problem now is that it is fall and I don't have any fall clothing to wear, or at least nothing in the awesome rich colors and plaids dominating the windows here on State Street. On Saturday I decided I could finally delve into the stash of awesome fabrics I have in my possession and finally do some sewing, which I haven't felt like doing since the BMan costume explosion. It would significantly reduce the amount of fabric storage in my apartment (bonus), it would save me tons of money (bigger bonus) and I could stretch a few design muscles (not such a big bonus, but still worthy).

Only now it's Monday, I'm in a blah mood and my materialistic other half is trying to back stab me and it wants to spend my money! I thought I had thoroughly convinced myself that saving the money was a good thing to do, because it meant that I could buy myself a new laptop before the end of the year, but apparently I'm trying to self-sabotage my own bank account.

I think sometimes I have dual-personalities; and one of those personalities is a reckless, materialistic, spender and the other is a miser! Are there specific therapists to deal with this sort of personality disorder? If not, will somebody help talk my materialistic side off the ledge?

One Door Closes...Another Bottle of Wine Gets Opened

So my friend Linds was supposed to be here in Chicago with me this weekend. However, due to a major asshole of an employee, she had to cancel and stay in SLC, which was a real bummer when she had to call me and tell me. Luckily my SLC friends Dean & Tracy came to the rescue to help with my SLC addiction. They're in town for Dean's brother's b-day and they are here until Saturday. Yesterday they went to the marathon Cubs/Brewers game and sat in the bleacher seats at Wrigley Field, yours truly had to slave away in the office, but I met up with them at Socca later in the evening.

While at the game, D&T met one of the owners of Scocca, a restaurant near my apartment - Roger Dodger/Rog/Chef Extrordinaire/etc, besides being totally cute (short, but totally cute), he was the sweetest thing in the world! Through Bulleit bourbon, shots of Jameson, Socco&Lime, and a bottle of wine - Roger Dodger kept sending food from the kitchen! Lots of food! Tons of food...and it was OMG fabulous! What I can remember - squash ravioli, ceasar pizza, escargot, some sort of salad with bacon, egg, and fried slivers of onion rings - yummy. Then there was the best pork chop I've ever had, which Roger Dodger ever so lovingly created the perfect bite and fed it to me, then there was some sort of beef entree with shrimp that melted in my mouth! Between, D&T and their friend KV we shared everything, but it was so incredibly yummy, it now goes down in my book as one of my top nights in Chicago. I told Roger Dodger he was my new wet dream and I meant it.

It was great to spend time with D&T and actually get a chance to talk. Tracy and I completely forgot the boys and carried on our own conversation most of the night. So while I'm bummed Linds couldn't make it...I still managed to feed the SLC addiction and I added wine, ravioli, bourbon, pizza, porkchops.....

Old? Are you fucking kidding me?

Since I've finally found some great volleyball players here in Chi, I've joined two co-ed teams for the fall indoor league. They're good, experienced and actually like to practice, which really consists of pick-up games at the Windy City Fieldhouse. It's been great to get back on the hardcourt, but let me tell you, my body is feeling it! My thirty-something body cannot play like my twenty-something body did.

During college, I remember the worst part of volleyball was three-a-days and how sore you'd get, but since you were young, you'd bounce right back and be in the swing of things in no time. You'd practice during the day, all day and then party at night. After this Sunday's practice, all I wanted to do was go home, take an advil and crash into bed. Three hours of hitting drills and then pick-up games and I was exhausted and every joint I had ached. Don't get me wrong, I don't get sore and achey from just normal activity, but high-intensity games for three hours will definitely make me hurt.

Anyway, during the pick-up games the majority of the players were in the young to mid twenties and they're good, but they're so young it's enviable. So at 7PM I finally called it quits and as I was leaving, one of the girls who had been playing on the other side of the net from me all night asked two things. In order: 1) How tall are you? (a: 6'0") and 2) How old are you? (a: 34), to which she replied - "OMG, you play really well for that old."

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!

If my shoulder hadn't hurt I would have decked her! Good thing for her I'm old.

Burning Man part Deux

As requested, here are a few additional photos with a few stories as well.





This is JV riding around in the dust storm, which hadn't actually picked up at this point.













I love these photos of Linds and Karen immersed in one of the art installations. It was a giant lit up jellyfish...or at least that's what it looked like to us.

