I love this topic. I am a very opinionated person, and as such, I have strong views on many things. Which means I have a lot of pet peeves, and I love to talk about them for some reason. Seriously, I could go on and on about them. Instead of selecting one pet peeve and waxing poetic about it, I'll just start a little list. Maybe I will add a few tidbits of explanation, or maybe not. I am certain, however, that this list will not cover all of them. And yes, I am aware that some of these make me a judgmental bitch, a weirdo or at the very least, quirky in a not-so-flattering way. So here goes...enjoy!
People who smack when they eat (also people who chew with their mouths open); animals wearing clothing, particularly prissy little dogs wearing sweaters (no, it's not cute, no matter how cute your dog is); women that have high-pitched baby voices; twins that dress alike (or couples, families or any other groups of people that do it on purpose but aren't part of a team or other official group); nail biting; bad posture, especially on tall women who are slouching to make themselves appear shorter; poor grammar (your instead of you're? Don't even get me started!); lisping, especially when it's an adult; people who use made-up words but think they are real (supposably anyone? or acrosst, perhaps?); people that don't respond when you say hello or how are you? (this is a customer service pet peeve); being interrupted or talked over while I'm speaking (this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, and I always seem to be surrounded by friends or coworkers who do this); people who are rude to servers, cashiers or other people in customer service positions....
I think that's enough for tonight, so I'll just leave it at that. For now.
1/7/13
1/6/13
Day 5- What song inspires you?
Oooh, this is a tough topic. Not because I don't know what song inspires me, but because there are so many that inspire me that it's nearly impossible to select just one.
Anyone who knows me knows about my love for music. My passion for music rivals my passion for books--this blog used to be called "Music Room", after all. For me, music is not just a sound in the background. It is absolutely at the forefront of my life. Music has the power to transport me, uplift me, mellow me out, pump me up. I'm a lover of nearly all genres, from classical to rock, from jazz to bluegrass to hip hop. There are very few genres I can't get into.
I'm really into making play lists on my iPod. I really enjoy putting together songs in a very specific way and slapping a snappy title (I think) on it. One song that continually pops up on my play lists is "Homecoming", by Kanye West and Chris Martin.
Let me first talk a little bit about my feelings about Kanye. As a celebrity or icon or whatever he is, I can't stand Kanye. I think he is immature, arrogant, and an all-around ***hole, at the least based on how he presents himself. Maybe he's a good guy, but he sure doesn't act like it when there's a camera around. Musically, however, he is a revelation. As a hip hop artist and producer, almost no one can touch him. He is so talented it's ridiculous. He has the ability to put sick beats behind complex rhymes, and I can't get enough of it.
"Homecoming" is my absolute favorite Kanye joint and probably in my top 5 hip hop songs of all time. Why? It's not just beats and rhymes, it's melody. It's a hook sung by Chris Martin. It's a love letter to Chicago, Kanye's hometown. The beats are soulful, the lyrics thoughtful. It makes me feel happy, nostalgic and ready for anything. How many hip hop songs can do that? Very few, my friends. This is everything I want in a hip hop song, and it's almost hauntingly beautiful. The first time I heard it, years ago at a poker party, all I could think about the rest of the night was this amazing song. Now, this song comes up again and again during my life. Everytime it comes up, I stop and listen intently, mesmerized.
"Do you think about me now and then, 'cause I'm coming home again. Maybe we can start again." Yes, yes we can.
Anyone who knows me knows about my love for music. My passion for music rivals my passion for books--this blog used to be called "Music Room", after all. For me, music is not just a sound in the background. It is absolutely at the forefront of my life. Music has the power to transport me, uplift me, mellow me out, pump me up. I'm a lover of nearly all genres, from classical to rock, from jazz to bluegrass to hip hop. There are very few genres I can't get into.
I'm really into making play lists on my iPod. I really enjoy putting together songs in a very specific way and slapping a snappy title (I think) on it. One song that continually pops up on my play lists is "Homecoming", by Kanye West and Chris Martin.
