Thirty Things Every Woman Should Know by Age 30

Today, while waiting for the doc, I was perusing my newest Glamour magazine when I came across this blurb: Thirty Things Every Woman Should Know by Age 30. The magazine directed me to the website for the full 30. I like this--when a couple of my friends turned thirty recently, I came up with a couple of my own "30" lists. But this is a good one. Glamour contributor, Pamela Redmond Satran came up with the list. So here it is.

By 30, you should have:

1

One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come. (Well, needless to say, I can't imagine going back to any of my former boyfriends. But, yes, I have come a long way. Anybody who has known me through my relationships knows that! I finally found a good one!)

2

A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family. (Yeah. Couches and a queen sized bed bought brand new. In storage.)

3

Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.

(I have some decent things to wear. Like the perfect green goddess dress for a daytime wedding.)

4

A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying. (I think I need new luggage. My last set of "real" luggage I got when I graduated high school at 17. Though I have an overnight bag thats okay.)

5

A youth you’re content to move beyond. (Yeah. Been there, done that. Had fun, but things are good now!)

6

A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age. (Why wait that long to retell?)

7

The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it. (Gotta work on the retirement fund.)

8

An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.

9

A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.

10

One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry. (I'm lucky in the friend department.)

11

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

12

Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

13

The belief that you deserve it.

14

A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30. (Well, I use Mary Kay and I go to the gym. I even floss now!)

15

A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better. (I have a job I love--and tenure--and a great guy too!)

By 30, you should know:

1

How to fall in love without losing yourself. (I'm certainly better at this now than I was at 18. Thats for sure! I'm deliriously happy in love but have my own life too!)

2

How you feel about having kids. (This hasn't changed since I was 18. I still want 'em! And at least 2.)

3

How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship. (Last year, I had to break up with someone for the first time--and I did it twice (with two different guys)! I found it strangely liberating!)

4

When to try harder and when to walk away.

5

How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.

6

The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town. (Ummm...gotta work on this one!)

7

How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.

8

How to take control of your own birthday. (I'm good at this one--I love celebrating my birthday!)

9

That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents. (I'm happy with me! Usually!)

10

That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over. (You take the good...you take the bad...you take them both...and there you have the facts of life!)

11

What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.

12

That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long. (Yeah, falling down drunk is not as cute in your later twenties as it was when you were 18. Thats for sure!)

13

Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.

14

Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault. (I have to work on this one. A certain somebody who shall remain nameless tells me I apologize too much for things that have nothing to do with me!)

15

Why they say life begins at 30. (I'm two years from being 30. But in may ways, life is better for me now than it ever was. I look better now than I did at say, twenty-one. I'm in a wonderful relationship with a great guy and I'm settled in a career I love. I've got friends and family who are supportive. Things are good.)

Ways to Kill a Sore Throat

Sunday, I felt a sore throat coming on--then awoke in the middle of the night with the chills and a definite fever. Today, I'm home sick for the second day in a row. I went to the doctor today to confirm that I didn't have strep throat. I was right--just a virus. I've been gargling with salt water and drinking lots of tea with lemon and honey. However, I discovered a couple new remedies for a sore throat here and also here.

If you have a sore throat, try gargling with cayenne and salt. Apparently, the cayenne helps to bring circulation to the affected area and draws away the infection. Both websites I came across suggested gargling or drinking a concoction of apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt, honey and warm water. Trust me--its not as gross as it sounds! Its not half-bad, and the spice won't kill you either (though it will make your nose run)!

Strange, you're thinking. Well, the acidity of the apple cider vinegar will kill the bacteria in your throat on contact. According to Health911, this method will even work on cases of strep throat.

I've gargled with the cayenne and salt a couple times and once with the apple cider vinegar and honey/cayenne concoction. It feels like it's helping. Try it next time you get a sore throat. Let me know what you think. Has anyone used these remedies before?

