Just me, my pineapple and my composition notebook pants...

Girl S here...finally...Below is the list of 10 things we need to accomplish in 2010. It took me 33 minutes to sort through emails to find this damn thing. I also woke up to 8am to the sound of chainsaws and blowers, so this blog about my current personal progress will most definately contain explitives. Earmuff it if you can't handle it- or Eyemuff it..whatevs

1. Go to a state you’ve never been to

2. Become a regular at a bar

3. Take one class on anything that interests you- must be a series

4. Read 1 book suggested by another one of us

5. Write a letter to the editor/get something published

6. Help Build a Home for someone – can’t know the person! Has to be an act of charity.
7. Try a New Church

8. Make a New Friend - We are talking straight up stranger here people.
9. Commit to writing for at least 10 minutes, 5 days a week

10. At least 1 day a month, perform a random act of kindness

My progress and thoughts are below. Please feel free to respond.

1. Go to a state you have never been to: We havent planned anything, and i'm getting scared because we have two ladies in this group getting married. Are you allowed to go on girlfriend trips once you're married?? What are the rules once you're hitched? What rules do your friends play by? I know there is a lot of hype about the bride, but all too often, 'here comes the bride' has meant ' there goes your buddy.'

2. Become a regular at a bar: Maybe we should switch this one for me "stay away from the bars so the bar-keep who saw you fall down the steps and throw your shoe at a bum will soon forget your name."

3. Take one class on anything that interest you: I cant commit to any sort of schoolin' until my 6 month grace period ends (May 2010). I dont like to be commited to learning. I just like to do it on my own. I spent 22 straight years in school and feel like the most important thing I learned was the golden rule...which doesnt cost $100k....oh, and I can sing-recite the preamble to the constitution. We the PEEEE-puuuulll....

4. Read 1 book suggested by another one of us: Seeee, I thought we had to read as many books as possible- i'm down here reading my ass off waiting for my fucking purple pin and personal pan pizza. FAIL.

5. Write a letter to the editor/get something published: I recently wrote a strongly worded letter to my apartment complex about the parking situation. It wasn't published or sent, but it was pretty fancy. One day though, I will write that book i've been threatening to. No names will be changed to protect the innocent. Just you wait..

6. Help Build a home for someone: I can't wait to do this!! If I could build homes for people who NEEDED them everyday of my damn life, I would do it. I'm extremely grassroots when it comes to most things, and I like using my hands and heart simultaneously. If my resume could simply read "I just wanna do good things, change the world, and make people happy," it would.

7. Try a new church: This one is tricky for me, i'll be honest. After 25ish years of the ole Body 'N Blood, I dont know if I can go elsewhere. I feel at home and comfortable in my faith, but in the way you are with your favorite sweatshirt or running shoes-- they feel good, but you know you need to change because they just don't fit anymore. I'm actually reading a book called "Angry Conversations with God," by Susan Isaacs, and have never related MORE in my life to a persons' thoughts, beliefs, questions and grievances with God. Once I solidify the foundation i've worked 25ish years to build, THEN I will explore what else is out there.

8. Make a New friend- straight up stranger: How friendly do we need to get? Do we need to be phone-talkin' friends?? Every friend I can think of I have met through another friend.--nutty. Seven degrees of separation, kevin bacon WHAT?! I would like to amend this to state: new friend cannot be made at work. AKA, when I get a new job, those fools don't count.

9. Commit to writing for a least 10 mins a day: YIIIKES. Even in all of unemployments' fabolous glory, I have not wanted to commit to sitting down and writing. I dont know if it's the writing or the committing, but its safe to say i'm equally terrified of both. On my list of life goals "write a book" is on the tippy tippy top, but simply writing my feelings is something I have dreaded since we had 'journaling' assingments in religion class at age 7. Wackness. What kinds of feelings could a 7 year old have? "I'm hungry. Danny looks so fine with his front tooth missing. Allison gave me lice. I can't wait for kickball?" I was worn out from journaling, and I couldnt express myself any more by the end of the 3rd grade. Now, I have an internal stigma associated with writing and expressing myself. I shake my fist, SPS*

10. At least 1 day a month, perform a random act of kindness: In the episode of Friends entitled "The one where Phoebe hates PBS," she tells Joey that all acts of kindness are inherently selfish because they make you feel good personally. So, Phoebe sets out to do things that are kind, but would make her feel bad AKA, getting stung by a bee so the bee would look macho to his bee-friends. The bee was played for a fool because he died as a result of the stinging. All i'm saying is kindness is a often a two way street, and Karma isn't always a bitch. It's okay to feel good about the kind things you do, in fact, you should feel effing amazing-- and keep doing them. I may be an idealist, but if we knew more about all the good things going on in the world, I probably wouldn't be so paranoid about the year 2012 coming. I keep trying to do this ONE big, nice, unexpected thing, but i've decided instead, that i'm going to strive daily to do something kind, even in the most simple form. We should all take a chapter from the book of Ellen DeGeneres, she seems damn nice.

