Ways to keep busy when sick

When I get sick, my body has very predictable stages. It's been this way for as long as I can remember. It starts off with a scratchy through one morning when I wake up. I always think that immediately downing Emergen-C will help fight off anything more serious coming my way and without fail, I always don't have Emergen-C.

Because of consistent fail, the full-blown cold that follows usually lasts for two weeks (yes, TWO weeks) and I find ways to keep my mind off it. Such as, but not limited to...

• Purposeless online shopping. This weekend I bought a slave bracelet (why? Because I saw Vanessa Hudgen's wore it. Obviously.), a bedazzled iPhone case meant for someone 10 years my junior, as well as various things from Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters that I'm ashamed to go into detail on because they found the perfect time to prey on me. I was weak.

• Go outside and spread your illness. I was that person on the train who everyone looks at like they have the plague (sorry). Somehow Bath and Body Works convinced me to buy 6 lotions, sprays, and body washes! What is it about President's Day that makes people think sales are appropriate?

• Clean. I thought to myself, "How can I make my life easier for when I finally get better? Clean the entire apartment!" Am I the only one who makes epic plans for after they recover from a cold? In a way, a cold is your body's way of telling you to chill the f*ck out and stop messing with it.

• Work out. You'd be surprised how motivated you can get when you have a cold. I was trying to sweat out the cold (does that work?), and also tell myself that since my body was trying to get rid of germs, it certainly could get rid of a couple of those pesky calories. What, like it's hard?

• Make your significant other feel like their sole purpose is to nurse you back to health. J was out of the country or on some school-related trip in New York (same difference) so every chance I got I reminded him that it was his responsibility to take care of me and he was failing as a boyfriend. Dramatic? Yes, considering I was shopping, cleaning and going out like nobody's business.

• Read that book that's been sitting on your nightstand. This was part of me "bettering myself" so that once I felt better, I'd feel like I accomplished something.

I'm backwards. I get motivated to do more when I don't feel well and now that I'm 96% back to normal, I just want to lay on the couch and eat mini cupcakes.

I've been Tagged!

Little Miss Wii has tagged me in this survey-like post and although it's a bit late, it IS done ;) I'm tagging everyone, but it's up to you for if you'd like to fill it out. It's just another way to tell your followers more about you.

A) FOUR JOBS I'VE HAD IN MY LIFE:

1. Walgreens Cosmetics Beauty Advisor (Haha. Good times during teenage years *rolls eyes*)

2. Resident Assistant

3. Editorial Intern at this awesome site that I've loved all my life.

4. Building Manager

B) FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AND OVER:

1. Step Brothers

2. Pulp Fiction

3. Now and Then

4. Clueless

C) FOUR PLACES WHERE I HAVE LIVED:

I've only lived in New York, so I'll write places I've visited. Warning: It's nothing too impressive. I lead a much more exciting life in my mind where I'm pretty much the female Indiana Jones.

1. Georgia

2. Florida

3. Jamaica

4. Virginia

D) FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH:

1. Sex and The City (yes, reruns)

2. Charmed (yes, reruns)

3. True Blood

4. The Office

E) FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION:

Oops...Okay, please see letter 'C'...

1. Georgia

2. Florida

3. Jamaica

4. Virginia

F) FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY:

1. Google

2. Facebook

3. Twitter

4. Bank of America (I don't wanna talk about it, lol)

G) FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:

1. Shrimp

2. Salmon

3. Cupcakes of all kinds

4. Lasagna

H) FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:

1. Bed.

2. With him.

3. Jamaica!

4. Disney World. I've never been!

I) FOUR OF MY FAVORITE PERFUMES/ COLOGNES

1. Curve, for Men.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue

3. Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush "Strawberry Fizz"

4. Victoria's Secret "Very Sexy"

J) FOUR OF MY FAVORITE MUSICALS

1. Les Miserables

2. Rent

3. Chicago

4. Moulin Rouge

K) FOUR FRIENDS WHO I THINK WILL RESPOND:

1. Hopefully

2. All

3. Of

4. You! :D

L) FOUR FAMOUS PEOPLE I WOULD LOVE TO MEET - DEAD OR ALIVE :

1. Maya Angelou

2. Paul Walker - I just want to hold his hand! 

3. Mickey Mouse (at Disney. Which I still really want to visit.)

4. N/A

M) FOUR THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY:

1. Dancing to the music in my head

2. My friends/Family

3. Shopping 

4. Delicious Food

N) FOUR PEOPLE THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY:

1. My J-Money 

2. My family

3. My friends

4. My followers! :)

Some people bring out the worst in me

Although I currently live in a town known as "Hicksville," I had never actually encountered any real-life hicks until yesterday.