Let me first talk a little bit about my feelings about Kanye. As a celebrity or icon or whatever he is, I can't stand Kanye. I think he is immature, arrogant, and an all-around ***hole, at the least based on how he presents himself. Maybe he's a good guy, but he sure doesn't act like it when there's a camera around. Musically, however, he is a revelation. As a hip hop artist and producer, almost no one can touch him. He is so talented it's ridiculous. He has the ability to put sick beats behind complex rhymes, and I can't get enough of it.
"Homecoming" is my absolute favorite Kanye joint and probably in my top 5 hip hop songs of all time. Why? It's not just beats and rhymes, it's melody. It's a hook sung by Chris Martin. It's a love letter to Chicago, Kanye's hometown. The beats are soulful, the lyrics thoughtful. It makes me feel happy, nostalgic and ready for anything. How many hip hop songs can do that? Very few, my friends. This is everything I want in a hip hop song, and it's almost hauntingly beautiful. The first time I heard it, years ago at a poker party, all I could think about the rest of the night was this amazing song. Now, this song comes up again and again during my life. Everytime it comes up, I stop and listen intently, mesmerized.
"Do you think about me now and then, 'cause I'm coming home again. Maybe we can start again." Yes, yes we can.
1/5/13
Day 4- First Jobs
So today's topic (and yes, I know I'm a day behind) is first jobs. I starting working when I was 16, and my first job is very common amongst first-time workers- Baskin Robbins. When I was in high school, I was part of a trio of best friends with Renee and Melissa. We had classes together, hung out during and after school together, and talked late into the night on the phone together. We three had many adventures together.
Renee started working part-time at Baskin Robbins in our junior year of high school and naturally, Melissa and I followed suit. I knew this would primarily be a summer job for me, as I was already busy with dance class and other activities during the school year. I began in May, and while I was a little nervous, I was used to working in a team environment and taking direction from adults, so it wasn't too overwhelming. Plus, scooping ice cream, making shakes and decorating cakes isn't exactly rocket science.
We had the best time working that summer. For starters, I was working with my two best friends, so what could be better than that? The owner's two daughters worked there, along with a few other young women (yes, it was an all- female staff). The great part was that the owner left everyday in the late afternoon, so we were more or less left to our own devices for the rest of the shift. Keep in mind that the majority of the staff was 16 or 17 at the time, plus we got a free scoop or shake every shift. We had a ball that summer, scooping ice cream, shooting the shit and messing around. It really was a great first job.
I had to quit shortly after I started my senior year of high school that fall, and not too long after, the owner decided to close her franchise. I feel lucky that I had such a great first working experience, and I think it really prepared me for all the jobs I worked after that. I also learned that having access to more than 31 flavors everyday can be a very dangerous thing.
Renee started working part-time at Baskin Robbins in our junior year of high school and naturally, Melissa and I followed suit. I knew this would primarily be a summer job for me, as I was already busy with dance class and other activities during the school year. I began in May, and while I was a little nervous, I was used to working in a team environment and taking direction from adults, so it wasn't too overwhelming. Plus, scooping ice cream, making shakes and decorating cakes isn't exactly rocket science.
We had the best time working that summer. For starters, I was working with my two best friends, so what could be better than that? The owner's two daughters worked there, along with a few other young women (yes, it was an all- female staff). The great part was that the owner left everyday in the late afternoon, so we were more or less left to our own devices for the rest of the shift. Keep in mind that the majority of the staff was 16 or 17 at the time, plus we got a free scoop or shake every shift. We had a ball that summer, scooping ice cream, shooting the shit and messing around. It really was a great first job.
I had to quit shortly after I started my senior year of high school that fall, and not too long after, the owner decided to close her franchise. I feel lucky that I had such a great first working experience, and I think it really prepared me for all the jobs I worked after that. I also learned that having access to more than 31 flavors everyday can be a very dangerous thing.
1/3/13
Day 3- Book review (yes!)
