Age: Just a Number

"I'm thirty-five." - Carrie
"Oh shut up, I'm a hundred and forty." - Samantha

Sunday was my half birthday. Yes, I know when my half birthday is. There was no celebration or anything exciting and people looked at me funny when I even mentioned that I was now "twenty-two-point-five" years old! What does that mean though? Ugh, I'm on the road to being 23.

Now 23 isn't old. It's barely quarter-life. I have a good two and a half years before I need to have my quarter-life crisis. So why the freak out, you ask? Let's take a trip down memory lane to last week…

Last Tuesday I was a guest speaker at a college class. Yes, that's right, guest speaker. I had to talk about my job and explain the path I took to get there. The PR students sat there eagerly listening to me and actually taking notes, hanging on every word I said! Well, they were probably a little bored but hey I tried - and Diane said I was "spunky" so that must mean something positive. Wait a second, wasn't I on the other side of that just last year at this time? What kind of twisted world is this?

Exhibit number two. I went to see my sorority compete in the very exciting Greek Night competition (of which we won first place, thank you very much). I didn't know half of the girls and all the kids there looked so so young!! I guess it makes sense since there are 18-year-old freshman. But it was so funny to me. Some of them were younger than Ben, my YOUNGER brother. I felt so old being back at school and being that alum that came by to support her younger sisters. It was so crazy!

The other night I found out that another person from grammar school got engaged. It's almost like an epidemic. It's so strange that the little people you used to run around with at lunchtime are all so old now. We're all older - not old. It's just all very mature. And it's funny because I know that those older than me think I'm so young. It's a vicious cycle it seems.

Two weekends ago I went to a party at Ang's. Her little brother (who is 18) had his friends over too. All of my friends were sitting inside drinking and we felt like we were chaperoning - making sure those young college kids weren't getting into any trouble. It was ridiculous!

Getting older is a part of life, of course. It's just very interesting and ironic that when you're younger you can't wait until your birthday comes and you get a year older. Now, it's almost like another birthday just means another year bites the dust.

Age really is just a number - they say a fine wine gets better with age. I always thought it was all downhill after 21, but it seems that there are so many good things in store as the days go on and the years pass. And I'm so excited to experience them with all those I love! :)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

"You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you…" - Carly Simon

As I walked out of the bathroom I glanced at myself one last time in the mirror. Why did I need to do that? What was I perfecting myself for? And I do it every single time.

Vanity. I think it's a vice. I don't mean for it to happen but it does. It's very important for me to always look my best, whether I'm running out really quickly, going to work or going out on the town. It may just be about being neat, but I always want to look presentable. And I don't really think it's because I could run into someone I may not want to see - and if I do see them I should look damn good (though it might be that a little bit).

This disease may have been inherited from my Abuelita. She always felt the same way and was one of the most vain people ever. But that was my grandma - always looking presentable like she was dressed to the nines even if she wasn't. She didn't give off the appearance of being vain or needing to look in the mirror all the time.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not high maintenance or anything. I could be ready relatively quickly and I do enjoy wearing sweats once in a while. I'm pretty down-to-earth and I love just hanging out. I don't even have a compact in my purse. But I'm always checkin' myself out in the mirror or reflection and defending myself when I feel like my appearance isn't up to par.

I could never be like Snow White's evil witch and beloved mirror, though. But what is wrong with me? Is this just a disease or is this some crazy insecurity I have?

It's all very interesting because, yes, I do always walk into the party…with one eye on the mirror.

Photo: Disney

Verizon = Ugh!

I went Verizon hopping last night. Why? Oh, because I enjoy running from store to store and visiting the same tech support people. We've really become great friends. Oh wait, those tech support people NEVER fixed my problem! That's right...

I thought my problems were over when I ditched my RAZR. Really, I did. It was the craze for that stupid phone that made me think it was a good idea when I returned from being abroad for six months. I was severely mistaken.

I was having my 5th contact with Verizon in three weeks. It's almost like you get pawned off time and time again because they just don't want to deal with it themselves. They tell you to come back in 30 minutes but do they actually do anything? Obviously not because I had to keep coming back.