WARNING: This is one of those posts where if you comment "cool post!" I'll know for damn sure you didn't read it. Just sayin'. Lol.

Photo Credit

Before you go thinking the worst - let me explain. I'm the kind of person who likes to believe racism doesn't exist because it's nice living in a fantasy world sometimes, even if life experience and months of thesis research has taught me otherwise. I've never really witness blatant racism in front of my face (I don't feel like TV shows with those "moral lessons" at the end count) but let me tell you, it's not pretty on TV and it's not pretty in reality.

In fact, the "it" I'm talking about was about 5'4, with one leg visibly shorter than the other and various missing teeth.

I was sitting down outside of one of my favorite low-cost (sort of) eating establishments, Panera Bread, waiting for my ride when "it" happened. I hate being alone in public places when I'm waiting for something, so I kept busy by texting random people on my phone. I hear some who without looking I could tell were black, and yes, they were being a bit loud. I even thought this to myself. They were all wearing their respective mall-store uniform and talking about everything, loudly. Things that they probably could have kept to themselves, to be honest, but it was their conversation nonetheless. And that's when I hear it.

"F*cking n*ggers."

I stop sipping my lemonade. Maybe I had heard wrong? Maybe they were joking themselves and trying to imitate someone? Either way it wasn't funny and it was even less funny when I heard it again, only this time much louder.

Enter aforementioned 5'4 white woman, with one leg visibly shorter than the other and various missing teeth. The group of people are still talking, and laughing now because they finally heard her. I was sure that something was about to go down and I needed to get out of there asap. Where was this woman from thinking she could talk like this? I must be naive because I thought this sort of thing only happened in the Deep South.

The woman makes her way closer to me.

Ahh, f*ck me, right?

But she doesn't stop at me. She goes up to this random elderly couple who are minding their damn business but just as uncomfortable as I am and starts complaining about how blacks don't pay taxes and are bringing down our country. I have never witness such bigotry before in my life. The couple gets up and walks away from her, and she takes their spot in the table next to mine.

"Ma'am"?

Oh so, now I'm 'maam'?

"Excuse me, ma'am"?

I turn to look at her because at this point I was avoiding eye contact. I didn't know if I wanted to cry or fight.

"Are you Spanish"?

Here we go . . .

"I'm black," I snap back, matter-of-factly. Anytime someone asks me what I am I try to mention both my ethnicities. I'm not sure why but this time I was just black and she was pissing me off. I'm not a fighter by any means and I know she probably has no concept of how much of an ignorant racist she is but I was getting so angry with her being there and that's not like me.

"Hmph. You don't look it." (I did look it, fyi) "I'm sorry, but people like them make it bad for you."

At that moment my ride honks for me and not a second too soon. Did this woman honestly think that we're the reason for racism against ourselves??? YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.

There are so many hateful things I wanted to say at that moment that I know I wouldn't mean. I wanted to talk about her missing teeth, or her walking with a limp, or her nasty-ass hair but I'm sure she would have fired back with the well-thought out comeback of "at least I'm not black."

So instead I got in the car and left and said a little prayer for her.

----

SIDENOTE: This isn't about a black vs. white thing. This is about a dumb-ass old woman. I promise a happier post coming soon, lol. This just reeeeeeeally ticked me off. Shout out to my new followers though! :D And of course, I still love my old ones.

So 94 years, huh?

You don't mourn the death, you celebrate the life.

(GG is the hottie sitting down ;)

That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. It's weird being that person in the room that people don't know how to act around because they just lost someone.

