The Billy Cundiff Theory

So, people often ask me about my obsession with the kicker of the Baltimore Ravens.  And really, the reason is three fold:

1. I think its funny to root for the kicker because no one else does.

2. If you think about it, the kicker is one of the smartest positions to play on an NFL team.  They play about 2 minutes out of a game and get paid how much?!? And its the least amount of potential injury as well as longevity.  That is just smart.

3. My long legs plus Cundiff's general skills would breed NFL gold.  Seeing as how much goal in life is to be a kept woman this just makes sense.  Not only would I be a kept woman as his baby mama, but I also plan to raise my future son to be an NFL kicker as well.  I'll be kept for life, because clearly this child will be a Mama's Boy.

So there you have it, call it love, call it obsession, I call it a little of column A, a little of column B.  Regardless, I'm very excited for my custom jersey to arrive this week.  And very thankful that my boys won on Sunday providing me another opportunity to wear it out!

Common Decency

Common decency....what a concept, one that I think is lost on most people. And I'm not talking about making a public spectacle of oneself (when drunk perhaps...) or the annoying habits that tick off the general public (e.g. singing out loud in an elevator, seriously, who does that?).  So let me indulge you in what I mean by this, lets start with the definition of decency...

decency [ˈdiːs^ənsɪ]

n pl -cies

1. (Sociology) conformity to the prevailing standards of propriety, morality, modesty, etc.

2. the quality of being decent

 

Basically, what this means to me, is common decency is the basic consideration of others that in part is ingrained in one's moral character. The Golden Rule, treat others as you would like to be treated.  Today's society is increasingly becoming more self-absorbed.  All about the here and now, what you want, meeting your own desires.  I'm all for about going after your heart's desires and getting what you want out of life.  But I think where people begin to miss the mark is when they do this at the expense of other people's feelings. Tact and discretion can go a long way. Since it is human tendency to think selfishly about one's own desires, let me phrase it like this, think about how you would feel if you were put in the same situation. I prefer to take a different spin at it though, think about how much more pleasant the world would be if people considered how their actions affected others. 

A Night at the Aquarium

So, I recently attended a work Christmas party with my friend Josh that was hosted at the aquarium.  This excited me very, and not just for the open bar.  I actually haven't been to the aquarium in quite some time and was very excited to go on a tour and look at all the new exhibits.  Most of all, I was super excited to see the penguins.  I grew up with a borderline obsession with penguins for most of my childhood.  It all started with my childhood stuffed animal, Softie, which was, you guessed it, a penguin.  But I digress.

Upon entry to the aquarium we located said open bar and proceeded to start our evening.  After also filling our bellies with food and discussing the irony of the aquarium serving crab dip, we decided to take our tour of the aquarium.  Backwards of course, running down the escalators in the opposite direction just seemed logical.  Especially since the rain forest exhibit was closed off. Fail #1.

Well, we finally get to the first floor and are unable to locate the penguins.  I, of course, refuse to let this go.  So, I approach the security desk to ask where the penguin exhibit is.  They inform me that they do not have a penguin exhibit, nor have they ever, but they do have puffins.  I rebuttal by explaining that puffins are not penguins, they are little midget penguins trying to pretend they are penguins.  I then ask as to why the seal exhibit outside is no longer outside.  They informed me that they have removed the seal exhibit all together to make room for the Australia exhibit in the new wing.  Ok fine, I can deal with this loss, especially seeing as I can now explore new exhibits.  Oh no...wait up...I can't go in, this too is closed off to us?  Fail #2.

So, heart broken, head held low, we proceed back up to the fourth floor to continue the festivities.  Only to be reminded shortly of my disappointment.  Half way upon our return we see a picture of, what else? Penguins. ULTIMATE FAIL. Now this is just false advertisement.  How dare you feature pictures of animals that are not part of the aquarium! 

I'm now contemplating a class action law suit to deal with the emotional distress I suffered Saturday night.  At the best, I believe I can get a wing named after myself and monetary compensation.  At the worst, I believe that I can gain rightful ownership of the three finned sea turtle.  All in all though, it made for a fun evening, and at least everything was free!

Pity Party...Your Table Is Now Ready!

So, I've been reading Francis Chan's novel, Crazy Love.  It's a great book in the sense that it really challenges you to think about your own life.  In one of the chapters, he discusses how more than half of the entire world's population live on less than $2 a day.  Two dollars! I think my Dunkin Donuts coffee this morning cost me more than that. Even crazier, if you make more than $4,000 a year, you make 100 times more than the average person on the planet.  That is nuts.

