The Ladies Love Me...

I've been meaning to do this post for quite some time now; ever since an incident at the post office earlier this year. I asked my friends if it was blog worthy and the reply was a resounding "YES!!!!"
So here it goes:

The ladies love me. I'm not saying that to be cocky or because I'm severely deluded (I am but not about this); I'm simply stating this because it's a fact; kinda like "I will eat the entire pint of Ben&Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream if I buy it" or "I have a bunch of minions aka the neighborhood cats that insist on walking me home." Case in point, the post office incident:

I had just entered the packed post office that was conveniently located just blocks from my condo. I was using priority mail so I grabbed a small box and proceeded to assemble it then lovingly place my t-shirts that I had sold on eBay into it. Then came the tricky part: taping the box shut. I was not having much luck despite my best attempts; I tried pinning the box against my side with "chest" holding it in place whilst I wrestled with the dreaded tape dispenser with teeth worthy of a piranha's mouth. While I continued the battle royale a gal about my age walked up to meand offered to help me. She held the box shut and started chatting me up as I placed the end of the tape on the box. Everyone was watching us and listening to the increasingly friendly exchange. I mentioned how much I hated taping the box shut because it never lined up right and it drove me insane thanks to my OCD. She said, and I quote "I'm really good with my hands; you have to know when to be firm and when to be gentle." As I finished applying the tape she ran her fingers over the tape sealing the box tight..and then she ran her fingers along my fingers and looked into my eyes. Cue deer in the headlights. I had no clue what to do! I mumbled a thank you, snatched up the package and held it tightly to my chest as though it were a life preserver and I was Jack from Titanic. She got the message. To this day I have never seen someone make putting tape on a package so suggestive!

This type of thing keeps happening to me: girl sees girl, girl meets girl, girl flirts with girl, girl turns into a deer in the headlights crossed with a fish out of water and stands glued to the spot. If there is a bi girl on MSN or a lesbian friend of one of my friends, they inevitably find me.

If you've read my previous post on my non-verbal illiteracy than you know that I don't do well with flirting with guys, but with girls it's ten times worse! I have no clue what to say or do and I certainly don't want to hurt the girl's feelings just because I happen to be straight. I mean, I don't want them to think there's something wrong with being attracted to who they're attracted to, be they a guy or a girl, but, I'm not into girls and on top of I'm just awkward in general.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's flattering that a girl thinks I'm attractive and all but COME ON! Why can't guys take a hint? I mean, why is it that the ladies love me, even though I don't love them, but the men don't love me, even though I loooove them? O cruel irony, o wicked fate...WHY?!?!


Keep Reading!
-RRR

Note: Please don't think I'm a homophobe or anything of the sort. I'm a huge supporter of gay rights and I firmly believe that people should be able to be love who they love and be themselves and not have to hide who they are because some idiots think that it isn't "right".



*EDIT*: I lied when I said only women hit on me; little kids do too! I was once an adorable 2-year-old boy's nanny and he took me on a date to a bridge (aka a sidewalk over a wash) and used to gussy up before I came over...he also slept with a Matchbox replica of my car hah

Non-Verbal Illiteracy & ME

(Note:This was a really difficult post for me to write...not physically difficult, because for the most part writing comes easily to me, but emotionally I guess. It's like revealing this deep dark secret and I'm worried about what the people around me are going to think of the secret...)


I know a lot about body language now  but that wasn't always the case.

Growing up I literally couldn't read body language or any type of non-verbal cues. It was absoulutely horrible! Something my siblings often say when we're reflecting on the good ol' days is that when I was younger I had an uncanny knack for putting our dad in an even worse mood than he started off in; He'd walk in the door after a long long day at work obviously upset, maybe from losing a patient or for some other reason, and because I couldn't tell that he was upset, I would just charge at him spewing words at a mile a minute. When all he wanted to do was sit down and decompress I'd just keep talking and talking and talking....and as he got more and more irritated it led to the inevitable chorus of "SHUT UP JENNIE" from my entire family. Looking back, I picture myself as a Golden Retriever puppy meets the Energizer bunny...super hyper and all-up-in-your-grill, and I just kept going and going and going... It was not pretty for anyone involved, least of all me. Can you imagine how many friends I had as a kid??...exactly.