This morning my great-grandmother, who we nicknamed "GG" passed away in Jamaica. My immediate reaction was one of depression and anger because I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her since I don't even have a passport, nor do I have the money to travel overseas. I kept thinking about the last time I had seen her - four years ago? 4 years ago I was nothing like I am now. I was 17, spoiled rotten, and such a little ball of fire combined with this know-it-all attitude.

Then I remembered that even though that was the last time she physically saw me, we had spoken on the phone since then. She had told me only a few weeks ago how proud she was of me for being the first in my generation to graduate college. She told me to "keep sweet", and she had even spoken to J (even though I was panicking about that too because she was under the false impression that we were engaged, but whatever). Now looking back on it, I'm glad she had a chance to speak to him. She had no idea who he was but loved him just because he loved me, lol.

Part of me wishes I could tell her how sorry I am for not calling more often, and when I did call for only speaking to her briefly because I had difficulty understanding her accent. Part of me wishes I could tell her that I'm not angry about my 13th birthday and that the 8-weeks I spent with her in Jamaica - complaining non-stop about the heat and mosquitoes and overall lack of civilization at the time - was actually one of the greatest learning experiences I've ever had. I wish I could tell her that I'm going to take care of my grandmother, who was like her best friend, and that I promise, promise, promise I'll learn how to cook.

Even though I can't tell her these things, I want to celebrate the good from her life. She was 94-years-old when she passed away. That means she had 94-years with her daughter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was the kind of person who I never looked at in terms of her age because she was always so lively. She was never one of those people who you'd dread asking how they were doing because they'd go on and on about all the pain they were in. She was always so independent (runs in the family) and would instead want to talk about how you were doing.

My siblings and I would always joke that GG was going to outlive us and while we knew this wasn't realistic, we still held onto that belief because it brought us peace. Now that it's happened, I'm just reminding myself that now she's not in any more pain. R.I.P, GG.

Flashback: How he met my mother

To anyone who even remotely knows my family or who has met La Madre once (that's all it takes), they know that I get all of that dramatic blood running through my veins from her. I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one out of my siblings who took on that trait - oddly enough the rest of them are incredibly normal, mentally and emotionally healthy young beings. Go figure.

My boyfriend, being the astute individual that he is, learned more about me from 20 minutes with La Madre than he did in 3 months with me.

Photo credit

After much protesting and a little bit of using sex as a distraction I realized that I couldn't hide my family from J forever - especially since he had gone out of his way to integrate me into his. I decided that for his own safety I'd have him meet the whole crew in increments. Starting with the Boss herself. He thought my apprehension might have been because of the whole racial difference thing, but I assured him it was just because, no matter what race you were, my family could be too much for regular people.

Their first real meeting came when, against my better judgement, I thought it would be okay for J and her to hang out at the mall while I got my hair done. Because I only go to a certain salon for a certain thing, and because my hairdresser moves like a wounded turtle, the ordeal was taking up to 2 hours. I was panicking. He wasn't answering my texts, phone calls, or those special mind controlling signals I try to send out to him. I tried calling La Madre. No answer. It boggled my mind that they could keep themselves pre-occupied for so long. Then it hit me: she was talking to him about God only knows what.

Just as I was about to call my brother to get him to call La Madre, J shoots me a text saying 'hey'.

Me: r u ok?

J: Yea, y?

Me: because u haven't been answering me and it's been 2 hrs. and u could have died.

J: lol

Me: I'm so serious.

J: I'm with your mom. How much longer?

Me: another 20 mins.

J: damn!

Me: r u suuuuure ur ok?

Once I was finally finished getting done up and we were all heading back home I got them to tell me what I'd missed. Apparently, they were now really good friends. They'd eaten lunch together, browsed the mall (I'm sure J looooved that) and did some light shopping. It sounded like a date I'd enjoy and I was a little jealous, until he handed me this manicurist set he'd bought for me on a whim, and then I lightened up. The important thing was that it didn't appear that his opinion of me had changed which meant La Madre had been on her best behavior. No third degree? No questions about your retirement savings plan? And she didn't ask you if you had a single uncle? Okay, then. I'll take it.