I understand how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of your day to day life.  And heck, even I end up obsessing over the tiniest minute problems.  But the fact of the matter is...we don't have it all that bad.  Yeah, sometimes you might be dealt a rough deal in life, and the odds might be stacked against you, but I encourage you to put it in perspective.  I am a strong believer that life is what you make it. If you aren't happy with your circumstances, then do something about it! Even if its small. I think by far one of my biggest pet peeves is someone who throws a pity party for themselves, won't take any input or help from others, and then chooses to complain about their circumstances.

In my opinion, not only are you doing a disservice to yourself, but you are being selfish.  I don't say this to rant, but hopefully to motivate and put our petty issues in perspective. And by all means, should you find me throwing myself a one-person pity party, feel free to call me out on it.  Remind me of how truly blessed I am, not in what I'm missing, but in what I have.

Weight Watchers...Revisited

So, I've been slacking.  Not going to lie.  I haven't been to the grocery store in weeks, eating out more, eating inconsistently, etc.  Even my workouts have gone from 3-4 times a week to 2-3 times a week.  So, needless-to-say, I've put on a few pounds.  Thankfully, not a lot. I haven't had to buy new clothes and larger pants, but they are definitely a little snug.

I'm an avid subscriber of Hungry Girl, I read her emails daily and like to try out her recipes and suggestions.  That woman is genius to turn the idea of weight loss into a career for herself, but I digress.  Well, last week I found out that Weight Watchers has totally revamped their system.  Before, the big emphasis of the program was a high-fiber diet.  Having stomach problems, not only did I benefit from the weight loss, but this kind of diet really helped me, again, I digress. So now, they are factoring in carbs and proteins in the mix to emphasize a balanced diet.  Having worked out with a trainer in the past, I know for a fact I don't get nearly enough protein in my diet, which is much needed for toning, etc.

So, I got to thinking, enough is enough.  The holiday season is fast approaching, so I want to be proactive.  Let me nip this is the bud now.  Plus, I had a certain curiosity to check out the new system and see how many points are different and what I get to eat and don't eat this time around.  Well, I bite the bullet and signed up online.  I grabbed my gym bag today as well.  Its time to shed these few pounds I've put on and maybe a few.  Right now my goal is 10 lbs.  I will reassess when I hit this goal and decide from there if I want to lose more or not.  I'm pretty sure that I have roped my friend, Kim, into being my partner-in-crime on this little journey as well.

Stay tuned for updates, and wish me luck!

When is a friend a friend?

We've all heard the term "Smalltimore", and all-inclusive term to reference the three-degrees of separation phenomenon of living in the city and surrounding area. And I'm sure we have all experienced it, flipping through various pages of Facebook to say, "Hey, how do you know so-and-so?".  I know that I certainly feel it.  Having worked various bar jobs, lived in the state my entire life, gone to multiple schools in the area, and having been in a sorority, I can honestly say, I've met a ton of people in my lifetime.  I was going through my friend list just the other day, and I was able to say that I knew all of the 800+ friends on my list (after I cleared out a few).

But at what point is someone more than an acquaintance, or friend, or good friend, or best friend?  On the spectrum of friends, how do you decide where one falls?

In the recent months, I think I have been clearing out my real-life "buddy list".  Sifting out those that I think are no longer genuine friends that care about me.  And I think I'm being smarter in terms of who I am allowing myself to bond with.  I'm quicker to recognize the insincere and put my foot down on those situations. I feel that I'm still giving opportunities, to let people move from an acquaintance to friend and so on.  But as can be seen by the past week's events, I'm not going to put up with people that disrespect me, intentional or not...

The good news is, with this housecleaning, I'm ending up with some terrific friends.  And not just that, but I'm learning how to stand up for myself and I'm learning my limits. Live by the golden rule....treat others like you want to be treated.

Red Hot

So, maybe I don't express it enough, but I'm a Christian.  My faith is very important to me, so important that I don't think I would even marry a man if he didn't have the same beliefs as me.  Scratch that, I know I wouldn't.  We've been talking in church and my Bible study group (yes, I go to one of those) about being luke-warm in our faith.  And that is so not fair to God!  He has given me so much in my life for me to be thankful for....and what do I do, I take it for granted.

Maybe I'm trying to hard to fit in sometimes, maybe I just push it to the side because life so easily gets in the way.  But I wanted to take just a few moments to share this with you all. Because, God's pretty friggin awesome. If you ever want to know more about my story, and the things that I have experienced, and why I can confidently say that there is not one single person out there that could ever shake my faith, then please feel free to hit me up.

AND if you EVER want to go to Bible study with me or church on Sundays (Epic, meets in Canton at 11AM, hello getting to sleep in still), then call me and I'll take you with!