I am hosting a Charity Benefit (Fundraiser) on January 29th Benefitting the Special Operations Warrior Foundation ( SOWF.) See Specialops.org. They are an AMAZING organization. They are a small group who do amazing things for Special Ops soldiers and their families.
If a soldier is killed while on duty, the SOWF creates a college fund for their children in which they give them a full ride to college as well as pay for their books, housing, computer, etc. If a soldier is severely wounded while on duty and become handicapped in civilian life, the SOWF gives monetary support for the soldier and their family.
With the crash of the Chinook Helicopter this summer, the SOWF has taken on more children than they have in previous years. They really need all the help they can get. Please, if you can, come down to my even on January 29th. And if you can't, you can donate to them directly.
See the above flier or the benefit information is below:
The Pour House Hero's Benefit (benefitting the SOWF)
When: January 29th 1pm-12Midnight
Where: The Pour House of Bay Ridge (7901 3rd Ave)
*Live Bands *DJ spinning all night *Chinese Auction/Raffle *Drink Specials *Tee Shirt Give Away (while supplies last)
Please come down for this AMAZING cause and be part of a life changing event.
These are less of a set of rules, and more of a letter to figuratively smack you in the face with common sense and send you into an epiphany.
This blog is regarding Exes.Ex girlfriend, boyfriend, dog sitter, best friend. I don’t care.It can be applied to anyone in your life that you need to immediately cut out and then replace.And before you all moan and groan that you could NEVER replace your boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, because they are the absolute best in the world and you would just die without them. Let me tell you.
Shut Up.
People, no matter who they are, in some sense or another, are like shoes.[Male or Female, you can relate to this. So, follow along]You have this pair of sneakers [or heels] that you love OH SO MUCH.They are the perfect color, some how fit with every single outfit, everyone comments on them because they’re awesome, they are super comfortable--you can run marathons in them-- they are just perfect in every single way.
Well, one day you notice your shoe has a hole in it.You ignore it, it gets super big, You try to fix it.They can’t be salvaged, you need to throw them away.You bitch and moan, you’re so upset…You think you can NEVER EVER in a Million years find a shoe quite like this.Because this shoe was ‘one in a million’ (do you see the people correlation now? If not, it’ll karate chop you in the neck in one minute).So you try a bunch of shoes on, you can’t find any…you find a pair..it gives you blisters. Whatever. EVENTUALLY, months , days, years, I don’t care, but EVENTUALLY you find a new pair and then you forget alllllllllllllll about that other pair.
This is like people.
You never think you can live without someone until they are no longer in your life.So, with a preface like that (yes. That was just the preface) lets get into the blog.
On the terms of a real (longer than a few months) relationship, once you break up. You should be broken up.What is the point of keeping them around as a friend.Isn’t that a form of cruel and unusual punishment?
………….[pretty sure it is]
Do you want to know WHY there is no point in keeping exes as friends?
1- In the beginning there is going to be the every day texts (where you’re still trying to cling to that person) that then leads into 4am booty calls or drunk text professions of love
2-It is awkward as hell for the next person.Who wants to see the person who gave you all your trust issues and weird relationship habits?
3-No. Your ex and your new insignificant other will NEVER be friends
4- If we are talking about girls, they’re catty and there will always be that phony ‘let me show you how much better I am than you’ innuendo behind every comment.
5-If we are talking about boys, they’re territorial and there will always be that ‘my horse is bigger than yours. I’ve been there first, I’ve been there last.’ Pissing contest.
There is no winning.There’s always going to be some awkward feeling with their name being brought up or seeing them out of (God Forbid) hang out with them is just awkward and unpleasant for the new person.And lets hope there WILL be a new person for you..otherwise I guess this blog is irrelevant...if you plan on being alone with your ex friend forever.
I’m not saying to do what I did and mentally scar every ex you’ve ever been with just to ensure that they will not come crawling back. . . . but hey.It’s a thought.
This has been your PSA of the day.Welcome to reality.
I can’t help but be disgusted and really catapulted (not just moved..but moved with FORCE) into motion.People are sitting at Wall Street demanding handouts from the 1% and for what? These men and women risked their LIVES for us, our country, our freedoms.And when they get home? People, whether it be congress or business or the country as a whole, turn their backs on them.These soldiers went through countless deployments, been in numerous dangerous situations, they have seen things that, thank God, we will never see.We will never know the gravity and weight of the horrifying things they have seen and done; for us. For our Nation. For Patriotism.
