Confession #39: I let my cats lick the spoon

When I first got Cal, she was only 9 weeks old and she weighed 2 pounds. After almost doubling her weight in 2 weeks, I was worried about how quickly she was gaining weight so the vet told me to start feeding her wet food for dinner. Neither of my cats had ever really been crazy about food....until I popped open that very first can of wet food. They are both obsessed with it now. Every time I walk into the kitchen, they think I am going to open a can up for them and they freak out in excitement. They literally both try to climb my legs as I am scooping it into their bowls. So, I started letting them lick the spoon in an attempt to calm them down and get them off my legs. I seriously need to film them at dinner time someday. They would be the next YouTube sensation.

Confession #38: Watching the presidential debate is a challenge

Yes, I said it. I swear I am not an ignorant woman who isn't the least bit intrigued by political ideas. Trust me, debates get my wheels turning. I think the problem is that my wheel turns a little too much. I get so riled up and angry, that pretty much no one wants to be around me.

My stress levels have already been pretty high this week so when I turned on the debate, my blood pressure almost went through the roof. So, I decided that it wasn't worth spending my very small amount of relaxation time stressing out over the debate.

I know that the debate helps some people decide who they are going to vote for and I strongly believe that everyone who votes should research both candidates so that they make an informed decision come November. I get so mad when I hear people say things like, "well I am voting [insert party here] because that is what all of my friends are doing". NO. Vote based on your own research and don't let other people influence you. Personally, I don't need to watch the debate to form an opinion because I have spent a lot of time looking into both candidate's platforms. If anything, the presidential debate just makes me hate the other candidate even more.

So, that is my rant for today. I wish I could sit back and enjoy a good, political debate. But, clearly I am too emotional and opinionated.

Confession #37: I love rainy days

It's all about the senses for me. I love watching the rain and listening to it hit my window but I think my favorite part is the smell of cool rain hitting warm asphalt. 

"Anyone that thinks that sunshine is pure happiness, has never danced in the rain"

So what do I do on rainy days? Well, as long as I am not working, rainy days are lazy days for me. I cuddle up with a blanket, watch movies, and fall asleep listening to the rain. In fact, it's a rainy day today and I can barely keep my eyes open to finish this post. 

Even if I have to work on a rainy day, I love to come home and go out onto my balcony with a glass of wine and great book. Fortunately, my balcony has a roof so I can enjoy the rain without getting wet. As you can see from the picture above, my cats love to watch the rain as well :).

Confession #36: I don't trust people who can't spell

For some reason, my brain is wired to believe that spelling is indicative of intelligence. I am not talking about typos or an occasional oversight. I am talking about the people who really do not understand the difference between then and than, were and where, their and there and they're.

When I was in graduate school, I was a teacher's assistant in an undergraduate class called "The Basics of Business". Throughout the year we taught them interview skills, dressing for success, business etiquette, how to write memos, and we even conducted grammar and spelling lessons. At the end of the year, they all filled out anonymous class evaluations and I was assigned to review them all and put together a report. Let me just tell you that I almost died when I read them. When asked "What was your least favorite part of this course", almost all of the students answered that the grammar and spelling lessons were unnecessary. But here is the kicker: 60% of those students spelled grammar as grammer. Grammer? Really? Clearly, the lessons would not have been pointless if you would have paid attention.

Based on my own personal observation, it seems to me that intelligence is somewhat linked to a person's ability to spell (however, I know that there are exceptions such as dyslexia). The people that I know that I consider intelligent (high test scores, higher education, intelligent conversation) are almost always better at spelling than the people that I consider less intelligent. Is this a coincidence? My own warped perception? I'm not sure. But I do know that I take people more seriously when they can write something coherent with little to no spelling errors.

So, yes. I am a spelling Nazi. No one is going to take you seriously if you don't learn how to spell. I have known employers that have thrown resumes in the trash simply because of spelling mistakes. It's called "spell check", people!

Confession #35: October is my favorite month of the year!

If you follow my blog, you already know about my obsession with fall so it should come as no surprise  to you that October is my favorite month. But just to clarify as to why no autumn month competes with October, I have decided to share with you my top 5 reasons why October is the bomb.