I've heard of drinking a spirit such as brandy or whiskey when your throat is sore, but have never tried it. Some of the sites I checked out online suggested gargling with it, or making a tea with a shot of whiskey. According to Wikipedia, the alcohol will numb the throat and also work as an aniseptic. Pretty interesting! I didn't try this one!

Free Iced Coffee Day

Today, being the first day of Spring, is Free Iced Coffee Day at Dunkin Donuts! This morning, it was less than 30 degrees on my way to work, but I stopped for my free coffee. Four years ago, on the first Free Iced Coffee Day (that I recall), I think I got 4-5 free coffees from all different Dunkin Donuts. Tonight, maybe I'll get one more. Enjoy!

Here it is!

Here's the photo I promised!!! Also, a custom header as well! Enjoy!

Joyful Week End

Well, it was certainly a delightful weekend even with the snowstorm we got on Friday! For the record, I love snow but after the balmy temperatures in the 70s we had last week I am ready to officially pack away the mittens and scarves for the capris and tank tops!

Saturday, we took my mother out for a birthday dinner. There were 13 of us--immediate and some extended family--and Eric met 'em all! I knew they'd all like him and I was right! And, the best part, my wacky family didn't freak him out! Eric has posted a pic of us from that dinner--see his blog for it...later on, I'll post a couple myself.

Eric and I enjoy a busy Sunday--we made a quick run to the Cherry Hill Mall, at lunch/dinner at the Olive Garden and bought some home essentials (including four pairs of chopsticks, wine charms and windchimes) at the Pier One Imports Outlet Store. Next we'll need to buy some wine glasses for the wine charms!

Our Sunday evening was spent at the movies--Eric wanted to see 300, so we went. It wouldn't have been a movie I would have chosen to see, but I still enjoyed it. The visuals were amazing and there were only a few parts where I had to close my eyes!

(Oh yeah. And for the record, I'm still working on the layout of this blog! I'm going to try using Photoshop to create a custom header. Keep checking back for a newer and improved blog!)

Changes

As you can tell, I've been making some changes to the template of my blog! Its still a work in progress. Unfortunately, I'm not all that "html" smart so I'm trying to make changes using the new Blogger, as well as trying to learn some html basics! Any comments or feedback or tips, I'd greatly appreciate! And if you like what I've done, say so! :)

Gomez Rocks!

Last night, my friend Dennis and I saw Gomez play Webster Hall. What a show! I've previously boasted about Gomez's latest studio album, How We Operate. Their music is fun and it ranges from fast and upbeat "rockin' out" to mellow acoustic tunes.

So I'd noticed listening to their music that there is more than one male vocalist. What I hadn't realized was that three of the guys sing lead vocals on various songs--and according to this review by NPR, five of the guys are songwriters! Wow! Thats pretty unusual in a band, I think! So, I think I love this band even moreso, now that I've seen them live!

They have a great live energy and they are just a great, fresh, original rock band. Dennis and I had pushed our way almost all the way to the front of the crowds, so not only did we have a great vantage point, but we were thrown into the bouncing arrays of dancing fiends. I was dancing quite a bit and so was Dennis. Or he may have been just bobbing his head in time with the music. What was crazy was that the floor actually felt like it was wobbling! It was weird!

New Beginnings

Well, I've posted a bit here and there about Eric, my new guy. I've posted about our third date and mentioned his name in passing a few times.

Well, you, my fellow reader are probably wondering how things went after the third date. Or maybe you're not. My readers have been quite busy. One is planning a wedding, one had a baby and one is buying a house. (For the record, I do have other readers who post comments on occasion. But there are not many. Unless they are hiding in the woodwork--which is possible, too. Anyway--back to the topic at hand.)