Just as I'm relishing in the thought that all parties might have gotten though this unscathed, I make some comment that I can't even remember which triggers the crazy in La Madre to come out. Maybe I said she was driving too fast or asked for something, whatever. It was kind of like opening Pandora's box and as I'm trying desperately to close it, things are spewing out. Before I know it she's telling him how much she loves us and how she's sacrificed so much for her kids and wishes I would come home from college more to visit. In between sobs and steering she's turning back to me and telling me how she just wants the best for me and really wants to open up a baking business.

I know just how to react in this situation - you have to match her crazy with crazy - but because for whatever delusional reason I'm holding onto the chance that J might still like me, I don't say a word.

When we finally reach our destination, she gets out of the car, gives J the biggest, most somewhat questionable hug and tells him to call her 'Mom'. I'm dead.

Once she drives off I ask J, with my head down, if he still wants to continue the relationship. He actually thinks for a little bit, but then laughs and says he understands me a lot more after having met my mother. I tell him that I'm no where near as emotional as she is and he tells me that we're a lot more alike than I think.

I mean, I guess.

DISCLAIMER: Now I'm not saying that La Madre is certifiable crazy, by any means. She's actually the most self-less, caring, sensitive, annoyingly creative person I have ever met. She's got so much life in her that she almost doesn't know how to contain it all so she shares her dreams and aspirations with me, urging me to live my life to the fullest. My mom's biggest issue in life has always been her running on her emotions - and that's it. When she's happy, she's ecstatic with big smiles and tons of affection. But when she's not, the world might as well have just ended because her world did. Logic? Irrelevant. It's something you get use to. I think her bipolar characteristics could lead those on the outside to think 'somethin' ain't right', but I promise you, it just takes some getting use to.

In fact - think Tammy from Basketball Wives, only MUCH less hood unless she feels completely comfortable around the people she's with.

(In case you haven't seen the little tab to the left of your screen: follow me on Twitter. I follow back! & let me know so I can add you to my nifty little 'blogosphere' list)

Hiding from the sun

This particular post was inspired by Shani's blog, where she posted the following video entitled 'Dark Girls':

Dark Girls: Preview from Bradinn French on Vimeo.

After watching it was I surprised by the way I was reacting. I didn't burst out in tears, but I was identifying some of those insecurities within myself that I thought I had conquered and I hated that. I wouldn't consider myself dark-skinned - I actually prefer caramel, hence my nickname - but I felt wrong for ever thinking that by Black standards, I'm better off being lighter, and by Dominican standards, I'm a bit too dark (both of my backgrounds). I think that at this point in my life I have grown a lot more comfortable with myself, skin color, body type, hair and all, but I seriously wish that myself and other young women didn't need to "get comfortable." Why are we the ones who have to do the adjusting? We're just expected to learn to love ourselves when we have ignorance hissing in our ears?

But listen, I'm not making excuses.

This past Spring semester I wrote my thesis on the changing portrayal of African American women's body image in magazines, so I covered everything from Aunt Jemima to Michelle Obama. Obviously, one of the big things I talked about was skin color and it's significance in both black and white society. It was the first time that I was seeing this written in books by scholars. Through my own research I discovered how there were brief stints of time when being dark skinned was en vogue (like during the 70s and around the Black Power Movement) and there were also times when being light skinned with more white features were in. Yet, light skin has historically been associated with a higher status and thus, more positive qualities. What hurt me the most was that it was black people who were judging one another the harshest. One thing I did discover is that even if darker-skinned models were being featured in magazines, there were still magazines that lightened well-known celebrities - celebrities that weren't even that dark to begin with. As much as we'd like to think we're growing as a society overall, we shouldn't be concerned about accepting dark-skinned women. We should have a natural inclination to love and tell people that they are beautiful no matter what their shade.

Watching that video also got me to start thinking about what my siblings and children, if I ever have any, are going to grow up with. People tell me now that they anticipate my boyfriend and I will have beautiful mixed kids because he's white and I'm black, but I always tell them that my kids will be beautiful no matter what race J and I was. I know I can't change the way people think as a whole, but I can always start with myself and I think my thesis helped me understand that. It's still a growing process though, because I do catch myself having my moments where I'm like, "Oh no! I don't wanna stay in the sun because I'll get darker." Like, it baffles me when my white friends ask me to "lay out."

