The Spirit Of Giving

One of the things I am grateful for is working for a company that enjoys giving back. Earlier in the year, I put together a different basket worth over five hundred dollars and had donations from four local businesses. All the proceeds went towards helping buy a parcel of land for our community forest. This is the point of community. To give back. 

This month, I put together a basket worth over $150 and it has many amazing things in it. It's a raffle for anyone who brings in a non-perishable food item. And it is called incentive. On one hand, it makes me sad people need incentive to donate food to those in need. On the other, I'm excited to be able to help and encourage people to pull out the items from their cupboard they no longer want or need. (Or clothes and blankets!)

So, as it draws closer to the holiday season, try to keep in mind those who may need a little help. 

Ingenious

No one has ever described me as 'neat and tidy'. But I like things to have a place and for them to be put in that place when they are done being used. This doesn't change the fact my closet looks like a clothes bomb went off in it. A scene from Clueless just popped into my head. The one where Alicia Silverstone's character, Cher, is trying to find an outfit for school and she has the computer to help her match her clothes together.

And because the intersnacks is awesome, the clip is actually on YouTube and I can embed it here:


My life would be so much simpler if I had this computerized wardrobe selector. I don't, though. I have a tiny closet and not enough hangers. Still, I like to keep things together. Cleanish. In place. Sometimes I think of cool ways to display things. Like a vase holding all my driftwood pieces or reusing a little glass jar of face cream by washing it out and putting all my earrings in it. Speaking of which, I have stretched my ears to zero gauge, rendering all my old earrings obsolete. Yet I can't seem to get rid of them. I guess if I ever downsize I can use them again. There is a bit of debate over how big you can stretch and go back to normal after. Word on the street is 00. So, all things point to downsizing is possible in my future.

Anyhow, the other day a light bulb went off in my head. Ding! (That's the sound my idea light bulb makes) I had these old shower curtain hangers and a bundle of necklaces that kept getting all tangled up. So, BAM, I combine the two and now have an awesome way to keep my necklaces organized.

I took a picture so you can see my ingeniousness.

This might be the most boring post I've sent forth into the virtual world, but at least there's a Clueless snippet in it. What are some of your idea for keeping things organized and awesome? I need all the tips I can get. 

She Let's Her Hair Down

Guys don't hit on me.

A bold statement if I've ever made one.

Well, it's true.

My ex, we will call him Jay, once told me that I am severely unapproachable. When someone speaks to me out in the wild, I instantly have a 'get away from me' and 'don't touch me unless you want to lose a hand' vibe going on. This may have been the case seven years ago when I was living in the city and cultivated a harder exterior after one too many run-ins with yahoos and wack-a-doos on the street.

These days, I like to think I'm softer. Not only because I've let my workout regime fall to the wayside, but because I've grown up a lot. I've matured. And I stopped shaving my armpits and have embraced a nice frolic through the dewy morning grass. One of those last things isn't true. I'll let you decide on your own because I feel all readers should be involved in what they are reading to some extent.

For example, I'm not going to tell you my surroundings or what I am wearing as I type this because I firmly believe you have enough of an imagination to come up with that information on your own. In actuality, you really shouldn't be thinking about what I am wearing or where I am while I write this. It has nothing to do with the content of the article, nor does it make reading it any more enjoyable.

Back to the subject at hand. I like to think I'm not so unapproachable.

Still, guys don't hit on me. Probably because I don't play the damsel in distress very well. I have the whole, I can do it by myself thing going on. And apparently, self-sufficiant women, do not great lovers make. Or so people mistakenly think. Because I am a fantastic...let's not go there.

The truth is, men don't ask to pump my gas, carry my groceries, or query over whether or not I want to partake in a sampling of food or beverages with them. Probably because I am so happy in my current relationship status they already know I'm not available to them. Still, it's because of guys not hitting on me that I am aware of when I am being noticed more than usual. When something doesn't happen, like never ever, and then it starts to happen, you see it. Like, for example, if you never hear birds outside your window and then, one day out of the blue, you hear a sparrow singing his little singsong. You'd take note.

Well, today, I got all sorts of attention from fellas. Ones driving by me. Workers at the grocery store. Random teenagers I let cross in front of my car instead of running over and making pavement paint out of them. Smiles. Nods. Waves. Hellos. Weird starts to conversations like, "There are so many cereals out there, hey?"

Here's the thing: I'm only doing two things differently in life these days.

1. Wearing more dresses
2. Letting my hair down

With the nice weather comes the dresses. In fact, I have waited a very long time for Spring to roll its lazy ass around so I can indulge myself in wearing clothes that I frankly shouldn't be wearing. I mean, I can't bend over in these outfits. And if I do, I better be wearing cute underwear. While this could totally be the reason I've been drawing the attention of Harry, Larry and Bob, I like to think guys don't really notice clothing. I mean, you could seriously ask my Sidekick what I wore on any given day and I doubt he'd actually be able to tell you. Likewise for any dudes I've ever had the pleasure of running into. They'd be able to tell you if my boobs looked good in a shirt, but wouldn't have a clue what was actually on the shirt.

So, dresses to the side, I also got this amazing new shampoo and conditioner from this salon and it seriously rocks my locks. I have been letting loose and leaving the elastic band at home. This crap smells so good, I want to eat it. I catch myself sniffing my hair at awkward moments. No, really. I'm one of those weird hair sniffer people.

Thus, in conclusion, men like it when women wear their hair down. I can only surmise that my lack of attention was due to the fact that I always, like every single freakin' day, wore my hair up in a messy sort of bun. Now the curly tendrils are tickling my back and the air has shifted. Perhaps it makes me more approachable, or maybe guys just like the looks of long flowing hair, either way, I think I've just cracked the attraction code.

Or perhaps I am mistaken and spring has simply sprung.