So we had a third date. And a fourth date. And a fifth date. Yes, a sixth too...a seventh...an eighth...I've lost track. How many dates have we had, Eric? ;) I think we can stop counting now! We met through an online website, just when I was getting frustrated with meeting all frogs. For your knowledge, many of the frogs were perfectly nice guys. But not right for me. There are certain factors that must be present in a relationship for it work. Or it won't. I've learned! Chemistry. Mental and physical. Great sense of humor. If you can't laugh at each other's jokes, you'll end up hating each other. Trust me. Ability to talk to each other for hours is key. It's not as important to have lots of common interests--but what's more important is to be open to each other's interests. Open-minded, I should say.

So, there were relationships I ended, because they just weren't right. We couldn't really talk. Or, (Insert name of a certain ex here) didn't appreciate my goofy, silly side. (Insert name of another ex here) was so cheap that he would ream me out anytime I wanted to give a small amount of money to a charitable cause. Also, I don't need to be with somebody who is narrow-minded or has completely different beliefs as me! Been there, done that.

So exactly one month and week after meeting, I'm writing about my relationship with Eric. He wrote about us on his blog, so now its my turn. I think after meeting lots of frogs, I've finally found my prince! We're crazy about each other! Its a wonderful feeling that I haven't felt in a long time--and, I'm not sure that its ever felt quite like this. We just feel right. Right for each other anyway. Don't worry--we won't be running off to Vegas anytime soon to elope! But things are good!

Free Music!

I logged into Emusic a couple days ago out of curiosity. I actually checked out the site because Eric told me he had an offer to get some free music downloads. Well, if you sign up for a membership, you get 25 free downloads! Here's how it works--the first two weeks is a free trial. So basically, if you cancel within those first two weeks, you keep your music and don't get charged. Sweet! So I got my 25 free downloads. Here are some of my "new music" finds. For the record...they may not all be new music, but they're new to me!

1. I'd read about Elvis Perkins in Rolling Stone, then came across some of his music. The son of actor Anthony Perkins, Elvis has a great folky sound. I downloaded a couple of his songs and can't wait to hear some more of his music!

2. I came across a band called The Format. I'd never heard of them before but I really am digging their tunes! Their sound is similiar to the band, Bright Eyes. (The cool thing is I just scored free tickets to see Guster in April and I found out The Format is opening for them!)

3. I downloaded some more of Josh Ritter's music. He's not quite new to me but I've been listening to some more of his music in depth and I really like it.

4. Last.fm recommended the band Winterpills to me. They have a similiar sound to Death Cab for Cutie. They're quite good!

5. Finally, I downloaded this album. Its the Smithereens cover version of "Meet the Beatles." Its a fun and fresh take on this classic album.

Charging Moose Brings Down Hovering Helicopter

Yesterday, Eric sent me this story about a moose who took down a helicopter. How odd. The story sounds funny at first. The helicopter was hovering above and the moose charged into it. However, read further into the article, and you'll see that the moose was maimed by the helicopter's rotary blades and had to be euthanized. While, the moose is one of my favorite creatures, there is a lesson to be learned from this incident. A moose is obviously NOT a creature to be reckoned with!

Goal Setting

I set a goal for myself this New Years that I would get myself back on my good eating and exercising routine! Well, its almost March and I've been on track for a month now with working out. I've also been eating right for the majority of the new year. This time, I'm NOT following Weight Watchers. I think its a great program and I've lost a ton of weight on WW in the past--but this time, I'm trying it on my own (eating everything in moderation--mostly healthy foods and once-in-a-while-splurges). And it seems to be working--so far! I've been working out four days a week. I've even tried some new classes at the gym--Fitball and Water Aerobics. I feel great and I LOOK like I'm getting toned! Today, I put on a zip down hoodie from last spring and was delighted when the thing practically was hanging off of me! Yay, me!

Six Bits of Weirdness

I was tagged by Jennifer to post six weird things about myself. So here goes!

1. When I'm really angry, my nose twitches!

2. I was almost born on my dad's birthday. His birthday is October 3rd. I guess my mom went into labor with me on the 2nd (or maybe it was the 3rd) but I was delivered on October 4th.