How are they rewarded for their heroism, selflessness, and devotion for their country? Oh. They are rewarded by coming home to be ostracized from their community either by ‘peace loving’ ignorant people who can’t appreciate the job they did, or by business who refuse to hire veterans.
Something must be done. We cannot sit by, as a group while HEROES, real life superheroes, are unemployed.
There are very few things I am passionate about.Very few things I would waste my energy on to make sure my voice was heard for a cause.But this, this seems worth fighting for.Soldiers fought for us, for our country, for our freedoms.Whether or not you agree with war or conflict, they were doing their job.Do not get me wrong, this is not a post about being pro or against war..this is being pro military.They supported us, and we need to support them.
If you know of any job openings, please help veterans out.A charity that really goes above and beyond to help Veterans is Hire Heroes USA (http://www.hireheroesusa.org/).
Please try to help them.
It is Veterans Day, and in the Thanksgiving wake, we should be thankful and grateful for those who have risked everything for us.
So obviously Occupy Wall Street has been a movement for a little under 2 months now. It has gotten A LOT of press, A lot of hatred and a lot of supporters...from all around the Country, if not the Globe. But, people don't really understand what it's about.
Now. Let me begin by saying how, for years (basically birth til I graduated college). I was a huge Hippy, Dreamer, Liberal. Freedom for all person. I believe that America is the greatest nation in the world, I am so incredibly lucky to live here, and New York is one of the best (I haven't been to all 50) States; I am proud to call it my home.I have lived in all of the boroughs, visited a handful of states, lived in other Countries..I've traveled. I would consider myself worldly, but not privileged. I had to bust my ass for everything I've accomplished in my life...and being as Murphy's Law is something that follows my life frequently, nothing has ever come easy. But, alas, I digress. Seeing many different countries and interacting with different cultures, I can say that America is a Free Nation and really has more liberties (such as free speech and freedom to peacefully protest) which other Countries do not allow their citizens. However the 'Freedoms' we have did not come free. Hundreds and Thousands of men and women have lost their lives to ensure our freedoms. They put their lives on the line for the country that they love, to protect people, STRANGERS, that could or could not care less about their grave sacrifices.
Some people enlist because of their patriotism, their love for our country and the love to keep freedom alive..but there are also people who enlist just to get an education and happen to get deployed in the process. However by Occupy Wall Street's definition...Soldiers, making 50k+ a year would be the 1%.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for charities, causes and protests. But this one just doesn't make sense to me. Sitting in a park HECKLING, rudely, violently, smell-ily HECKLING people who they deem 'rich' (which is not always true) DEMANDING that they give these occupiers money...I just don't see the point in that. I am Blessed, by far. But I have had to work SO SO hard for it. More than many people will know. I worked off the books making less than minimum wage for 10 years..I worked through high school, worked through college..missed events that I would've liked to go to, missed times with friends, even missed out on school things just because I had to work to ensure I had some money to pay for school and gas and everything else I needed. I am lucky enough to have my parents around for help if i ever needed them (although I never needed to fall back on them, thank God). But, it has been tough. I know the economy is bad and that unemployment is 9%. When I graduated college, I applied to jobs everywhere...in every state before settling on 25k a yr job in NYC. It took me 2hrs to get to and from work every day (2 hours each way) I was always exhausted, I took A LOT of shit from my coworkers...more than I should have..more than professionalism allows..and still. i did it. EVERY DAY. Day in and Day out. I went to work, I busted my ass, I took shit because I was the 'low man' on the totem pole and that's what you do. There were days I came home crying for hours so upset about my life and my commute and not living up to my private college degree. But I stayed. for a full year I stayed and I worked my way up and things got better.