But it's the summer. I should just enjoy it even if my skin goes from a Soft Sable to a Toasted Almond by L'Oreal standards.

Sidenote: "Toasted" almond! Why is that that?

Double Sidenote: If I hear, "she's pretty for a dark-skinned girl" one mo' 'gain. Okay, I'm done.

I'ma Hustler (Well, I'd like to be)

This summer it has become painfully obvious that the modest income I'm generating on a daily basis is not suitable for the lifestyle I'd like to become accustomed to. In my mind, I want to live like a young Carrie Bradshaw (surprised?) but since that may be aiming too high for a recent grad I'm willing to economize. A little.

I actually want to take on an additional job of some sort to add to the two I've already got. If I do this, I can stop only ordering glasses of water with lemon to drink when I go out. My only problem is that I'm hella picky, with no special skills besides maybe being a personal shopper. Let's look at some options, shall we? Maybe you'll get inspired.

Top 5 College Student Legal Carrymel-Approved Side Hustles

1.) Babysitting - It's pretty easy, assuming the kids you're watching aren't medicated and you've got more common sense than they do. If you get enough referrals or a family that really likes you, you can have a steady amount of cash flowing every week which means new shoes, a paid phone bill, possibly money towards a tattoo - the works. You sit in a house, eat up all their food (and blame the kids, obviously) and play a couple of board games or watch a show to keep the little ones occupied. If you're lucky, you might get a kid who's too young to ask questions about why you paint your nails so often or if you and your boyfriend will ever get married.Serious about it? Visit a site like Sitter City and register or just tell people through word of mouth.

My con - I love kids. I do. I especially love them when they're at that age where they believe everything you tell them. What I've realized about myself is that I love kids a lot more when they're not my responsibility. Something about me having their life in my hands is a turn-off.

2.) Tutoring - If there's anything, and I mean anything, that you are remotely good at, try to teach someone and get paid for it. This is another one that might involve kids so if you're good with them and patient, give it a go.

My con - I'm normally really good at highlighting my accomplishments but to be honest - besides writing - there is nothing I feel qualified to teach America's youth about. I can't play any instruments, I am horrible at math, and I toyed with the idea of playing sports in HS - none of which I mastered. Unless maybe a semester of Color Guard in marching band is considered useful experience. I think I did too much of everything and not enough of one thing.

3.) Senior Citizen Assistance - I feel like you probably need to be spot-checked like crazy so it may not be the easiest thing to get into but people will pay you generously for taking care of their parents. You'd be surprised. You'll have to cook a little, clean (a lot), do laundry, talk to them and such. Basically, keep them alive by making them feel alive.

My con - Everyone who knows me knows that the elderly make me more nervous than the children. Any cough, randomly shouted obscenity. . .pretty much anything unscheduled will freak me out and lead me to think they might die on me and I couldn't live with that. I'm also not the biggest fan of giving baths to people I'm not related to, or people period.

4.) Ebay or other selling sites - Everyone collects something, even if it's dust. If you have a collector's item that would be lucrative to sell or if you can make something that others would buy (ie: baked goods, clothes) why not get paid for it?

My con - The only thing I can sell that I own are all of my Sims 2 expansion packs or Hello Kitty memorabilia. None of which, at age 21, I'm ready to part with.

5.) Bartending! - If you have money to spare to pay for some classes, bartending can be a very respectable side hustle, and it comes with tips. I have a few friends who are helping make ends meet by doing this. Get certified and apply everywhere, even if you need to embellish on your experience to land some gigs.

My con - I don't have a big con for this one, actually :) My only fear is that my personality will be over-shadowed by the skimpy outfits I'll be forced to wear (or force myself to wear) to get big tips. Oh, and I'm not a night person.

I don't know, folks. I'm thinking of being a professional scrap-booker. People pay for that, right?