As I got older, I'd start to notice some of the more obvious body language cues:
-someone rolling their eyes at you= annoyed
-someone shaking their head at you=annoyed
-someone rubbing their face= annoyed/ at their wits end.

Unfortunately for me, even though I learned that yes, that kid sitting next to me in German class was really annoyed with me, by that time, it was too late to do anything; I had already annoyed him and I had no clue why! It was like I went from living with a blindfold on to living with a pair of horse blinders on. I was still missing half the picture and I didn't know what to do with the half I was seeing. It got to the point where...I didn't want to look around and see the way people were responding to me because I didn't want to see the irritation and not know how to make it go away or to prevent it.

Now, as a 21-year-old college sophomore, the blinders are off (and the contacts are in thank God or I really would be totally blind ;-D) and it's overwhelming...I can see the joy in someone's eyes, the affection in someone's smile, the sadness in the stoop of their shoulders; I can see the good and the bad, but it didn't come easily or cheaply (therapy much?) but after being around people for awhile, it's like I have to recharge. It's draining to have to focus so much of my attention and energy in order to do something that comes naturally and automatically to most people. And I still need to learn what to do with the information I'm getting. A lot of times...I freeze (see the FFF post).


I wish I could say that I'm a regular Cal Lightman and that non-verbal skills are a non-issue for me, but like most aspects of my life, it's a work in progress...


Keep Reading (and commenting ;-))
-RRR

The Health Benefits of Having a Pet

My friend, and your fellow blog-reader, Rachel lost her beloved cat Pretzels yesterday. While I can't make the loss of a loved one any better, I thought I would do this blog post in honor of Pretzels; a blog post about the many benefits of having a pet and the way in which those pets enrich our lives.
R.I.P. Pretzels

Honestly, I think there is something wrong with a person if they don't like animals. It's weird! I mean...I understand if you hate sharks because you were attacked by Jabberjaw and are now scarred for life (heh literally), but what's wrong with an adorable kitten? Nothing! That's what!

I always smile when I see a homeless person with a pet. Why? Because they have so little and yet they're willing to sacrifice their time, limited resources, and convenience to help an animal. Unfortunately though, many people aren't willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order to have a pet, for whatever reason. Well, that's there loss because not only is it just plain awesome to have a pet, but they also do so much for us:
Studies have shown that having a pet...

1. ...decreases your blood pressure
2. ...decreases your triglyceride levels
3. ...decreases your risk for heart attack and stroke
4. ...decreases your cholesterol levels
5. ...decreases feelings of loneliness
6. ...increases your opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
7. ...increases your opportunities for socialization (and no they don't mean socialization with your dog Rambo)
8. ...increase empathy in children
9. ...decrease hyperactivity and increase attention in children

I have AD/HD (actual AD/HD...not just "hey doc, I can't pay attention! Can I have Adderall now?) and I know that having pets growing up helped me so much! When I was a kid and my brain just quit working in the evening when I was trying to do my homework, my cats would help me. I would literally ask them a math question like: "What's 932 divided by 49?" and I'd wait a second and then say "oh duh! 19.02040816326536! Thanks Choop!" Weird but effective. Granted, I knew that it was actually me doing the math but for whatever reason it helped. And then there was KJ the dog, who was my best, and only, friend for years, until his death a few years ago...in fact, he made such a difference in my life, I wrote an essay about him that made both my dad and my English teacher cry...(I'm contemplating posting it...let me know what y'all think--to post or not to post?)

Obviously pets make such a difference in the lives of their owners, which is why it's truly a tragedy whenever a pet goes up to Kitty or Doggy Heaven. There is a saying that: "Pets leave footprints on our hearts," and I couldn't agree more with this. When you've had a pet, especially since childhood, they help to make you who you are, and become forever intertwined in their owner's life.

So remember Rachel, even though Pretzels is gone, he changed your life for the better and will always remain a part of you, both in your heart and in your memories.

Keep Reading
-RRR

Tips on Tuesday: How to look like you've gotten your 8 hours of sleep!

This is my first installment of my new blog series: "Tips on Tuesdays" so I'd love some feedback!

Note: this includes tips for either gender (except for the makeup aspects...unless you like wearing makeup in which case: rock it!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Though I am trying very very hard to make my sleep schedule more regular, there have been times when I haven't been able to sleep at all. Needless to say the next morning I look fan-flipping-tastic (sarcasm). So on those days, being the nerd that I am, I researched ways to make myself look as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I don't feel! 

