Vegas Baby! Part One

So currently I am sitting in my man's bed wondering if I'll be able to fall asleep. In the PM we will be on a plain to the wonderful Viva Los Vegas! Now I'm not 21 so gambling is not an option, but I can not wait to see the sites! This is my first time to Vegas and I want to see it all. Granted, saying you want to see it all in one trip is like saying you want to take a day trip to Italy, but I can try.

Red Is Totally In

My wonderful man purchased a copy of Esquire for me today. My favorite woman, second only to my mother, was gracing the cover. Christina Hendricks is gorgeous, a true woman, and inspirational as well as one of my girl crushes. I loved her even more after reading, "A Letter To Men." My favorite part was: 

You don't know this, but when we come back from a date, we feel awkward about that transition from our cute outfit into sexy lingerie. We don't know how to do this gracefully. It's embarrassing. We have to find a way to slip into another room, put on the outfit as if it all happened very easily, and then come out and it's: Look at me! Look at the sexy thing I've done! For you, it's the blink of an eye. It's all very embarrassing. Just so you know.

Granted it wasn't her most inspirational quote, but it was the one that I reacted to the most. It connected to me on a level that made me throw back my head and laugh, "God! She's right!" This woman, that came out of nowhere, has impacted my life significantly in such a short period of time. Her beautiful curves have made me love my own body even more. Her classy attitude is a blueprint to what a woman should be. Her portrayal of Joan on Mad Men (my most resent addiction) has fueled my passion for success. I hope she never goes away.

Bleeding Money

After almost a week of listening to the insufferable sound of my tiers squeaking I was able to finally take her into Midas and give her a check up. One oil change and a test drive later, the doctor came in with the diagnoses and a bill. Sure enough, it was my breaks. I nearly fainted from the $590 bill and a peculiar feeling resembling, which I can only assume as being stabbed, in the area of my wallet. I sat in self loathing for three hours as my car was operated on and was able to enjoy 100 pages of my book which I haven't been able to even flip through for the past week, this improved my mood slightly. 

They called me to the desk and walked me through the bill. After hemorrhaging for a few moments when my bank card was swiped, I was overcome with a feeling to crumble onto the floor in a sobbing, unladylike heap. Instead I gathered my pride and walked out the door with my head held high and my bank account empty, I climbed into my car, threw her into drive, and squealed with delight when the breaks reacted better then before. I hadn't realize just how bad my breaks were until I started driving to my man's house. Discovering happily that I don't need to step on my break peddle quite as hard as before and the high pitched squeaks that accompanied my wheels rotation were gone. It was also a huge plus that I could drive down the road without cringing and hoping no one was looking at the crappy little Hyundai with the squeaky breaks. Now she is back to her beautiful sandy-blond glory.

Symposium

Exert from Plato's Symposium

[Primeval man] could walk upright as men now do, backwards or forwards as he pleased, and he could also roll over and over at a great pace, turning on his four hands and four feet, eight in all, like tumblers going over and over with their legs in the air; this was when he wanted to run fast …Terrible was their might and strength, and the thoughts of their hearts were great, and they made an attack upon the gods ... Doubt reigned in the celestial councils. Should they kill them and annihilate the race with thunderbolts, as they had done the giants, then there would be an end of the sacrifices and worship which men offered to them; but, on the other hand, the gods could not suffer their insolence to be unrestrained. At last, after a good deal of reflection, Zeus discovered a way. He said: 'I have a plan which will humble their pride and improve their manners; men shall continue to exist, but I will cut them in two and then they will be diminished in strength and increased in numbers; this will have the advantage of making them more profitable to us. They shall walk upright on two legs, and if they continue insolent and will not be quiet, I will split them again and they shall hop about on a single leg.'

I was watching an episode of Bones just now and Dr. Brennan shared a piece of knowledge at the end, just like she always does. She mentioned how Plato viewed a soul mate, or twin flame as it's also referred to. Man being split into two and forced to wander the earth for eternity searching to fill the emptiness in their souls. This made me think about all of the different uses for the term soul mate that I've heard. I myself agree with Plato, maybe not on the aspect of Zeus but the idea of my other half being out there somewhere has always been a comforting thought in times of heartache. It has also been a guiding string connected to my heart which, when you boil it down, is much like wearing it on your sleeve. History has shown that wearing my heart in such a way has caused it to break a couple of times, but current events are proving to be very positive for it.

The idea of a soul mate is a fond thought for many. To find the one that completes you in mind, body, and spirt has been used in many romantic stories, old and new. Little girls grow up with stories of Snow White and Cinderella and their Prince Charming. Little boys as well hear stories of Superman and Lois Lane, Spider-man and Mary Jane. A soul mate is a common element that children's stories have held, regardless of the gender that they are directed towards. The thought is romantic and heartwarming. It's what sells millions of books and novels each year. It's what keeps some people warm at night, whether it be a thought or an actual person.

Now from the view of my mother. She believes that she has found a soul mate in a friend. It is not a physical relationship, but simply the feeling of a kindred  spirit. This brings up a theory that when the souls were split, they were separated into two sexes because they incurred karma while on the Earth. Could it be possible that some same sex souls were also created? Could a soul mate possibly be a friend for life, creating not a physical but intellectual relationship that completes the mind not the body? Or is it possible that there are different types of soul mates, ones for the body, others for the mind.

