Girl S is coming to town! This time tomorrow Girls J, S, and M will all be in the same city! (With Girl A sooo close and can come by at any time!! :) ) Girl S has a whole lot going on - a job interview and a birthday (she is turning 27, which is insane to me because she and I met right before her 16th birthday party. We're old.) so there may be some updates from her in the upcoming days!
What will the next days hold with this incredible powerhouse back together again? Only time will tell.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tough Cookies
Watching Millionaire Matchmaker this weekend, I watched Patti talk about how men need to pay for dinner to establish they can take care of a woman; how women need to wear their hair long because men like it that way; how a woman couldn’t come to one of her parties because she was 15 lbs overweight and thus not up to Millionaire standards. Wow. Where to start.
First, I don’t know about you all, but I hear a lot of superficial things the women have to do/work on to be introduced to this millionaire who is coming in less than perfect. Patti never says, “You really should have finished your Masters degree” or “You don’t volunteer enough” as the reasons women aren’t invited on the yacht. Second, nothing’s ever mentioned about a female’s value as a partner, which my parents raised me to believe marriage (the point of using a matchmaker) was about . . . silly hippies. Finally, I ask- why do these poor girls do all the things she asks just because these guys have a solid business or invested wisely? Ladies, money doesn’t make a man good. Yes, there are good men with money, but I would rather live in a refrigerator box with Conan O’Brien (pretending he didn’t just receive a multi-million dollar settlement) than with Donald Trump in his tower any day.
But that’s neither here nor there; the crux is I understand what Patti’s selling. Guys want a lady and sometimes femininity is lost in the shuffle of being a strong, independent woman. But, fellas, you gots to give us a break. It’s not easy to be all of these things. I admit, I like to feel girly (don’t tell Girl M.) However, I also have to keep a certain amount of guard up. I mean, I’ve watched plenty Lifetime movies to know you can’t trust all fellas. (Just a joke. . . not the part about watching Lifetime movies. That’s very real.)
In all seriousness though, I have to take care of myself and that has made me a stronger individual then the dainty women Patti’s peddling. Just this weekend, while out for a Bachelorette party, I watched a guy push the envelope with one of the girls in the party. Whilst I was walking to the bathroom with another Girl J (Girl J#2), a guy thought it’d be funny to block her from leaving the dance floor. She stepped to the right to pass him. He stepped in front of her. She stepped to the left. So did he. She politely laughed and tried to pass a few more times. He was in her path each instance. Finally, Girl J#2 pushed him to get by. Then, he, of course, called her b@*$^ as if she was a brute for the altercation. Now, Girl J#2 is not a pusher (think Jesse from Saved by the Bell more so than Natalie from Bad Girls Club) and in all honesty, the guy in this scenario was a jerk and not representative of all men. (He ended up getting kicked out of the place because he was getting to handsy with all the ladies.)
However, the real point I’m trying to express is that we girls are faced with this stuff all the time and have to be tough cookies sometimes because of it. I know some of my experiences as a single girl in the city have made me tougher, but I think I’m better for it. I wish women were respected because they take care of themselves – not called names. I know I have plenty of people in my camp on this (everyone in this blog for sure), but I think it’s important to affirm how proud I am of all the Girls of 2010 for being strong, self-assured, independent women.
Lastly, I hope men realize just because a woman is strong and independent, doesn’t mean she isn’t a lady and likes to be treated as one. . . So feel free to hold the door open for us when we take you out to dinner.
First, I don’t know about you all, but I hear a lot of superficial things the women have to do/work on to be introduced to this millionaire who is coming in less than perfect. Patti never says, “You really should have finished your Masters degree” or “You don’t volunteer enough” as the reasons women aren’t invited on the yacht. Second, nothing’s ever mentioned about a female’s value as a partner, which my parents raised me to believe marriage (the point of using a matchmaker) was about . . . silly hippies. Finally, I ask- why do these poor girls do all the things she asks just because these guys have a solid business or invested wisely? Ladies, money doesn’t make a man good. Yes, there are good men with money, but I would rather live in a refrigerator box with Conan O’Brien (pretending he didn’t just receive a multi-million dollar settlement) than with Donald Trump in his tower any day.
But that’s neither here nor there; the crux is I understand what Patti’s selling. Guys want a lady and sometimes femininity is lost in the shuffle of being a strong, independent woman. But, fellas, you gots to give us a break. It’s not easy to be all of these things. I admit, I like to feel girly (don’t tell Girl M.) However, I also have to keep a certain amount of guard up. I mean, I’ve watched plenty Lifetime movies to know you can’t trust all fellas. (Just a joke. . . not the part about watching Lifetime movies. That’s very real.)
In all seriousness though, I have to take care of myself and that has made me a stronger individual then the dainty women Patti’s peddling. Just this weekend, while out for a Bachelorette party, I watched a guy push the envelope with one of the girls in the party. Whilst I was walking to the bathroom with another Girl J (Girl J#2), a guy thought it’d be funny to block her from leaving the dance floor. She stepped to the right to pass him. He stepped in front of her. She stepped to the left. So did he. She politely laughed and tried to pass a few more times. He was in her path each instance. Finally, Girl J#2 pushed him to get by. Then, he, of course, called her b@*$^ as if she was a brute for the altercation. Now, Girl J#2 is not a pusher (think Jesse from Saved by the Bell more so than Natalie from Bad Girls Club) and in all honesty, the guy in this scenario was a jerk and not representative of all men. (He ended up getting kicked out of the place because he was getting to handsy with all the ladies.)