Some of the suggestion I've read work, but most of the suggestions out there are repetitive and not all that helpful. So...I've decided to share my plethora of tips and tricks to looking like you've gotten your 8 hours:

In my opinion, two major areas tend to scream "I pulled an all-nighter": the eyes (and the surrounding area) and the skin

*The eyes

If you’re anything like me then when you haven’t gotten your beauty sleep your eyes probably look like a pot head’s on 4/20 and you probably also have some gorgeous dark circles under your eyes. What a great look…not! Through hours of research and good ol’ trial and error, I have discovered some awesome solutions!

    1)Rock the RoHto!

  If you have Visine or Clear Eyes in your medicine cabinet or what-
  have-you, do yourself a favor and toss it in the trash! Your eyes will 
  thank you! For those of you who don’t research every little thing like I
  do (who knows, maybe you have a life) I’m going to let you in on a 
  little secret: both Visine and Clear Eyes cause rebound redness in your
  eyes! So while they may make your eyes temporarily less red, when
  the product quits working, your eyes will be redder than they were to
  begin with (thanks to the preservatives in them). 

  Besides, RoHto is soo much better! It’s a Japanese eye drop that  
  contains astringent and it makes your eyes feel awake and refreshed!
  Plus it makes your eyes look super white! I recommend using RoHto
  Cool (the one with the green cap) just because it feels and works the
  best. You can get it at CVS, Walgreens and, yes, Amazon!

2) Eyeliner
     If you’re a gal, or a make-up wearing guy, eyeliner is one of your best friends if you’ve missed your ZZZs! But skip the harsh black eyeliner; instead use navy blue, which will help counteract the redness in your eyes! Right now I’m obsessed with Rimmel’s Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner in Deep Ocean (230). I typically use that on my top waterline and to line my upper and lower lashes; then I use a white (makes your eyes look bigger) waterproof eyeliner for the lower waterline (remove the navy first) and then I put some of it on the inner corners of my eyes and POW! I look awake!!!

3) Concealer

I consider myself a connoisseur of concealer; unlike most people my age, no matter how much sleep I get, I still wake up looking like a raccoon thanks to some ghastly undereye circles. I swear I have tried every concealer known to man and none of them have worked…except Clinique’s All About Eyes Undereye Concealer. I flippin love this stuff! It actually works!! Make sure to apply it with a concealer brush though (and set it with undereye powder!)

*The Skin

If you haven’t gotten any sleep, chances are your skin is lackluster and pale (and not in a hot vampire way).

1)Exfoliate

Yes exfoliate! While you sleep your skin naturally does this for you (yummay) but since you skipped your sleep, your skin is going to need some help! I use baking soda to exfoliate. Why? It’s cheap and super effective because it’s both a physical and chemical exfoliant. Just sprinkle about a tablespoon into your hand and then apply to your face...but don’t scrub too hard (yikes)! Then wash it off to reveal softer more vibrant skin!

2)Moisturize

Make sure to slather on plenty of lotion! If your skin is suuuper dry (as mine sometime gets thanks to Retin-A) put Aquaphor (or Vaseline) on your face for 10-15 minutes then wash it off and apply your normal face lotion!

3)Hydrate!

Your body is probably dehydrated so make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day!

Hope these tips help! And be sure to get your sleep! In my opinion, nothing is more important than sleep, not even studying. It’s crucial to not only your appearance but more importantly to your survival. Without sleep you die. (Fun fact: you can survive longer without food than without sleep)

Now I better get to bed!

Keep reading!

-RRR

New Blog Stuff!!

Thanks to the advice of an awesome twentysomething blogger named Lynsey (of Lynsey's Blog) I've decided that rather than change my blog name or feel limited to only blogging about certain things, I'm going to start some blog series if you will...
In addition to the utter Randomocity that I impart at irregular intervals (I'm working on making it more regular don't worry) I'm also going to be doing:

Tips on Tuesday:
Every Tuesday I'll be posting a series of tips on some related topic, whether they be cleaning tips, beauty tips, etc

Fun Fact Friday
Because I am truly a nerd, I'm going to be posting some not very well-known facts every Friday. They could be about health, psychology, nature or whatever. (remember the title of the blog haha)

Sunday Confessional:
Yeah I know... A non- alliterative title; I assure you I'm as disappointed as you are lol! As you can prolly tell, Sundays are goig to be a day when I reveal a few things you probably didn't know about me...even if you think you know me :-/ unlike the other series, this series will probably only last for a few weeks



If you have any other suggestions for blog themes or you just want to see me blog about something that I haven't...email me or comment!!!