Yippeee! This topic is right in my wheelhouse, as I am a bibliophile, former bookseller and all-around book nerd. I love talking about books and sharing my passion for reading with others. Which book to select, however, is a dilemma. Do I choose one of my favorites, one that is current and a hot topic or just my most recent read? Decisions, decisions. (This is a great problem to have, by the way). A quick glance at my bookshelf on Goodreads (look it up, it's a great site for readers) reminds me that I read a lot of great books in the last 2 years, which makes my choice even more difficult.
Best to just go with the last book I read, which was Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. This book is about a young girl coming of age at the same time as a catastrophe begins to unfold upon the world. The Earth's rotation begins to slow, causing shifts in the globe as well as shifts in humanity. Meanwhile, 11-year old Julia is dealing with the normal struggles of growing up. Now typically, I don't prefer end-of-the world books or movies (too scary), but I loved this book. I think the reason I enjoyed it is the catastrophic global events were just the backdrop of a real, human story rather than the main plot line. Julia could have been any girl in any time learning about life; it just so happens the world is changing at the same time.
This book is a beautifully, yet simply written story of ordinary people living in an extraordinary time, and I loved it. I look forward to see what else this new author has in store.
Best to just go with the last book I read, which was Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. This book is about a young girl coming of age at the same time as a catastrophe begins to unfold upon the world. The Earth's rotation begins to slow, causing shifts in the globe as well as shifts in humanity. Meanwhile, 11-year old Julia is dealing with the normal struggles of growing up. Now typically, I don't prefer end-of-the world books or movies (too scary), but I loved this book. I think the reason I enjoyed it is the catastrophic global events were just the backdrop of a real, human story rather than the main plot line. Julia could have been any girl in any time learning about life; it just so happens the world is changing at the same time.
This book is a beautifully, yet simply written story of ordinary people living in an extraordinary time, and I loved it. I look forward to see what else this new author has in store.
1/2/13
Blog challenge day 2- Nicknames
Hey look, I'm posting again! After wasting a ton of time revamping the layout (and even the name) of my blog, I decided to start my month-long blog challenge. Yes, I am aware that the title of this post says Day 2 and not Day 1. I'm bouncing between a couple of different challenges, depending on the topic. One of them did not have anything specific for Day 1 and the other said to introduce yourself. Since this is not the first day of school, I decided to skip the introduction and blast off with Day 2. The more "official" challenge had a very thought-provoking, deep topic, which is much less fun than the other one--nicknames!
Now I do not have a name that easily lends itself to nicknames. With a name like Alanna (pronounced 'Uh-lay-na'), there's not a whole lot that can be done with it. My parents opted for typical cute daughter nicknames (Queenie, Tiny Dancer, Baby Doll, etc.), and my mom actually had a made-up name for me (which is not really a secret but I'm not going to discuss it here). They both often just dropped the first 'A' from my name, which is what a few people here and there still call me. Mostly, though, they just stuck with calling my by both my first and middle names, Alanna Leigh. This combo is pretty much what I think of as my real name (and it's my stage name too!)
In school, there was really nothing else anyone could call me, since so much time was spent just learning how to pronounce and/or spell my name correctly. One time in 3rd grade, my best friend called me "Miscellaneous", which sort of works, but I was so shocked and upset by it that I went home and cried to my mother. I briefly had the nickname "Legs" in high school, but that was only amongst my fellow flag-twirlers in color guard. I also got (and still do) the occasional "Kirby", as do nearly all people with this last name.
I didn't get a real nickname that stuck until college. A guy my best friend was dating started calling me "Laney" for some reason, so the two of them kept that up. Later on when I lived in California, I started using Laney as my bowling name, since you absolutely have to use a nickname of some sort on the scoreboard (it's a rule, look it up). I happened to use "Laney" a few times when bowling with a group from work, so a few people there began calling me that, too.
These days, there are about 4 or 5 people that alternately refer to me as both Alanna and "Laney". The young daughter of the friend that helped create the nickname refers to me almost exclusively as "Aunt Laney". The funny thing is, I have become really protective of the nickname. I rarely tell people about it, and I never introduce myself that way. I actually get very suspicious and annoyed when people who don't know me as Laney start calling me that without authorization (as a number of people from my old job felt compelled to do). I'm not sure that anyone in my family is aware of this nickname at all, so I feel really weird whenever my friends or boyfriend bring it up in front of my parents or siblings.