Customer service ala the phone is so irritating because they continually put you on hold. And when they do, be assured that you'll hear that same darn music - something they should be playing in an airport or on a plane. In addition to this, that woman (who is obviously not having problems with her Verizon Wireless service) comes on in an irritatingly calm voice and lists all the reasons why Verizon Wireless is just so great. Ugh, it just makes me madder!!

Finally, after completing the same tests and programming methods over and over, I'm told that my phone can be swapped (I could've told you that a long time ago). So now I've got to make it over to a store. It's around 6:30 so I need to get over there soon because they close at 9. I've got time but I just want to get it done with already.

So I show up at the store, but of course, they don't have my phone. And the store across the street doesn't have it either. So I've got to get to the other one that is farther away. Real nice. It's almost 8 by this time. And when I get to that location, there's an extremely long line. Eventually I hear the woman behind the desk telling this guy how to enter a phone number into his phone. "You need to enter the area code, first," she says. Ugh! What is this? A tutorial? There's a line of us becoming very restless. And I just want to get this over with - my service isn't working. Fix it!

I finally got the phone. Was it really necessary to take so long to get this problem fixed? All I know is that it better work now, or I'm switching my carrier! Verizon is not my fave... sorry, Dad.

Don't Mess!

I went kickboxing last night. I'm now officially in pain. But it's a good pain-a great pain, actually-and I can't wait to inflict the same pain on myself next week!

First of all my editor, Gina, is kick ass! She just recently had a baby and she's out there kicking butt! She made it look so easy, but umm it really isn't that easy. Especially when you don't know what you're doing. But I think both Kelly and I did really well and totally got the hang of it by the end of the class. It's a great way to take out your frustrations!

First comes stretching, then cardio, and then you get to pair up with a partner and beat them up! Well not really beat them up but you get to punch really hard. There's a system to all the exercises and there's a pattern to various sets. You'd think I would've picked it up faster, being that I danced for 10 years. But it came eventually. All you really need to do is repeat the steps in your head or out loud and your body does what your mind tells you to do. I'm sure with the passing of weeks, I'll be able to pick it up even faster.

It's really fun because it's a class and you get to interact with other people, you get a great workout, and you feel a sense of empowerment. You're kicking butt after all. I feel like I can do anything now after surviving just a little over an hour (which passed by so quickly). I'll really have to learn to work on those pushups - upper body strength was never my strong suit.

My outlook on this is definitely hopeful. Practice makes perfect so don't mess!

Emmy Roundup

It's a huge night for television. The Emmy awards are always a great night for actors as they can dress up, show themselves off, and perhaps take home one of those golden beauties. Some may use the time to express their political views, while others may bid farewell to the show that contributed to their great success. No matter what, it's always a fun show to watch and comment on.

I may have liked it better had perhaps someone funny, such as Ellen, hosted the show. Ryan Seacrest kind of bothers me because he seems very cocky. Not to mention the awkward stage, which had its audience sitting all around in a giant circle. It kind of sucks to be behind the stage because the presenters and winners had their backs to them the whole night and they were also always in the background shot on television.

Some of the fashions were great, of course. Katherine Heigl (whom I love) was beautiful in a white Zac Posen. And just as I exclaimed how classic she was, she cursed as her name was announced. Haha. And she wasn't afraid to correct the announcer who pronounced her last name wrong. But I mean come on, do you live under a rock?? I heart Izzie Stevens.

America Ferrera was stunning in a beautiful hue of blue and Helen Mirren looked beautiful out of her normal age appropriate clothes. Eva Longoria lifted her feet for Ryan Seacrest and showed off her red soles - characteristic of my favorite Christian Louboutin of course. Love him!

I really hate the fact that they decided it was OK to censor Sally Field's speech. Sure, it's not her time to go bashing the war, but it's called freedom of speech and her 30 seconds to say what she wants. It's her acceptance speech and she wasn't yelling profanities (well except when she said God-damn, which is probably why they stopped it in the first place). But they cut to a random shot of nothing for the rest of her speech, which really made me mad. Boo on network TV.

It was nice that The Sopranos won to finish out their run. I always like when a great series can round out their success with awards that recognize their work (even if this season was kind of forced and not as good as it was in the past - I was still a faithful watcher).