I know America has fallen on tough times, but dividing into groups of pettiness and indefinably caused protest isn't going to change anything. I've seen these protestors in action. I've seen them throw paper airplanes at a building, I've seen them come down to my job and sing telegrams, I've walked through their crowds of angry slurs and insults as I was going to get lunch. I am certainly not the 1%. I live in a modest apartment with my boyfriend, I drive a leased car, I have student loans, my biggest expenses are basically my partying habit and my grocery bill. But yet as I walked to and from work for that day Occupy Wall Street came to my job, I got heckled and harassed as if I was the enemy. This cause is so blanketed with just general hatred for big business and 'the man' that it really lost it's leg to stand on. I cannot see the support for a group who throws airplanes of 'support letters' at a gigantic building. it's laughable. While I do think many of the 1% (although i do not classify it as wall street people) do not need all their money...they certainly do a lot. They work hard, put in 20+ hour days..and they have families to go home to, vacations they're late for, birthdays they miss. They are not the soulless blood sucking money hungry machines these Occupiers make them out to be. I am not like that. I sit with these men and women every day and know how great they are, how hard they work, and really how stressful an environment the business world is. It is tough, it is scary and it is ALWAYS hard work. But we do it. We have fun, we work hard, and we produce results.
Now for people to break their backs doing their job and then have jobless (partially by choice masked in a 'doing it for the cause' attitude) people demanding them to give away their HARD EARNED MONEY for people who don't care enough to get a job...I just don't see it. I understand jobs are tough, but that just means you need to try harder. Set yourself a part. Work for it. You can't always get the job you want..certainly not in this day and age. But you have to take what you can get. Working in McDonald's isn't glamorous, and I'm sure it doesn't pay well or what someone with a college degree would expect to be making...but in these times you can't pick and choose. Work in a McDonalds or dog walking or cleaning up someone's house...Watch someone's Children a couple of times a week. These are jobs that SOMEONE needs to do..while they may not be glamorous or careers..they are still jobs and someone needs to do them. I think Occupy Wall STreet needs to find some humility and really take any open vocation. The American Dream was built on hard work and perseverance. Not hand outs. That is communism. And really, I refuse to have any kind of treason in my country.
Before you choose sides or think my rantings are biased..Please, I ask you. Remember the foundations that our beautiful nation was built on. Strength, determination, compassion. These ColorsDon't Run. Look up our nations very first flag and tell me that these Occupy Wall Street protesters understand our country and it's beliefs, values, very identity, at all.
Just so i do not keep my countless fans in the dark, i will revisit the topic of my new job.
It is my third week here, and I could not be more happy! As predicted, I do not recall my reasons for the aprehensive feelings, but this office is absolutely more my social speed.
There are countless team building exercises (my team consists of over 100 people...theres more than 300 on my floor!) as well as hilarious conversations, exciting people, and of course no office is complete without prank phonecalls and football tossing brainstorms.
This office is a well oiled product over producing machine, yet it has the fun vibe of a frat house. This experience is like night and day between where I came from and where I find myself now, and I can not be any more greatful.
It is becoming more and more evident as I get older (and am willing to accept and embrace it now) that all those 'everything happens for a reason' cliches my mom used to tell me were 100% true. Because, since graduating college, my 'plan' has DRASTICALLY altered and changed to tailor fit my new life changes, that previously went unaccounted for...you see, freshman in college me would be SO disappointed to find out that I never went to Cali or Nashville to live like planned..i would think that this new,older, adult version of me 'sold out' by not chasing the dream. But in reality, my dreams (so cliche this is sounding) could never be this good. I have everything I ever wanted, only much sooner than I had planned.
So, you were right all alone, Mom! I am EXACTLY where I need to be in life. Everything DOES work out :) .
So I am currently listening to a handful of AMAZING cover songs [which are my guilty pleasures in life. don't worry, I will post a handful of the links below] and kind of taking a breather to think about life. I have done two loads of laundry today, cleaned my bathroom (bleached the heck out of it, to be exact!), trying to decide what lovely meal I can make for my boyfriend and myself with the chicken I defrosted, and thinking about my future.
You see, my future has been on my mind a lot lately.
Sure, I am not at an age where my impending future is immediate and needs to be heavily weighed on my mind, I mean, I have no baggage, no kids, no real 'responsibilities' nothing weighing me down to any one particular area. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those things, I certainly hope to have all that in the near future, but as of right now I do not have any of those things. So what is the big pressure to look at my future under a microscope, you ask? Well, Today I started a new job!