So there you have it--my first blog challenge entry. Fascinating, no? Just be thankful it wasn't on the serious topic.
Now I do not have a name that easily lends itself to nicknames. With a name like Alanna (pronounced 'Uh-lay-na'), there's not a whole lot that can be done with it. My parents opted for typical cute daughter nicknames (Queenie, Tiny Dancer, Baby Doll, etc.), and my mom actually had a made-up name for me (which is not really a secret but I'm not going to discuss it here). They both often just dropped the first 'A' from my name, which is what a few people here and there still call me. Mostly, though, they just stuck with calling my by both my first and middle names, Alanna Leigh. This combo is pretty much what I think of as my real name (and it's my stage name too!)
In school, there was really nothing else anyone could call me, since so much time was spent just learning how to pronounce and/or spell my name correctly. One time in 3rd grade, my best friend called me "Miscellaneous", which sort of works, but I was so shocked and upset by it that I went home and cried to my mother. I briefly had the nickname "Legs" in high school, but that was only amongst my fellow flag-twirlers in color guard. I also got (and still do) the occasional "Kirby", as do nearly all people with this last name.
I didn't get a real nickname that stuck until college. A guy my best friend was dating started calling me "Laney" for some reason, so the two of them kept that up. Later on when I lived in California, I started using Laney as my bowling name, since you absolutely have to use a nickname of some sort on the scoreboard (it's a rule, look it up). I happened to use "Laney" a few times when bowling with a group from work, so a few people there began calling me that, too.
These days, there are about 4 or 5 people that alternately refer to me as both Alanna and "Laney". The young daughter of the friend that helped create the nickname refers to me almost exclusively as "Aunt Laney". The funny thing is, I have become really protective of the nickname. I rarely tell people about it, and I never introduce myself that way. I actually get very suspicious and annoyed when people who don't know me as Laney start calling me that without authorization (as a number of people from my old job felt compelled to do). I'm not sure that anyone in my family is aware of this nickname at all, so I feel really weird whenever my friends or boyfriend bring it up in front of my parents or siblings.
So there you have it--my first blog challenge entry. Fascinating, no? Just be thankful it wasn't on the serious topic.
1/1/13
Happy New Year!
Hey look, it's only been 3 months since my last post! Progress!
So it's New Year's Day, 2013, which I assume is the day everyone is posting their resolutions to write their novels or blog everyday or whatever. And I suppose I could join them and write some long missive about what I learned last year (earplugs work!) or what my hopes are for next year (more sleep!). But I know how I am about that sort of thing- lazy.
My goals for 2013 are more abstract than real resolutions. Yes, I want to be healthier, eat better, work out more, do some yoga and meditate, but I'm trying not to confine myself to anything too concrete, lest I fail before January is over. So here are my thoughts for the new year: love more, be more, do more, but take it easy and go with the flow more. To that end, I am going to try to be gentle with myself and say, write more, but not try to force myself into it every day. I've decided that a few blog challenges may help, so I plan to start there and see what happens. Maybe I will blog every day, maybe once a month, if I'm lucky. I also dug up a questionnaire about reading that struck my fancy, so that may work its way into this blog as well.
So we'll see how it goes. I'm going to try to practice a little optimism and say you will certainly hear more from me this year. Perhaps I will actually hear from you too.
So it's New Year's Day, 2013, which I assume is the day everyone is posting their resolutions to write their novels or blog everyday or whatever. And I suppose I could join them and write some long missive about what I learned last year (earplugs work!) or what my hopes are for next year (more sleep!). But I know how I am about that sort of thing- lazy.