Every year on Friday, there is something called the Critical Tits parade. Basically anybody who wants to join, can dress up their "girls" and ride in the parade. This year Amy & Karen joined the throng of others and the rest just watched.

This is Opulent Temple. Basically it's an outdoor nighclub with light shows, DJ's and caged dancers. On this night I would esimate there were at least five-thousand people in this location dancing.
The Sirens beckon you!

This is daytime at camp, or it could be early morning, but you never wear a watch so no real idea what time it is.
The Duck: The people who built this art car were part of a large group of people, all in matching rented RV's, pretty people with three art cars - one of which was covered in white fur and the inside was a converted bus with zebra print fur upholstery, disco light floor and a platform for dancing on top. I think this car finally hit the playa on Friday night because they were building it for two days after we arrived. There was a ramp on one side for getting on and one on the other side to get off. It had a great DJ and when we saw it on the playa we decided to get on. All of us got on, and then yours truly got kicked off! I used to like the duck, thought it was cool...now I think they're a bunch of assholes! I can totally carry a grudge like that.

This is Amy on night 2 (I think)This temple is a big thing at Burning Man, every year they build a large, beautiful shrine. People come here to let go of things, feelings, memories and people. There are large shrines laid at the temple and farewells that will break your heart. On Sunday night they burn the whole thing down. Unfortunately Karen lost her husband and our friend Scotty last year to cancer. She build a lovely shrine and placed it at the temple. JV and Linds at Root Society. AmyT on burn night in front of the pompous duck! And finally, we get to the burning of the man. The genesis can be read at Burning Man (dot) com, so I don't want to paraphrase and get anything wrong, but it's meaning has something different for everybody. Some say it represents "The Man" and others say it represents ideals. I won't go into what it means for me, other than to say it's a way of letting go. I am both fascinated and frightened of fire which makes me a pyrophobic and an pyromaniac, go figure. The burn starts with fireworks and then....
The Man goes up in a huge ball of fire.

On Saturday, the day we had the 10 hr dust storm, as mentioned in the previous post, this is why the fire conclave could not perform this year. Basically every year, fire troupes from all over the world perform before the lighting of the Man. They spin fire (poi), twirl fire, hula hoop with fire and do all sorts of things with fire. However, due to the possibility of wind gusts they could not perform this year and now you see why.

This photo was taken just as the giant structure of the man fell into a giant burning heap.

Much thanks to Linds for letting me lift your photos and show them to my readers! I'm so glad you snapped lots of photos.

Burning Man - As Promised

For those of you unfamiliar with Burning Man and Black Rock City, it's hard to put into words. It is most definitely one of those things you have to see with your own eyes and sometimes it feels like a cop-out to say that, but it's true. Anybody who has ever been will tell you exactly the same thing. You can hear stories for years, but until you set foot on the playa and see it lit up at night there is no way to describe exactly what you're experiencing. So the best I can give you are pictures and words:

*Disclaimer - BM is a very free society, alcohol, chemicals and nudity are just a few of the common behaviors/occurrences on the playa. Please keep that in mind and try not to judge.

We started out on Tuesday night: 2 hrs behind schedule, but let me just say there were some of us ready to go on time and let me just say again, it's the same group that is always ready on time! The SLC group included, Trock Daddy, JV, Tommy, AmyT, Karen, Linds, Foxy, Simy and myself. We had decided to make the trek in two days and overnight in Elko. On Wednesday we met up with Dean and Tracy in Winnemucca and drove the rest of the way into Black Rock City, which is approximately 80 miles north of I-80, 60 miles west of Reno. We finally pulled into Burning Man about 5:30 after getting through the ticket line and the Greeter Station. All virgins (newbies to BM) must get out of the car, ring the bell and most likely make dust angels in the playa. We finally located our friends from Park City - Kelly, Mike, Cyn and Di and made camp, or at least as much as we could before night fell. We geared up and headed out to the playa at nightfall. The playa is always lit up with lights of all sorts: neon, el-wire and fire. There is music of all sorts, mostly the constant thump, thump, thump of house music. You see art cars of all sorts, most spewing fire, blaring music and trolling around the playa with dancers on top of the car. This is one of the amazing things about BM is the ingenuity and creativity that is everywhere, from the costumes to the cars, your creative is jolted and you are forced to open your eyes just a little bit wider to take it all in. Our group hit the playa and journeyed to the center where the man stood in it's neon pavilion. The theme this year was The American Dream and the man was lit with Red, White and Blue neon lights. All around the pavilion stood numerous arts projects connecting the Burner to the theme. We partied and danced and roamed and took-in the playa. This year the sand was very difficult to ride through, so we ended up covering a lot of ground on foot rather than on our bikes. It makes for a long night!