The Masquerade: Best of Frenemies ッ

Photocredit - Famous Frenemies

They claim to have your best interest in mind, but their actions speak differently. They are the kind of people who are right by your side when things are going good in your life, but as soon as the clouds move in, they’re no where to be found. For the guys, it’s that “friend” who’s great when you need a hook-up of any kind, but always reminding you of how that girl you’ve been pinning over is out of your league (probably because he wants her for himself). For the ladies, it’s that girl who’s clothes you love to borrow, but who you wouldn’t dare leave alone with your man.

Girls, she’s your friend, who you’ll club-hop with and who will suffer with you as long as your misery it matches her own. But in that same respect, she’s your enemy – she’s critical of you, and never seems to have anything truly productive to add to your life. She’s just kind of. . there.

We all have frenemies. Naturally, no girl will admit to not being able to stand that chick that she just called for advice, but I think it’s clear to everyone how backwards women operate. So why don’t we dismiss these falsies masquerading as friends?

It’s because we don’t have to actually like our friends. People who should really be given the title “associate” or “fair-weather friend” are often described as “friends” or for the truly delusional – besties. We love something about them, and that’s why we keep them around. Maybe she’s our very dependable source of entertainment, or the person we can rely on for amazing shopping discounts or VIP access at clubs. Besides, that age old saying absolutely applies to this relationship: Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer. Keep your frenemies on speed dial.

I’ve described them in an unflattering way, but don’t mistake your frenemy for someone who’s two-faced, because that may not be their intent. You just need to recognize that there are things about that person that cannot be trusted, and that you must take everything they say with a grain of salt.

Obviously if you refuse to rid your life of them completely, there’s something there worth exploring. It’s like a fatale attraction, and to be honest – you’re using her too. You might be her frenemy, and you’re trapped in the same childish rotation. Treat everyone with respect, but also respect yourself enough to know that if drama follows you whenever you’re with this particular person, you need to distance yourself. If not, the cycle will continue and you’ll find yourself with repeat deadbeats.

Basically, woman up!

Sorry, she can't hear you - she's kind of busy

What's all the hype about?

Featuring Lady Gaga

Photo credit

Even if you’re not a die-hard fan, it has been brought to my attention that a lot of people are strangely attracted to Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta and don’t quite know why. You might know her better as “girl who wears birds nests to awards show” or, her human name: Lady Gaga.

I will admit that at first I couldn’t wrap my head around her insta-fame. Even with her constantly grabbing her crotch and her hazardous space cadet outfits – how was she still generating so many fans? Her Singing? Mediocre, at best. Dance moves? Very 7^th-grade-musical inspired. Lo and behold, though, after countless radio replays and a few music videos that propelled me into deep thought about the state of our entertainment industry, I was hooked.

It irked me that I couldn’t explain exactly why I liked her. Her “special something” was hard to pinpoint, and I’d imagine that even those with respectable music tastes might be wondering the same thing. I’ve decided to chalk it up to social influence and the decaying expectations for quality music. So here you have it. . .

The Top 5 reasons for why people are goo-goo-ga-ga over this lady:

5.) Her “inspiration.” Pop culture is constantly changing. One day this certain thing is really amazing, and the next we hate it and it makes our ears bleed. It was so two months ago (ages in pop time). Right now pop culture is taking a liking to the weird, tortured artist even more than usual. Gaga has drawn inspiration from (whether she’ll admit to it or not): Marilyn Monroe, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Cyndi Lauper, and Madonna. And we just loved them…at the time. We can thank their contagious stardom for her over-the-top performances and music being overplayed now.

4.) Her attitude. Gaga’s smart enough to not put herself into a box. Yes, she’s a pop artist but there will be times when you’ll wonder if she was feeling rock-ish on that track or having a techno moment on another. She’s willing to experiment and push the envelope, and while there might be times when you don’t know how the hell that video had to do with that song (or what that song had to do with, period), she still makes you laugh because she peaks your interest. She’ll talk about controversial topics like lesbianism in prisons because she knows it’ll either go over your head or force you to decode her. She just does her.

3.) Image is everything. Just like her music genre, her outfits and image as a whole is that welcomed kind of “out there” that the young’ns like. People are attracted to the unusual, yet compelling. People like the strong, yet disorderly. Even if these same people don’t like actually listening to her lacking vocal talent, they can at least appreciate her courageous fashion efforts. Most of the time. Maybe you wouldn’t wear her stuff walking into the grocery store. However, if you were making millions, you’d wear that spandex suit down a runway, too. Don’t front. She’s a genius when it comes to promoting herself.