3. I love road trips. That might not be so weird, but I've also been on a couple road trips by myself! I once drove to Missouri by myself to visit friends. On the way home, I drove fourteen hours in one day (from 8am to 10 pm) with minimal stops! By the end of that evening, I was alert with the aid of NoDoz and Visine! Strangely enough, I even find solo road trips liberating an invigorating!

4. Speaking of road trips...on my cross-country road trip three and a half years ago, I spent a night at my friend Amber's in Memphis, where she was living at the time. This was July in the South. Hot!!! And, the city of Memphis was in the midst of a sixteen day long power outage, thanks to a powerful storm. I was staying with Amber at the tail end of this power outage. Half of Beale Street was closed down. Also, the windows in Amber's house were painted shut so it was very, very stuffy! However, the morning I was leaving, we woke up to power. Lights. Electricity. AC. (Speaking of power outages, the famous power outage in the Northeast took place only a couple weeks later! I was sitting in the pub on the Berkeley Campus in Berkeley, California when it took place!)

5. I am not obsessive-compulsive by any means! However, I do sorta have an obsessive personality. I get really fixated on something and then I totally lose interest. Example, last spring, I HAD to have the Nintendo DS. I got it and it was a fun toy for about a month...it still comes out to play once in a while, but for the most part, I've lost interest in it.

6. I'm a vegetarian. Is that weird? A lot of people are vegetarians these days, but its still not the norm! I last had pork/lamb when I was fourteen. When I was fifteen, I gave up red meat. When I was 20, in the frozen foods aisle of Shop Rite, I decided it was time to stop eating poultry and become a full-fledged vegetarian.

I'm supposed to tag six people to do this meme. I'm not even sure if six peole read this blog! How about this concept? If you'd like to post six weird things, cool! If not, thats okay, too.

Centralia

About six years ago, I first learned about the mine fire burning underneath the town of Centralia, Pa. The story fascinated me to no end and to this day, I can't get enough of the story!

Let me start from the beginning. Somewhere in the midst of central Pennsylvania lies the mining town of Centralia, Pa. It was never a big town but it was a mining town. Anthrocite, a type of coal, was mined here. However, after the 1929 stock market crash, one of the mining companies folded. And that was that. Centralia's mining days were over!

Fast forward to the year 1962. Landfills sit atop the old mine. A fire starts in the landfill...the fire spreads and spreads underneath the town of Centralia. The anthrocite fire cannot be extinguished! The fire continued to burn for many years (and still does to this day)! The residents of the town continued to live in this inferno! In the early 1980s, an eleven or twelve year old boy, was standing in his grandmother's backyard when the ground opened up beneath him! He slid twelve feet beneath the earth, grasping onto tree roots to prevent him from falling into the fire beneath the ground! Thankfully, his older cousin was able to grab hold of him and pull him to safety. After this, lots of money was spent to relocate the residents of Centralia. Some still stay though. I don't know, maybe ten.

The town of Centralia is a few hours from where I live. Maybe three. I really want to go there and check it out. Turns out that Eric, the guy I've been seeing, is from a town pretty nearby to Centralia! How cool is that? And, he was able to get me a reviewer's copy of the book, The Day the Earth Caved in: An American Mining Tragedy, a book all about the Centralia mine fires.

A Good Weekend

Did I mention that I love weekends? Did I mention that I love four day weekends? I'm so happy that I'm off Monday and Tuesday for Presidents Day/Winter Break! It's been a good and interesting weekend thusfar.

Friday, I went to the gym and stayed home and chilled!

Saturday, I slept in and ran errands, did laundry, etc.