Oo also, I'm going to be starting a blog for the sole purpose of raising awareness for ALS so keep an eye out for that!

Songs Currently on Repeat

I'm one of those annoying people who, when they dig a song, listen to it on repeat, or creates a playlist with it and other songs I can't stop listening to. However, unlike most radio DJs, I know when to stop lol.
So without further ado, here are the songs that are currently my theme songs:

      1. Maneater by Nelly Furtado
          What's not to like about this song? Great beat, good lyrics and I'm *very* tempted to bust out 
          dancing on the nearest surface.

     2. Stripped by Shiny Toy Guns
         I wish I could explain why some songs are my favorites, but unfortunately, I cannot put into words the
         way certain songs make me feel. This song has so much depth and has such an awesome beat with
         great lyrics.

    3. It Starts With One by Shiny Toy Guns
       See above :p. I really like the part that goes "it feels so...it feels so...it feels so...good."

    4. Honest Mistake by The Bravery
       Great depth and just overall awesome

    5. Undisclosed Desires by Muse
        So many...layers and so much complexity. I adore the lyrics and everything about this song.
        Favorite lyrics:

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Random Acts of Kindness

The other day as I was leaving my Social Psychology class, a group of girls next to me knocked over a bottle of water so I ran to pick it up and give it to them. As I handed the bottle to one of the girls she said, "Oh ugh that's not ours," and tossed it back onto the ground. At this point I was already out the door so I could make it to my bus on time, but as I saw this, I thought to myself: when did people get so self-absorbed? When did people cease to care about others and making other people's lives easier and instead focused all of their attention on only things that directly impacted them?

I think it's a sad day when people are so busy twittering and facebooking that they can't take the time to hold the door open for someone, or just look up from their phones and just smile.

I'm a big fan of random acts of kindness. A huge fan! I think one of my favorite feelings in the world is when I do something that I know (or sometimes I don't know) will bring a smile to someone's face or make their day easier. It makes my heart feel like it's bursting with smiley faces..seriously.

Not only does being kind to others help that person feel good, but it makes the doer feel good and the recipient is more likely to "pay it forward."
For those of you who simply aren't the kind (heh) of person to do some random kind act for someone just because it will make their day, think about the benefits to you (if you have to):
Performing random acts of kindness...:

• causes the doer to feel happier
• can help increase the health of the doer (lowers blood pressure, alleviates pain, etc)
• relaxes the doer 
• increases feelings of connectedness
• etc.

If that's not enough to make you want to make someone's day...I don't know what will motivate you!! For those of you who are onboard, here are some suggestions for some random acts of kindness:

• give someone a genuine compliment (according to a study done by Drs. Luks and Paynes, you should give at least 2 genuine compliments a day)
• say thank you and mean it
• hold the door open for someone
• help someone when they spill something
• smile!
• give up your seat to an elderly person on the bus
• leave a note for your mail carrier (I love doing this :-)
• if you know a friend/coworker etc has a favorite ____, (muffin,cookie, drink) leave one on their desk or hand them one (I <3 doing this one too). It's a simple way to show that you listen to them and care.
• send someone a handwritten thank you note
• give money or time to the less fortunate
• if you see trash, pick it up and throw it away
• etc!

Keep Reading!
-RRR

Uh Oh She Has Cats--The Ultimate No-No for Single Women

"Oh shit! I have a date and the guy wants to come over here! Quick hide the cats! I'll put them in the dryer for safe keeping...you put the cat litter box in the closet! Hide all evidence!!!!"

Later...
"Uhm, Jennie, do you have cats or something?"
"Pft me? No! Why do you ask?"
"Well...you have cat dishes with cat food in them"
"Oh haha that! Funny story! My roommate likes to pretend she's a cat on Saturdays so ya know..."

Why is it that a girl can have 2 dogs and guys are like "aww cute dogs; I had a dog named Tits growing up" but if you have cats it's awkward silence and you can totally tell what he's thinking: "oh shit. she has cats! abort mission! abort mission!"