My goals for 2013 are more abstract than real resolutions. Yes, I want to be healthier, eat better, work out more, do some yoga and meditate, but I'm trying not to confine myself to anything too concrete, lest I fail before January is over. So here are my thoughts for the new year: love more, be more, do more, but take it easy and go with the flow more. To that end, I am going to try to be gentle with myself and say, write more, but not try to force myself into it every day. I've decided that a few blog challenges may help, so I plan to start there and see what happens. Maybe I will blog every day, maybe once a month, if I'm lucky. I also dug up a questionnaire about reading that struck my fancy, so that may work its way into this blog as well.
So we'll see how it goes. I'm going to try to practice a little optimism and say you will certainly hear more from me this year. Perhaps I will actually hear from you too.
9/28/12
Back again
I'm back. It would appear that I like to blog every 2 years. When I logged in this morning, I was actually surprised that I posted something that recently. I figured it had been 4 or 5 years since I wrote anything. A couple of my friends recently started blogging, so I was inspired to crank mine back up. I'm certain someone somewhere missed hearing the mundane little details of my life. Although, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has viewed my blog, probably ever. And that's OK for now.
To sum up life since I last blogged, a couple of years of off and on turmoil- both personally and professionally- has finally leveled out a bit. I'm in a much better space personally, due in large part to just some good old-fashioned growing up. But I must admit that a lot of that is also due to finding love with the person I know I'm meant to marry. Now I've settled into a nice little home life, and I couldn't be happier. At home.
Work, on the other hand, is still a mess. I'm in a soulless job that I can barely tolerate, and I live in an area with the highest unemployment rate in the country, so finding a new and/or better job is slow going. Yes, I know I should be happy to have a job, and I am, but having to put with up with ridiculous bullshit on a daily basis takes it toll. I'm in real estate, specifically the apartment leasing business. When I applied for this job, I thought to myself: "A customer service job with regular office hours and commission? Sign me up!". Little did I know, it's really just like the hell of retail with better hours and only slightly better pay. Seriously though, you think selling products or handling someone's food is bad, try handling someone's home. And not just getting them to rent an apartment, but dealing with them regularly the entire time they live there. It's like if you are a waitress and you have that annoying table that never leaves. Ever. And neither do any of the other tables. And you weren't actually trained to wait tables or told about the food you serve, so you've been flying by the seat of your pants the entire time. Mix in a horribly unorganized and understaffed corporate office and you've got my job. Living the dream.
I'm not sure what direction I plan on taking this blog. For now, it will probably continue to be random thoughts (read: rants) and maybe a few book/music reviews or recipes. Maybe I'll actually throw in a picture here and there this time. Or maybe, I will just blog again in another 2 years. Let's wait and see, shall we?
To sum up life since I last blogged, a couple of years of off and on turmoil- both personally and professionally- has finally leveled out a bit. I'm in a much better space personally, due in large part to just some good old-fashioned growing up. But I must admit that a lot of that is also due to finding love with the person I know I'm meant to marry. Now I've settled into a nice little home life, and I couldn't be happier. At home.
Work, on the other hand, is still a mess. I'm in a soulless job that I can barely tolerate, and I live in an area with the highest unemployment rate in the country, so finding a new and/or better job is slow going. Yes, I know I should be happy to have a job, and I am, but having to put with up with ridiculous bullshit on a daily basis takes it toll. I'm in real estate, specifically the apartment leasing business. When I applied for this job, I thought to myself: "A customer service job with regular office hours and commission? Sign me up!". Little did I know, it's really just like the hell of retail with better hours and only slightly better pay. Seriously though, you think selling products or handling someone's food is bad, try handling someone's home. And not just getting them to rent an apartment, but dealing with them regularly the entire time they live there. It's like if you are a waitress and you have that annoying table that never leaves. Ever. And neither do any of the other tables. And you weren't actually trained to wait tables or told about the food you serve, so you've been flying by the seat of your pants the entire time. Mix in a horribly unorganized and understaffed corporate office and you've got my job. Living the dream.
I'm not sure what direction I plan on taking this blog. For now, it will probably continue to be random thoughts (read: rants) and maybe a few book/music reviews or recipes. Maybe I'll actually throw in a picture here and there this time. Or maybe, I will just blog again in another 2 years. Let's wait and see, shall we?
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