I did enjoy the Kanye sing-along for the evening, and I've really grown to like Christina Aguilera - girl's cleaned up her act. She looked classic and of course positively glowing as she performed with Tony Bennett. Britney wouldn't be caught dead doing something so classy.

So I guess that sums it up for me. It was something to do on a Sunday night and most definitely provided me with some pretty things to look at, including my favorite Dr. McDreamy. Sigh.

Photo: LA Times

Shoes! Oh, How I Heart Thee

"I’ve spent 40,000 dollars on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes." --Carrie Bradshaw

I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday. Did I need them? Probably not. Did I love them? Oh, most definitely! Did they look like something I already own? Ehh, that's debatable… But each pair is completely different and you need different shoes to go with your ensemble!

I was recently involved in a conversation at work where we were discussing comfort vs. looking good when going out. I mean I'd love to have the best of both worlds but that's not always the case right? Depending on the night, I might want to look more fashionable than comfortable. The wrong shoes can mess up your outfit!

As I was walking outside before, I heard the clicking of my own heels. Click, click, click, click. I have a steady walk, I thought. But everyone can hear me coming. That's the way it used to be in grammar school. You'd hear the teacher coming because of her heels. And when I had my own heels on in those days I felt so grown up and important. I used to love the clacky sound of my heels coming down the hall. I was cool.

It's no surprise, then, that I've developed a shoe fetish. Before last night, I hadn't bought a new pair of shoes in about a month. It's been a slow summer apparently. It was time. But I love cute shoes that really make an outfit. They should be practical though so the job is twofold.

The thought of placing my foot into a beautifully crafted leather creation is just simply fabulous to me. It can be a mood elevator and really make the day. It's just so exciting. And no, I'm not completely materialistic, though Carrie Bradshaw the, ahem, writer's quote is pretty funny. I know when I'm about to make a ridiculous purchase - or hopefully whoever I'm with will stop me. But it's just another one of life's little pleasures that makes me happy. :)

NOT an Anchorwoman

Way to make a mockery of journalism. The FOX show premiered last night and I was seriously appalled. Don't know the premise? Well, I'll recount the "reality show" for you (and you know how much I usually praise reality TV). Not this time.

This WWE-turned-Miss New York model is Lauren Jones (could her name BE any more common?). She's blonde (I don't discriminate) and completely devoid of any journalism knowledge. She also prances around in the most ridiculous outfits that are unfit for any place of work! And now she's anchoring the Channel 19 news in Tyler, Texas. Umm, excuse me, but I thought you needed to have credentials to work at a job. In an interview (and there have been loads of them in recent weeks), she smugly stated that she didn't have a journalism background and went through a weeklong boot camp before she started and that it would be a "piece of cake." What are you putting down journalism for? It's something that people study and work at. It's a craft. Are you kidding me?

So, please, let me pose a question. Could I walk into a hospital (because I'm, I don't know tall) and decide that I'd like to be a surgeon because I love watching Grey's Anatomy and in doing so I've learned the tricks of the trade? I think not. Ms. Jones said that she also prepped by watching Katie Couric for a week and studying her mannerisms. No offense, but have you seen Couric's ratings lately? She's been bombing on the evening news (which is also sad because it was a huge step for female journalism).

This Channel 19 is obviously looking for ratings. Many citizens of the town were outraged with this occurrence. But if you really stop and think about it, the news is just another television show. Sure, they present some of the facts but you always need to have a hook so that audiences will be interested in what you're saying. It's one of the first things I learned in my broadcast news writing class. There are at least four network news shows on at 5pm. Well, which one are you going to watch? News stations must do something to keep you hooked, otherwise they'll do poorly in the ratings and the big bad companies that own them will have a fit.

Ms. Jones also said how much fun it would be because she could, like totally put her own opinions in about politics and the war. Journalism lesson number one: you're supposed to be completely unbiased (which, yes, is difficult to do) and all you're supposed to do is present the news from both sides of the story. What are you thinking? She can't even write!

I'm so disappointed that journalism has come to this point. I totally understand how that poor anchor that was replaced by a model must be feeling. It's completely uncalled for.

Well, it's not me, right? I'm going to get to where I want to be on my own volition and if that means working like a crazy person, I'm going to do it. But don't think you can get by on just your looks. What's the world coming to?? It's a crazy, competitive place…

Photo: FOX