Now, I have been out of college for a year now, and immediately started a job in my industry upon my graduation. (Excluding extreme personal details from the Internet, we will just say that it was in an industry in which my college degree could be used for, and I quite enjoyed my job) However, I made the move to switch industries completely and therefore thrust my life [full throttle] into a new endeavor.
I am not a huge fan of change..I will accept it and adapt to it, as everyone does, and I can easily acclimate to any change and usually forget why I was so apprehensive in the first place. But I am not a huge fan of change because I get so caught up in the 'what ifs' and it makes me nervous. That being said, today was my first day. It was all preliminary of course, paperwork, office excursions, descriptions....all the usu (usual). Tomorrow starts my real day, i suppose, because it begins the first day of my two week training. As nervous as I am, I am SO excited, because this gives me a new chance at an endeavor to prove myself. I get to learn something new and ultimately be the best at it (as I do not settle for being anything less than amazing at any task I set myself to).
So, back to the main purpose to my post, I have a lot on my mind with this new job. I am so nervous and excited and happy, I just have my mind so set on the future...it's like a clash of industries. Where I saw myself a few years ago in college and where I am heading towards now, are absolutely completely different areas. I can't help but wonder [and anticipate] what road all these endeavors will lead me down, what more shenanigans I will find myself in, what new rabbit hole's I will crawl down, and ultimately what person I will be left as after all is said and done.
...I guess all I can do is sit back and let the pendulum turn and time do it's thing, and anxiously anticipate every curve and new adventure life has in store for me.. :)
**What I am Listening To** (i have NO rights to these songs. I am just a fan passing along some great unknown artists)
Does anyone ever wonder what exactly happened to the 80’s?
No, I am not talking about teased hair, leg warmers, and shoulder pads…you can keep all that and leave me with the occasional side ponytail. I’m talking about the hair metal which was the sinful sounds of Bon Jovi, or the soft tones and heartbreaking lyrics of The Cure or The Smith’s.
What happened to love movie’s like Sixteen Candles or Say Anything?Where are the men like that? I mean, they are out there [I hope.] don’t get me wrong, I am sure they are out there.But how many men are going to hold a radio outside your window in a creepy conspicuous trench coat? But it’s okay John Cusack, you can wear all the ‘streaker’trench coats you want, I would still run outside for you.
I know each generation and turning of the century comes with some new craze that is socially accepted for years.I mean, me personally, I would have made a great hippie.I would have been the perfect flower child… I fell a few decades short of that boat, though.To my EXTREME dismay.But, alas, I digress.I feel that the millennia generation is filled with tons of fads.The 80’s had hair metal, rock and roll that paved the way for tons of musicians to create new genres…like progressive rock bands like Coheed and Cambria who have more instruments and interludes than lyrics.There were movies like Flash Dance, Footloose, Hairspray and Dirty Dancing that made people socially aware of injustices and ridiculously amazing dance moves (not to mention Dream Boats like Kevin Bacon and Patrick Swayze!)
But what has the millennia had?
When I am in the car with my mother, I know the stations she listens to, to hear songs from her past..or channels where my grandparents or even parents watch movies from distant years.But I often wonder, what will *THIS* generation’s children be reading about in History books and listening to the radio from our generation now? I mean, I highly doubt TCM or AMC are going to be playing ‘THE HANGOVER’ in 20 years or so.So where will all OUR music and movie’s go? Will they become Classics? Some of that is a scary thought because I can’t see any generation being significant enough to be on TV or the radio YEARS from now.
Absolutely it is irrefutable that we have had the most SIGNFICANT breakthroughs in technology than ever before.I remember getting one of the first computers, having a beeper, and my mother having the first cell phone (that was comparable in size to a cinderblock).Or the bourgeois ‘car phones’ that were CORDED! All those ideas are things to laugh at now! Ga-faw.But other than extreme technological endeavors and accomplishments.What have we given to society?Our music scene is dismal.There is nothing earth shattering going on there.Our Fashion fads are really just coming full circle from other generations anyhow; I mean, jelly sandals? Really? (yes, okay, I secretly love them too! But they’re old news guys, come on!)
These are things that keep me up at night.Other than huge advancements in Technology, and the obvious War On Terrorism, what will our kids be learning about our generation?
I would love to get other people’s opinions on this, because I am hitting a scary and genuine roadblock here.