Virgo Fox Trot

You often see advertisements and offers for horoscope readings online. Sometimes, just for kicks, I punch in my birthday and "see what the stars are saying." Don't get me wrong, I do take some astrology seriously, just not the type that you can get out of the newspaper or off of a website run by Miss Cleo. I did read one today and decided to dissect it because I actually liked it. It's vague enough to relate to many people but also slightly motivational. This is not going to be the full "reading" just highlighted areas I found interesting.

Virgo Monthly Horoscope:

This month we will all feel the effects of Saturn, the Planet of Discipline.

Awesome, I need a little discipline in my life.

As Virgo rules self-improvement and healing, Saturn’s transits this month underscore the importance of abandoning negative behaviors related to self-care. This may encompass coming face-to-face with the demons of addiction. Addiction to a substance, such as cigarettes or alcohol, a compulsion to waste time in mindless channel surfing for hours at a time.

I have already quite smoking so I've started early but that last bit still rings true. I'll find myself laying on the couch flipping through channels of nothing and the next thing I know, three hours have gone by. This is definitely something that I'm going to look into but it will be much easier to beat now that summer is almost here and the weather is becoming beautiful.

During the first week of this month, engage in some honest self-reflection. 

Guess I'm starting that right now.

In the second week, begin to make efforts to change negatives to positives.

I can be a very negative and stressed person so this doesn't seemed too far fetched.

Doors that were once locked will swing open for you.

Who can be upset by that? I've felt so restricted with current and future endeavors and this is extremely good news. I'm just curious as to what these doors will lead to. 

Around the 6th of this month and lasting for six months, expect your family to grow in size. An unexpected pregnancy—not necessarily yours—may occur. Or, maybe the pregnancy is planned but surprise, surprise! Twins or triplets are on the way. Regardless of the exact circumstances, new life is destined to infuse your family with a renewed sense of togetherness. 

This better not be about me! I have a cousin who is pregnant right now so maybe this is talking about her. I really hope it's not me, kids are awesome but I would like to wait a few years thank you very much.

Like I said at the beginning, this is not all of it. It went into more detail at some points but I don't want to bore you. All in all this was a decent reading. 

It may just be a prediction, but I think that sometimes these just help you open your eyes to possibilities, almost like a self help book. It suggests that I kick a habit so thats what I'll try, no harm done just a possibility opened. Too many people take these at face value. Personally I don't take them too seriously just listen to their suggestions and take them under consideration. Not ever person born under the same sign is expected to do the same exact thing, that would be weird.

Book Review I: Cloud of Sparrows

Since this is my first book review, let me just explain a few things. I will not give away spoilers or plot lines, I am simply going to give my likes and dislikes in vague descriptions. You can look up more info on the book online if you want to, I'm just giving my opinion of it. This is not Operas book club. Also I wont be giving star, scale, or any other rating system. My rating style is stating whether or not the book will be staying on my shelf or not (this is very literal too, I have a bookshelf that holds all of the books I cant bare to part with, I think I'm going to need a bigger one soon). I hope you enjoy!

I just recently finished one of the books recommended to me by my boyfriend. Granted, this is the first book for me to finish that he has recommended, two others I have yet to finish. It's not that they are boring, I just had too much reading for my classes to even hope to finish one at a reasonable time.

On a better note, I finally finished one and am very pleased with myself as well as it. Set in Japan during the Samurai era, it was an obvious interest for me. The characters Matsuoka created were very developed and had deep personalities. Each had an enticing background story and seemed to create a personal attachment to the reader. I get lost in all of the names quickly but by creating a reference list with a short description of all major players it became much easier to keep track of everyone. Towards the end of the book I found myself skimming slightly. This is a horrible habit I picked up while reading Huckleberry Finn and the Twilight Saga (mock me, but I needed to see what all of the hype was about). I continued to force my self to read each word for the last 30 pages and was glad I did.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and recommend that if you have not already read it, then you should. It's staying on my bookshelf.

Poor Old Johnny Ray

I was driving home from yet another long shift, feeling like crap and smelling strongly of coffee. My car was warming up finally and the frost on my windshield had decided to melt. I was flipping through my iPod, this reminded me that I needed to delete some of the shit off of it when I got home. I gave up and dropped it into the cup holder which caused it to shuffle. What the hell was Apple thinking when they made this model? "When people actually want to shuffle it, it wont work! But if they set it down too hard, oh well!" Ass holes.

To my surprise a good song actually came on and it brought a smile to my exhausted face. It was the type of song that makes you think of morning sequences. You know the kind, it's usually is in a movie and follows the actor as they are just waking up and getting their day going. In a completely "dork that I am" way, my morning sequence started running through my head filled with sunshine, spinning, and skipping which is a huge stretch for me. I am not a morning person. Still, the ridiculousness of the thought made me laugh and kinda want to make my own personal morning sequence. I would have to change my name to Eileen in order for the song to work.

I love songs like that, ones that make you want to kick up your heels and skip gayly through a field of flowers. It's refreshing, especially after a long shift and sore feet.