I have two cats and granted, I've never been called a crazy cat lady (although I was once told I would make a good Cat Woman (Halle Barry not crazy lady down the street with 30 cats), but it doesn't really change the fact that if you're single, a woman, and have cats, you ARE a crazy cat lady. Is that unfair or what? I mean surriously, I've had my cats since I was 8 years old and there's only two of them! It's not like I have a whole herd that I dress in drag and then have tea parties with them in my abundance of spare time! I treat them like cats! Spoiled cats but still....

One of my friends commented that I tend to have a lot of stories about my cats in my blog; trust me if you had my cats you'd blog about them non-stop! Crazy Cat Lady? Nah, try Crazy CatS' Lady!! Really! This morning I was cleaning and my cat Choop sat in the middle of the circular toy (the one with a ball in it)...just sat there! Or what about the time Sweetie wasn't getting enough attention (I was studying) so he decided to climb onto my neck and sit there! I swear they weren't this clingy when they were younger...sigh.

Try something for me: flirt like crazy with a guy and then drop the bomb: tell him you have cats (even if you don't) and watch as he holds his hands up and slowly backs away...

But that's all for now folks!
-RRR

Oxymoronic and Confused :/

This blog post has been a long time in coming. It's something I really need feedback and help with but...it's hard to put into words so just hang in there...

Basically like (most) everyone else, I have different aspects to my personality. I have my serious side, my sentimental side, my nerdy side (takes up a lot of room), my kind and generous side, my humorous side and my sarcastic side; yep I have lots of sides. My problem is...what side should be dominant? I feel like at times, one aspect of who I am can steal the limelight and be at odds with another aspect of my personality...a while ago my (now ex) roommate told me that I was too sarcastic to be nice; let me tell you that comment hurt! I've always considered myself to be kind and caring; when I was younger I wanted to be Mother Teresa :-) I love making people's day and making them smile. But is my sarcasm overshadowing that?

Take this blog for instance, I want to be able to express my lighter, random side, but at the same time, I want to talk about controversial issues and things that are near and dear to my heart...like ALS and losing my best friend...

So what do you think? Is it possible to be nice and sarcastic at the same time? Also, at what point do you stop being nice? I mean, where do you draw the line and put yourself first and others second?
Your thoughts? I could really use some advice :-/ If you don't feel like posting a comment (even though you should =) you can email me at RantsRavesRandomocity@gmail.com)

That's all for now folks
-RRR

Renaming the Blog?

(Note: this post requires reader interaction :0; don't be shy tell me what you think)
So I've been thinking about renaming the blog for quite a while now...I just don't think the current name really expresses the content of the blog; plus it's pretty wordy.
What do you think?
One title I've been toying with is: A Spoonful of Sarcasm...what do you think? Any suggestions?
Talk amongst yoselves. (old SNL reference).

That's all for now folks
-RRR

Pet Peeves...Take Two

As I gotout of the shower last night, I realized there are a few pet peeves of mine that I forgot to mention.

So as I said, some of my pet peeves came to me as I got out of the shower. Why? Because as I stepped out of the shower, all clean and moisturized (baby oil is amazing! I highly recommend it), my legs silky smooth, in struts Choop the cat. I tried to run but my body wouldn't cooperate so I just stood there and watched as the cat made a beeline for my freshly-shaved, baby oil-covered legs and then he *gasp* rubbed up against said legs and trotted off, leaving copious amounts of long black cat hair stuck to my legs. The horror! The horror! I'm not sure why the cat insists on doing this every single time I smoothify my legs but I can tell you this much--it's definitely a pet peeve (ha I just realized it really is a "pet" peeve =P)

After wiping off all of the cat hair, I got dressed and then realized I was an idiot. See, before I get in the shower I take out my contacts. Well, like the idiot I am, I forgot to find my glasses before I took out my contacts. That may seem like no big deal but I'm pretty much blind without my glasses (I've reached down to pet a cat and then realized that the "cat" is really my backpack..or a towel...)so trying to find my them without being able to see is next to impossible...and yet I forget this almost every night! One day I'll learn...hopefully.

But...that's all for now folks!
Keep reading, keep commenting, and have a fabulous week!

-RRR