At this point I would love to give you a day by day rundown, but I can't remember day by day, so I will henceforth post some pictures and tell stories.

Coco! Coco is my nemesis! Coco is not a real woman you see, but the feminine alter-ego of Tommy. There are a few alter egos of Tommy, to name a few: Cletus, Coco, Tony, Vic Binnion, etc. Ladies and gentlemen - this is Coco.

Coco decided to come out and play when Tommy decided to take a break. She got all gussied up, put on her favorite aqua blue, short dress and decided she wanted some action. Then pouted like a scolded school girl caught kissing another girl in the bathroom, after nobody wanted to play. The SLC group toured, Karen and Linds walked the tightrope, Trock Daddy pushed his bike around all night, Foxy taunted Coco, JV held the group together and I felt, well let's just say I was feeling no pain!

The afternoon foray! - Notice how dirty the boots got, but believe me they were the best purchase I made for this trip....along with the pink & black corset!

The playa always looks different in the daytime. AmyT, Linds and I set out one afternoon to see the temple and other art structures, we donned our afternoon attire, including the bunny/cat ears, parasols and went exploring. Shade is a must, you take your own with you when you go!

One of my favorite reasons to attend BM is to stretch the ability of my costume designing skills. On the playa almost anything goes! Seriously! You can wear everything to nothing. I prefer the clubbing wardrobe. Since in my everyday world I am pretty much a suit, I try to break out, just a little at BM. Corsets, fur, satin and wigs!

Mike & Kelly in the 10 hr dust storm on Saturday. There was actually a question as to whether or not the Man would actually burn. Due to weather there was no Fire Conclave this year, which was a disappointment, but necessary due to the amount of pyrotechnics that were packed around the Man. During the afternoon, we huddled in Dean and Tracy's trailer and played board games, drank, ate and basically enjoyed the A/C - huge bonus! When you're out in the storms, the only thing you can do is wear protection and/or take cover. Protection includes: dust mask & goggles!

This is one of my favorite photos to come out of Burning Man this year! JV and Linds on our 2nd night (I think).

We were all in a group watching the various fire groups putting on shows and we were surrounded by 9 ft. propane torches, which lit the area around us like daylight. This picture was taken about mid-night and no flash.

These are the girls on Burn Night! LtoR: Linds, Me, AmyT & Karen.

In the back on the right is the Man burning. We were in the midst of 50,000 people and surrounded by art cars. Since this picture was taken with flash, you can see all the dust particles floating in the air. The playa dust is so fine and sticks to everything, as evidenced on our footwear.

And this is where our photo journey ends. I definitely have more stories and more pictures, all you have to do is ask...nicely!

Our parting shot!

LtoR: Simy, Me, Linds, JV, Foxy, AmyT, Karen, Tommy, TrockDaddy

* Update:  Since at least one reader asked ever so sweetly for more pictures, I promise to steal some photos from Linds and post them tomorrow.  Due to prior contracts of promised decorum (haha) I will not be posting nudity and/or compromising photos of anybody, other than myself...even then I won't be posting any nude photos of myself!

Meme

I will thank the lovely Summer for this...but I refuse to tag anybody, mostly because my friends think I'm lame enough!