Today marks the end of an Era.It has just been released to the press that this morning, Friday May 20, 2011, THE Macho Man Randy Savage died in a car crash brought upon by a massive heart attack.
The Macho Man, as he was so endearingly called, was one of the greatest things to happen to wrestling.All the glitz and the glamour that was the 80’s could be found displayed on The Macho Man’s flamboyant attire as pieces of flare, and badges of honor.
With the retirement of wrestlers such as Hollywood Hulk Hogan, The Macho Man Randy Savage, and the Ultimate Warrior, wrestling went to a new generation and completely changed is stripes.Instead of being something of beauty, showmanship, and pageantry, wrestling became more of a soap opera; with side stories, family qualms, and love triangles.There were no more crazy costumes, pure reasonable rivalries and men so deep in character you weren’t sure if they were actors or really truly believed that they were their character; like a president of Iran (Iron Sheik).Now wrestling has become all speedos, baby oil and bad catch phrases.WWE Wrestling has become Soap Operas for men, instead of a coming of age passage that the WWF was so rightfully so.
You can keep your ‘smell what the rock is cookin’ and bring me back to the days of “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you, brother” or Macho Man’s “ooooohh yeah”.R.I.P. Macho Man Randy Savage, WWF and all the glitz, glamour, boas, glitter, and guy-liner that came with 1980’s/1990’s wrestling.
You may see them in train stations, billboards, people handing out fliers in the street or spitting gospel, but they all hold the same message…"The apocalypse is coming.”Whether it is in 2012 like the Mayans say, or May 21st which is what I keep seeing on billboards for some advertiser; they all hold the same message that the end is near.This makes me ponder the question, ‘what exactly does the end bring?’Now, being the huge horror movie buff and zombie lover that I am, I can only assume that, whenever the end is, it will host zombies.Yes, I said Zombies.The flesh eating undead, risen from the grave to feed on the flesh of the living.
Before I *really* get in to my crazy thoughts, let me just say that most of my blog is just going to be thoughts passing through my mind.They are not necessarily true, nor strong beliefs of mine, just things I feel would be good conversations or subjects I would like to hear other’s opinion on.
That being said, I am strongly passionate about Zombies.
So now when this Zombie apocalypse does come upon us, think about it….REALLY think about it.Where would you go? You can’t stay in your house, because there’s probably too many windows and entrances to ensure security.
But now let me not get ahead of myself. As any zombie-fanatic would point out, there are many different kinds of zombies.I am a huge George A. Romero buff, but even he has differing opinions on Zombies.Will the apocalypse be filled with slow moving zombies who can easily be outsmarted and outran like in the 1960’s classic, Night of the Living Dead.Or, will these zombies be part of the new generation, like in the 2005 Romero movie, Land of the Dead.Personally, Land of the Dead frightens me, not because the movie is amazing and accurate (that is all debatable), but because those Zombies are quick, and can learn! Never before in a Zombie movie, or any zombie documentation, have zombies been able to learn; that makes them a far more dangerous predator.
In my daydream of the zombie apocalypse, I see zombies as being ‘regular’ undead people.They can’t learn, they don’t have superhuman powers, they are just the undead.Examples of these standard undead thoughts are in Shaun of the Dead (but without the satire) or the new [and amazing] AMC hit, The Walking Dead.With these versions of regular zombies, my plan would be to stay in my 5th floor apartment facing the water.It is easily accessible to the highway (hoping I have a spot near my house) and I will still stand by the notion that Zombies cannot swim.I feel I will be nice and safe in my building that zombies cannot climb into the window or break through my front door.But now the question that lingers is…’sure, I am in walking distance from the store, but what happens when all that food expires?’I feel it is far more easy to have a viable safe house, but what do you do when the food supply runs out?There is not a Nasa store where we can pick up food in a tube, so what does one do? Also, where would I get my weapons from? Yes you can turn anything into a weapon, but I don't know if I can kill anything in upclose hand to hand combat. Regardless of if they are already dead. These lingering questions make me think, although I WILL survive through the zombie apocalypse, will it be as easy and badass as I envision?
Anyone reading this, take a second to think about your zombie getaway plan.Where would you go? Who and what would you take with you? Where would you get weapons from, can you really kill an undead? What would you do if your loved ones turned? And, my big quandary, What would you do for food?