Saturday night, I had a third date, which in my opinion, went quite well! We had dinner at a delicious restaurant called Coccola, a trendy and energetic eatery. We met at eight and sat, eating and eating and drinking, until after eleven. I started off with some kind of strawberry-rum type drink with lime! It was sweet, but not too sweet, not too strong, just right. I followed that with a glass of white sangria, which was served in a gigantic sized wine glass! My appetizer was the Asian spring rolls--crunchy and tasty! Dinner was the eggplant ravioli, minus the lobster! The raviolis were wonderfully flavorful and the sauce was yummy and tangy! I ordered one of my very favorite desserts--the tiramasu--a perfect way to end the meal! After dinner, the rest of the evening was spent talking...many hours of talking about every and any topic imaginable. We were sorta baffled by the fact that we get along so well even though we have such different interests.

So, if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll notice this is the first date I've blogged about in quite a while. In the past few months, I've been on many first, second, and even one other third date(s)! But this is the first one that I felt was worthy of a posting.

So today's Sunday. I may just linger in my pajamas all day. That sounds good to me! Monday night, I have another date. And Tuesday night, I'm having dinner with my brother and his wife. Wednesday, I'll be back at school. Then 2 more days to another weekend! I love weekends :)

Happy ValentineSnow Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day, Readers! Today I'm savoring every lovey-dovey Valentine-y moment possible with my cute and cuddly Norton and Pumpkin! Outside, its icing buckets and I'd like to say my house is toasty and warm but alas, we're having heating issues here. Hopefully, it will be resolved soon! Well, its nice to spend a Valentines Snow Day home in my sweats!

On a side note, my 4th generation iPod doesn't like me too much anymore. It hardly holds any battery charge; I think its just about time to upgrade to one of those nifty 30 gig color/video iPods.

Dummies...Read this!

Last night, I went to Barnes and Noble to break up the monotony of the week...work, tutoring, gym, laundry. I perused several books and magazines and enjoyed a soy green tea latte.

One thing I always find interesting is the collection of "For Dummies" books. Poker for Dummies, Dog Training for Dummies, Exercising for Dummies, etc. But this one takes the cake for sure as the funniest I've seen yet!

Myspace for Dummies.

Now if you need that book, you really are a dummie! (Sorry if I offended anybody who owns that book.)

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something

And I said "What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?" She said, "I think I remember the film, And as I recall, I think, we both kinda liked it." And I said, "Well, that's the one thing we've got."

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

A Bored, Busy Bee

I've been incredibly busy lately...I'm working out A LOT more than I have in a long time! Last week, I hit the gym five times! This week, I started taking classes there...Tuesday night, I tried water aerobics and yesterday, fitball. I'm working my butt off (literally!) and I'm feeling results! This is a great thing.

Along with the gym, and my regular teaching job, I tutor a couple days a week...my weekends are usually jam-packed...my Saturday morning class, catching up with laundry and chores, and getting together with friends, etc...

So, does it make any sense, that with my busy schedule and all, I get home at night and I'm so BORED? Singledom is not all it's cracked up to be. I read...I started writing in a journal regularly--for the first time in years! I don't watch too much tv but spend too much time on the computer. I think I need more emotional fulfillment...or something...

(This is really not meant as a rant or a rave...just a comment...)

You Are 72% Indie

You're a very indie person, and admit it, you look down a little on people who strive to be normal. You'll indulge in a little mainstream pop culture every now and then. But for you, anything not indie is a guilty pleasure!

How Indie Are You?

Lets-Ban-the-Superbowl Sunday

Okay, well, I didn't really ban the Superbowl. I went to a girlfriend's house and it was just the two of us and we decided not to watch it. We did indulge in the Superbowl required finger foods...I made a yummy Mexican pizza and we had mint chocolate chip ice cream with fat free No Pudge cappucino flavored brownies...yum. Instead of watching the Superbowl, we watched the Last Kiss with Zach Braff. It was definately NOT a chick flick--very realistic and on some levels, disturbing. It did have a somewhat happy ending but not really one you'd expect. I would certainly recommend it though!