I am: a feline Amazon Goddess...according to some silly Scot
I think: religion is for shit!
I know: how to fix a flat, change the fluids in my car, make an evening gown and bring myself to orgasm - BTW, the last one is the most important.
I want: to go on a lingerie shopping spree
I have: way too much hair
I dislike: lies, lies, lies!
I miss: my SLC friends.
I fear: human spontaneous combustion.
I feel: frisky.
I hear: voices in my head...nope that's just the TV, this time.
I smell: COFFEE!
I crave: alone time.
I cry: very seldom, but always at odd moments when I do.
I usually: hit snooze at least 3 times in the morning.
I search: every morning for the matching shoe hidden in my closet somewhere.
I wonder: if Derek Jeter would heart me as much as I heart him.
I regret: nothing.
I love: meeting new, awesome people.
I care: about my family, my friends and my kitty cat...not necessarily in that order either.
I always: eat M&M's in even numbers. Weird I know, it's just one of my many quirks.
I worry: that I will be forgotten.
I am not: short or stupid.
I remember: how much it hurt when my father left.
I believe: "that children are our future." Ugh, I just threw up a little with that one! LOL
I sing: when I'm walking down the street, which usually leads to dance walking.
I don't always: floss. Sorry Dr. Jensen.
I argue: with my sister only.
I write: just to make sure my brain and my fingers can work together better than my brain and my mouth.
I win: scrabble, when I can spell "quint" on triple word score for 45 pts.
I lose: the matching shoe all the time when I don't return my shoes to their rightful place in the closet.
I wish: IT WOULD STOP FUCKING RAINING HERE!
I listen: to people when they don't know it.
I am talented: You bet your ass I'm talented, and many of those talents you will never know.
I can usually be found: lusting over Derek Jeter if the Yankees are playing.
I am scared: of footsteps in the dark.
I need: a pink single-speed bike, or find a cute boy around here to make one for me.
I forget: very little
I am happy: and I smile a lot too.

Chicago Quickie

I received an unexpected surprise on Wednesday.  My lovely friend Tamara called to say she was in Winnetka, a suburb of Chicago, and wanted to know if I wanted to get together on Friday.  I happily said, "You bet your sweet pregnant ass!"

The three of us, Salt City Miss, Tamara and now my new friend Jessica who just moved here from SLC, just had a great evening out. We started at my friend Scotty's bar, Matisse, then proceeded to Blues Chicago, hands down the best blues club on the northside!  Tonight they had Vance Kelly and the Nickel Candy Blues Band playing.  I have always, ALWAYS been a Blues fan, and now I have a new fav.

Now I'm at home watching Ike pound Texas, while the leftover rain from Gustav is falling outside - kinda weird in a way.

Nighmare on Barry

Scene opens -

Interior: apartment on Barry
Time: 4:26 AM
Characters: Salt City Miss, SCM's cat Bubba, SCM's Sister and MG's cat Milo
Setting: SCM asleep in bed with earplugs firmly embedded (sis is a major snorer), Bubba asleep on pillow, Sis screaming frantically from living room, Milo stalking Sis in living room.

I was rudely awakened at 4:26 this morning to my sister screaming frantically that Milo was stalking her, swiping at her and generally looking at her like she was breakfast. After she finally burst into my bedroom, startling me and Bubba, I somehow managed to get out of bed, gather up Milo, place him in time-out in his cage and stumble my way back to bed.

Let me just point out, Sis is older than me and obviously larger than Milo. Please explain to me why she felt the need to awaken me at 4:26 in the morning? Please explain to me why, if she knows I wear earplugs when she's staying with me, she thought calling my cell phone was a good idea, even though the living room is right next to my bedroom in a seriously not large apartment? Please explain to me why she couldn't just take care of this all by herself?

I need explanations otherwise I'm going to choke sis and Milo when I get home, because the rude interruption to my sleep this morning is seriously messing with my day!

I'm Bad, Oh So Bad!

I am such a bad blogger, I mistreat and abuse all my loyal readers! Since returning to Chicago, I have been recovering from the head cold, entertaining my big sister, having drinks with CJ (which doesn't qualify as being bad, totally good on that one) and generally trying to get back into the work mode. I keep promising you all stories and photos of Burning Man, but you see I didn't take any photos at Burning Man! Yep, I did not once break out my camera and snap anything! I relied on all my shutterbug friends to do the dirty work. They did, I know they did, because I posed for a fucking lot of photos in all my silly costumes. However, they have yet to post any of said photos on Facebook so I can steal them and post them here for you all. *HINT HINT, HUGE FUCKING HINT HERE*

Even though I could tell you some stories, they're just words until you see the pictures to go with them. There is TA so shit faced, he went out in the famous Coco drag and thought he was actually going to get some action, then pouted mercilessly when he didn't, me in all my corset glory (still trying to breathe properly), AmyT in sparkling grandeur, Linds in feminine fabulousness (even though she was sick the entire trip - color me IMPRESSED!), and the Collin sisters in calculated, coordinated mischief!