1. Halloween. 

When else do you get to have a bowl of candy lying around your house without feeling guilty? Every Halloween I get a glass of wine, a bowl of candy, and a big fluffy blanket, and I sit and wait for trick-or-treaters. Mind you, I have mostly lived in apartment complexes so my doorbell doesn't get rung very often....but darnit, if I have to eat all of that left over candy then I will make that sacrifice!

2. The changing of the leaves. 

There isn't much in the world as beautiful as mountains lined with trees colored red, yellow, and orange. I get a little too excited when I see the first leaves starting to change. Whenever I have a yard of my own, I am going to rake up all of the leaves into a pile and then dive right into them. As for now, I will just have to wait until an unsuspecting neighbor rakes his pile of leaves. 

3. Scary movies.

Ok, so maybe not like...really scary movies. Because I am kind of a wuss. I was thinking more along the lines of Hocus Pocus and Casper. But for those of you that can handle scary movies without sleeping with the light on all night, movies like Dracula, Psycho, and Friday the 13th aren't bad choices.

4. Pumpkins.

Need I say more?? Here is a list of pumpkin things that I love: pumpkin patches, pumpkin carving, pumpkin candles, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin decorations...the list could go on for days. Pumpkins seriously need to be a year-round thing.

5. Campfires.

Sitting around a campfire with your friends and family is pretty awesome. Add marshmallows to the mix and you have a serious good time on your hands. 

Confession #34: I was a vegetarian for years

If I told anyone that knows me today that I was a vegetarian for several years, they would probably laugh in my face. But here is the honest truth. I love animals and I am not convinced that anything deserves to die for me. I am 100% opposed to animal cruelty, abuse, and torture. 

I guess I have several dilemmas when it comes to living the vegetarian lifestyle, which is why I am no longer a vegetarian. First of all, my undeniable craving for red meat is truly an every day battle. I knew when I first became a vegetarian that it wasn't going to be easy; however, it was even harder than I imagined. Every day I would pass billboards for burgers, watch commercials for steak restaurants, and witness what seemed like everyone I knew chowing down on some kind of meat. I felt like I had just quit smoking and temptation was everywhere. I was definitely not one of those vegetarians that could say, "oh I wasn't really that crazy about meat anyway" or "I just really love vegetables". I was the vegetarian that wanted to end suffering but drooled over anything that contained meat. Thankfully, this is my most embarrassing reason why I am no longer a vegetarian. I find it is best to embarrass yourself in the beginning of your blog post so that you have time to redeem yourself. 

Second reason: living as a vegetarian while everyone around you and everyone who lives with you eats meat...makes it next to impossible. I became a vegetarian after my mother decided to try it for the same reasons. She would cook a meal for me and her, and then a separate meal for my brother and father. I know she got tired of this very quickly. But, I will point out that my mother has willpower that I do not possess. She is still a vegetarian to this day. After I moved away for college, I realized how difficult it was to get a nutritious vegetarian meal when you are broke. I lived in a dorm and my source of food came from the campus dining hall. Their dining choices were so limited that I found myself eating a bagel and a salad for lunch and dinner every single day. Not only was I dealing with personal struggles, I was also coping with peer pressure. Essentially, my friends all thought I was some weird hippie and they would always try to tempt me into eating meat.

And my final (but probably my most important) reason was due to health concerns. Due to being very deficient in certain vitamins, not eating meat worsened my situation. It was towards the end of my first year of college that I finally caved and gave up being a vegetarian. I do regret it sometimes because I was doing something that was important to me and I felt like I was making a difference. It is something that I will probably try again in the future, but for now I will have to do my part in alternative ways. I have a lot of respect for people that are able to maintain that lifestyle.

Confession #33: I hate it when my appointments get canceled

This is what I may have looked like today when my happy butt drove 35 minutes across town for a hair appointment, only to find out that my hair dresser didn't feel well and already went home for the day. Cool. Oh and they can't reschedule me for a month. Even cooler. Here's to hoping that the unintentional ombre look is a good one.

 (*Please note that I am not completely a cold-hearted woman and I do hope that my hair dresser feels better soon).