GOOD BYE CHEER and INSPIRATIONAL WORDS FOR THE WEEKEND:

"Be. Aggressive.
Be. E. Aggressive.
B.E.A.G.G.R.E.S.S.I.V.E.
Aggressive.
B. E. Aggressive.
A-GRESS-IVE!"

Girl S--OUT

"Crazy" Human Beings

Today my brother said something so profound, I had to share. He is a 19-year-old freshman at a prestigious state university (also my alma mater), and having an older sister has certainly prepared him better for understanding girls than those boys without sisters- which is often the case.

Anyway, his future roommate (also male) has his first real girlfriend. (Like I said, it’s a prestigious state university. These kids all had 4.0s , AP and college credits, and were members of every club imaginable in high school but talking to the opposite sex makes them want to hurl. Like I also said, it’s my alma mater. I know.) Anywho, Roommate's first girlfriend is a regular 18-year-old girl- She talks a lot. She takes pictures of everything. She’ll run off with her girlfriend and giggle even when her boyfriend is around. So, Brother and Roommate went on a whirlwind Spring Break road trip . . . with Girlfriend and her friend. By Day 6 of togetherness, Girlfriend was on Roommate’s last nerve.

As my brother regaled me with the tale, he said so plainly:
Brother: “And I feel bad for Roommate. This is his first girlfriend so he doesn’t know that girls are crazy.”
Girl J: “Excuse me?”
Brother: “You know, girls are crazy. Not like crazy crazy, but as in they’re crazy. You become used to it, and then you appreciate how endearing it is. Girl J, we're different and to the other person that makes you "crazy". Otherwise we’d all be like the Human Being.” (Reference to NBC’s sleeper hit “Community” and the school’s mascot, the Greendale Human Beings. See photo above.)

The thing is, besides being called “crazy,” I think his point is quite wise. Boys and girls are different and only when you recognize these differences can you truly appreciate what the opposite sex has to offer. (i.e. Explain to me again, why can't you wash those socks during football season?) I’m 25 and think I just realized this within the last year or so. Maybe he is the smarter sibling.

Girl J's ABCs of Lent

The Lenten season is upon us, and since each of us Girls of 2010 spent 12 to 16 years in Catholic school, I thought it was only right to share my Lenten resolutions. So, if you know me outside of the blogosphere you know I love abbreves, and I work for a company that loves a good acronym. Thus, it was only natural that I began referring to my goals as my “ABCs of Lent.”

A- Affirmations. I wanted to take the time over these introspective 40 days to affirm those I care about. We used to do this in high school all the time, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we often don’t take the time to tell each of the amazing people in our lives just how amazing we truly think they are. So, if you’re reading this, get excited. You have some good words coming your way.

B- Bible. Any moms of a GO2010 may want to skip ahead to C. (Well, actually C isn’t my finest moment either so maybe just skip ahead to the end . . . . Mom, I know, you’re still there. . . . Okay, I think they’re gone.) Anyway, despite our Catholic schooling, my Bible knowledge is EMBARASSINGLY low. (I said I’m sorry, Mom.) I know stories, broad strokes, and overarching messages but not the way other Christians I’ve encountered know and understand it. Thus, I’ve began my personal quest to read the Bible. This doesn’t necessarily mean finish the Good Book in this time period, just make a solid effort to read a bit each day.

C- Cursing. Whereas A & B are to be done more, C is to be done less. I’ll admit it. My name is Girl J, and I have a potty mouth. I gave up cursing for Lent, and although I stumble every day, I have made solid strides. The saddest part about cursing is that these silly curse words are used more often than the extensive and grandiose vocabulary we cultivated during our quest for knowledge and higher learning. However, I rarely use that vocab and mostly just make up words in lieu of curse words. I said “son of a jubba” the other day. I’m not sure what that means or what I wanted it to mean, but I call that progress.