This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 2:00 pm and is filed under General Word Vomit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
I went out drinking the other night. It was the good kind of drinking, the kind that involves fishbowls of tequila, good cheer, and satisfaction in knowing you’ve managed to stave off therapy for another month.
Actually, it’s possible my “get out of therapy” card may have had its expiration date extended. Having recently quit an exceptionally draining and thankless job in favor of a welcoming and challenging new one, I have to admit I’ve been feeling rather pleased with myself. (My resignation, I’m sure, landed with a thud on my manager’s desk. Few sounds are more satisfying, particularly when they announce a well-deserved, giant step up the career ladder that did not come at the expense of my soul.)
Though completely unoriginal, it is still nevertheless fitting to draw the comparison between job hunting and dating. In either case, the end goal is the same: to find a good match. My recent good job score is fortunate considering my miserable state when it comes to dating. Had one not given the inch I desperately needed, I’d likely be accepting Get Well Soon cards with rounded corners at the local padded cell right now.
My friends T and Blue have been unfailingly supportive these past few months as I’ve hovered somewhere short of okay. What may not be entirely obvious is that for as brutal as I am on people in general, I’m even more brutal on myself. Being an egoist is not as easy as one might think.
Still, a new job and a few choice words from friends can do a lot to shift perspective. In a recent email exchange with T and Blue, T wrote:
“J, you’re a great catch. You’re independent. You’re fine as hell. You have a signature style. You even make tube socks sexy!!! I never heard of such a thing! You throw down in the kitchen. You’re a lady in the streets & a freak (and u know it) in the sheets (takes one to know one)! But it’s obvious there is a deeper side to you. A side that most guys can’t compete with. Can’t control. Can’t manage or be equally as engaging.”
Can’t argue with that. And why should I? If I put my baggage to the side, it’s a relief to finally be able to smack my hands on the table and proclaim that I do, in fact, rock.
And since my hands are free for the moment, I may as well take this opportunity to offer the:
Top 33 Reasons Why I Rock
1. This damn blog.
2. I am heartbeat away from being a professional pastry chef.
3. … and can cook a killer dinner, too.
4. My skirts come in two lengths: short and dishcloth.
5. I will always drink you under the table.
6. …and still be able to walk upright.
7. …even in heels.
8. Once is never enough. Particularly first thing in the morning.
9. There is always food in my fridge, extra pillows on my bed, and Playboy on my coffee table.
10. Anything involving Meg Ryan or Rachel Ray is banned from my home.
11. I once got on stage during an open mic night and belted out “Home Sweet Home”, a song that no one, and especially not Vince Neil, can sing on key.
12. … and took a bow afterward.
13. If there is ever anything you need, from late night conversation to help moving a piano, I’m there.
14. I always return shopping carts to the store rather than letting them drift around a parking lot.
15. I use a Mac.
16. With little prompting, I can talk for hours about the genius of Three Dog Night, Don Mclean’s “American Pie”, and Michael Nesmith.
17. …as well as quote extensively from House of 1000 Corpses, Big Trouble in Little China, and The Muppet Movie.
18. The bigger the screen, the happier I am.
19. I love you for who you are.
20. Yoga makes me very bendy.
21. I have never had a one-night stand.
22. Sex and the City is not my source for fashion tips, relationship advice, or lifestyle justification.
23. …but Almost Famous is.
24. I deliberately failed Music Appreciation in college to protest the instructor’s complete lack of music knowledge.
25. …and still graduated cum laude.
26. My hair is spectacular.
27. I always know what I want and like.
28. …which means you will never have to ask me, “What do you want to do?”, “Will you be in that store long?”, or “Is this okay?”.
29. Although I cannot whistle, I can tie a knot in a cherry stem with my tongue.
30. Listening is one of my stronger skills.
31. I can go to Disney World and still have musicians hit on me.
32. I trick or treated every year up through my senior year of college.
33. I know when to shut the hell up.
Life right now is not without its perks.