However, the real point I’m trying to express is that we girls are faced with this stuff all the time and have to be tough cookies sometimes because of it. I know some of my experiences as a single girl in the city have made me tougher, but I think I’m better for it. I wish women were respected because they take care of themselves – not called names. I know I have plenty of people in my camp on this (everyone in this blog for sure), but I think it’s important to affirm how proud I am of all the Girls of 2010 for being strong, self-assured, independent women.
Lastly, I hope men realize just because a woman is strong and independent, doesn’t mean she isn’t a lady and likes to be treated as one. . . So feel free to hold the door open for us when we take you out to dinner.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
February Progress Report: Random Acts of Kindness
One of the most ambiguous activities on our 2010 list, in my opinion, is performing a monthly random act of kindness. First, what constitutes “random” and what part of the act needs to be random? Does that mean only the recipient can be selected at random, which is one school of thought? Or should the act itself be the random component, and thus those closest to you are the most likely to benefit from your good deed? Ideally, I think both are correct and will be accepted by the group, but it’s still something that has me performing kind acts and going – What will the girls think?
As the girls and I have gone through the first six weeks of this endeavor, we’ve all tackled this goal differently. For the sake of marking our progress, I thought I would share our first round of good deeds as I am sure they will continue to evolve. We folded laundry for family members without being asked, filled a coworker’s secret stash of soda, and showed monetary appreciation for a homeless man’s musical stylings. All in all, a great first month. However, I’m personally stumped for February. Every idea I have has me saying – is this random enough? Is this kind enough?
So, what do you do when you’re stumped? Go to the Internets, and boy, am I glad I did.
A) It was entirely heartwarming to see that there were so many people out there working on this goal of perpetuating kindness. Google “random acts of kindness.” I promise you won’t be disappointed.
B) I found the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation http://www.actsofkindness.org/. I clearly joined and encourage all the girls of 2010 to check it out. They have ideas, suggestions, and testimonials for random acts of kindness in every facet of your life. So. Cool.
C) Best part is- It’s Random Acts of Kindness week (February 15-21)!! This tidbit was all the inspiration and motivation I needed for the month. I’ll be sure to share the progress after the task is completed.
Happy Kinding!
As the girls and I have gone through the first six weeks of this endeavor, we’ve all tackled this goal differently. For the sake of marking our progress, I thought I would share our first round of good deeds as I am sure they will continue to evolve. We folded laundry for family members without being asked, filled a coworker’s secret stash of soda, and showed monetary appreciation for a homeless man’s musical stylings. All in all, a great first month. However, I’m personally stumped for February. Every idea I have has me saying – is this random enough? Is this kind enough?
So, what do you do when you’re stumped? Go to the Internets, and boy, am I glad I did.
A) It was entirely heartwarming to see that there were so many people out there working on this goal of perpetuating kindness. Google “random acts of kindness.” I promise you won’t be disappointed.
B) I found the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation http://www.actsofkindness.org/. I clearly joined and encourage all the girls of 2010 to check it out. They have ideas, suggestions, and testimonials for random acts of kindness in every facet of your life. So. Cool.
C) Best part is- It’s Random Acts of Kindness week (February 15-21)!! This tidbit was all the inspiration and motivation I needed for the month. I’ll be sure to share the progress after the task is completed.
Happy Kinding!
Girl A: Inspirational (by Girl J)
Well, it’s only right that Girl A shouldn’t describe herself after she’s gone through the trouble of setting up, accurately and poetically describing all of the players in this social experiment and documenting the first month of our foire into personal growth and development in 2010. However, Girl A totally would. She’s the organizer, and with a group such as Funny Tetons, Accomplished Adventurer, and Breezy Gangsta, we NEED an organizer.
Just as my book category accurately described myself, Girl A’s was totally spot-on –inspirational. Now, I ask you, how many people do you genuinely call “kind”? I offer to say that adjective is rarely used by myself because that word has almost a Biblical, larger-than-life connotation. Girl A is one of the few people I would bestow that title. Not only is she kind, ridiculously considerate, thoughtful and sweet, but you’re often so overwhelmed at the amazing and humble person she is, you rarely relish in her feats. She studied in Thailand for 9 months where she also taught English to the locals. She got her MBA whilst working a fulltime, emotionally demanding job serving her local community . . . . all while being down to party. If you’re not inspired, I suggest you look for another blog.
This Inspiring Organizer has a big year ahead of her- getting married, moving to a new city, and embarking on a new career. However, don’t be afeared, because if you are, you clearly didn’t read the above. She’s got this on lock.
Just as my book category accurately described myself, Girl A’s was totally spot-on –inspirational. Now, I ask you, how many people do you genuinely call “kind”? I offer to say that adjective is rarely used by myself because that word has almost a Biblical, larger-than-life connotation. Girl A is one of the few people I would bestow that title. Not only is she kind, ridiculously considerate, thoughtful and sweet, but you’re often so overwhelmed at the amazing and humble person she is, you rarely relish in her feats. She studied in Thailand for 9 months where she also taught English to the locals. She got her MBA whilst working a fulltime, emotionally demanding job serving her local community . . . . all while being down to party. If you’re not inspired, I suggest you look for another blog.
This Inspiring Organizer has a big year ahead of her- getting married, moving to a new city, and embarking on a new career. However, don’t be afeared, because if you are, you clearly didn’t read the above. She’s got this on lock.
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