I hereby promise to harass, harangue and basically annoy the hell out of my friends until I get those pictures.

For now, I'm just going to be bad! It's so much easier than being good.

FACEBOOK REVOLUTION!

I was never a big fan of MySpace, it always seemed too cheesy to me, but I eventually started a profile and never really kept up with it for various reasons. I did however start a Facebook profile and it’s been a great tool to keep up with and re-connect with old friends. One of the best parts of this is finding old high-school friends. Recently I have found a few that I had always wondered where they ended up and what they were doing. I’ve been so happy to hear from them and know they were doing well. So far most of my friends from high school are now married with kids, not much of a surprise coming from Utah. Some have moved away from Utah and some have just moved away from our small town and they’re happy.

This morning I got a message on Facebook from a guy that I had the hugest crush on when I was 19. He was 23 and he had great hair, a killer smile, beautiful laugh, warm heart and happened to be dating Miss America, well not exactly Miss America, but she was runner-up (or top 10, can’t remember which now) to Miss Utah, which in my home state means you’re beautiful and can sing. My one biggest regret with him is that I never got to kiss him! I was just way too shy to make a move. Nowadays my mid-thirties self will look back on my teenage and early-twenties self and shake her head all the time, I was shy, insecure and so very naïve. Hell, I don’t even know what his feelings were toward me, even though we never went on a “date”, we did spend some time together and he turned me on to one of my favorite bands Live, and now is the time I wish I would have just asked how he felt or, horror of horrors actually asked him out. Fear of rejection at the time I suppose is my only answer. Now I say, “Screw rejection!” Hell I’ve dealt with rejection; I would just like to get rid of the unknown!  The unknown vexes me greatly.

The guy is now married to Miss America and they have three children, no big surprise there, in fact nothing really surprised me about his current life. He has taken the path that was always laid out there for him; at least it seems to me, but I could be wrong. My only wish is that he's happy, because he is one of the people I wish happiness in life.  

I however have veered off the path of what I thought my life would end up like when I was young and I am ecstatic about it. I wouldn’t trade my life for anybody else’s because I’ve made it something I enjoy! In a very strange way, Facebook has given me a glimpse of what my life may have turned out like, had I not learned new things and tested my old, comfortable environment. I faced the unknown, I embraced the new and personally, I am better for having done it.

Viva lá Facebook!

Texting: AKA - The Death of the "Real" Relationship

There could be an entire documentary film about how text messages have killed the idea of a "real" relationship. My friend JV once posted a link on my Facebook to a funny cartoon about two phones getting drunk and having a text hook-up relationship, with no actual conversation. It basically went as follows: two phones meet up in a bar while drinking/drunk, exchange numbers and continue to text over the space of a week, then they both get drunk again, hook-up, have freaky phone sex (actually quite funny), then break-up via text. I realize this is just an animated version of what happens most weekends across the country. My friend AmyT also met a guy, they exchanged numbers, and he would only have text conversations with her. For instance, he would send her a text, and she would try and call him. He wouldn't answer his phone, but would then text her back. Now I realize there are times when one cannot have an actual conversation due to time and place and therefore uses text to communicate, but she didn't feel this was the case with this guy. She stopped responding to his texts and he stopped texting.

Last week before I left for Utah and Burning Man I received the following text:

FWB? Come meet me near Wrigley, I'm nervous but not shy.

This text came from a guy on my volleyball team, who I am absolutely 100% NOT interested in, would never consider for a romantic relationship and is most definitely not a candidate for a FWB situation. I started to think where I may have gone wrong in my friendship with him to make him think that I would even be open to such a situation as friends with benefits. I personally don't think I put out the FWB vibe, I have never suggested any such openness to such an arrangement and hadn't spoken to him in over a week when I received this text. Which got me to thinking...

Is this where relationships have gone? Seriously, have people stopped communicating the old fashioned way? This text really peeved me, and apparently it's still peeving me!

Back to Civilization

Hi Internet,

Did you miss me?  Sorry I've been out of touch for the last week.  Burning Man was awesome, but the cold I brought home really, REALLY sucks!  I am at home recovering and I promise I will be back to normal (ha!) soon and telling you stories and posting pics of Burning Man 2008!

Regards,

Salt City Miss