2.) Dignity – an accessory she could do without. Her blonde wigs and caution-tape bathing suits are doing her just fine. She has no problem embracing her sexuality and being uncouth, eye catching, jaw-dropping, inappropriate, and down-right disrespectful to social norms. As I said in #9 – she doesn’t give a f*ck. In fact, does anyone have an extra f*ck to spare? Because she’s fresh out. At the end of the day, people like people who don’t care. It makes them not want to care.

1.) & the NUMBER ONE reason for why people are still gettin’ off to GaGa’s madness?

We’re slaves, and she knows it. We’ve gotten to the point where music making sense and people actually being talented is the least of our worries. There are many talented unknowns out there who aren’t getting ¼ of the playtime LGG is, but it’s because they’re not using her formula right and we’re just not buying it. Give us a good show. Give us something miniscule to whine about or emulate. Make us scratch our heads and guess what’s coming next. Give us Gaga – she’s what we want.

Know your worth

I may not be the best person when it comes to facts and figures. In retrospect, the only reason I passed AP Economics with flying colors in high school was because of my way with words and my teacher’s reluctance to abide by strict teaching guidelines. However, for the sake of this argument, I’m gunna relate to it to financial terms. Money is a universal language. Investments. Opportunity costs. All that good ish that I thought was buried deep in my mind with all my other horrific high school memories resurfaced when I started thinking about one of my favorite topics for discussion.

Men.

More specifically, that seemingly extinct “good man” that plenty have attacked, and plenty more have almost given up on finding. I know I’m young, and I have “my whole life ahead of me”, but I’m not the only young female by any stretch of the imagination who has something to say about the deficiency of eligible good guys out there. Like the US economy, the pool of good guys also seems to be in a recession.

Not to further depress you or anything, but let’s relate it to the facts. From what I’ve observed, and from a totally not-feministic standpoint (*wink*), ladies have it rough. I’m not talking about the older bitter woman, with years of failed relationships who is just now figuring out that the problem might be her either. I’m talking about the young, doe-eyed, and impressionable young women of today. The ones who have only felt the beginning of heartache, if that, and are preparing themselves for what they consider to be the inevitable heartaches to come.

Think of a good young man as a commodity – he’s rare, and he’s in high demand. He’s the guy who treats you well, respects you as not only a person but as a partner, handles his business, and knows that what he wants to get in life will not just be handed to him. Granted, there are plenty of triflin’ women trying to seduce the “good man”, and because he is a man, these shiny things catch his attention. Some women dress in barely-there clothing to compete for his affection. When they are beat out by girls, they do the next best thing and quite possibly the worst thing: lower their standards. They lower their price.

The other guys, because the market is so flooded with these eager women pinning for male attention, now have the chance to step in. Women who would otherwise pass them over because it’s clear that they’re under-qualified for the position might front for a little bit, but will soon realize that an attitude doesn’t keep them warm at night. If enough guys try, and enough guys they’ve invested in happen to fail, suddenly the thing of weaker value starts looking better. You don’t even realize it – just like you start cutting back on brand names when grocery shopping to save yourself the money, you cut back on qualities when looking for a date to save yourself some stress. You begin making excuses for them, you let sh-t slide – you forget your worth.

Why?

I guess it’s because it’s better to be in the business somewhat lucrative, than out of it completely and utterly broke. It’s sad, but to those few guys (and I know some of you are out there) who know the game is unfortunately in their favor and still choose to maximize their potential as a partner as opposed to doing the bare minimum, I say thanks. May you land a strong foine-ass woman, if you haven’t already.

And to the rest of you who still have yet to mature emotionally and logically – enjoy it while it lasts. Women are all the more wiser to the way the market has changed, and if we adjust ourselves accordingly, you’ll be the ones left looking stupid. Not us.

PS – The US Dollar is about 67 cents compared to the Euro right now. I’m not saying European men are better, I’m just sayin’. . .don’t knock it till you try it ; ]

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