How Soon is Now?

I know, I'm ripping off of the ever so popular Smith's song that has been redone, by countless artists, but really, How Soon is Now? Not soon enough, when you ask a woman in love :)

So, I've taken the pludge and have asked the man that I have been dating for 3 months to move in and the scary thing about it is...it all feels so right. How cliche did that sound? No, but seriously, I guess when you've been through the good, the bad and the ultimate ugly, it's nice to know that the one you found (or the one you got hooked up with through mutual friends), is the right one.

No more clowns, no more freakshows, no more jerks, no more tool boxes or douche bags. I'm sure that he can be all those things sometimes, just like I could be, but it's not who we are-it's just what people go through in the relationship. And to throw some more GHF into this mix, I've never witnessed him being any of those. In fact, he's like someone I've NEVER met-I know more cliches right? But cliches are like stereotypes, if they weren't true, then they wouldn't be labeled as such.

Moving on...so this guy is great, our relationship is great, but the only unfortunate part is that no one else is in our relationship, therefore cannot see that moving in and moving as quickly as we are, is really ok and there is nothing wrong with that. Then, why do I feel it necessary to defend myself and my fast-paced relationship...because of all the other tool boxes and douche bags I've dated. Not all were TB's or DB's, but you know who you are.

So, back to the question at hand: How Soon Is Now? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out.

Maverick, Goose, IceMan...Top Gun 101

Recently, I attended a leadership training seminar and me, being the bon-a-fide GHE, rolled my eyes, whined (a little) and tried to get out of it, any which way I could. My thought process was this: I work for a company that lacks structure, but believes in sending employees to gain knowledge in leadership skills. If you lack structure, why make your employees more structured than the company?

Anyway, I digress in more of a GHF route-this course was AWESOME! The first thing that they tell you is that “Your company takes a lot of your time, take these 3 days for you. Don’t worry about emails, phone calls, etc. Focus on what you are here to accomplish.” I say, it shouldn’t take a seminar for you to relax, breathe and take some time for yourself. But, the instructor (or I should say Dr.) constantly reminds you that balance is the key to success in your life, professionally and personally.

So what did I learn from this seminar? I learned that I am way to good for my current employer. Kidding, just making sure you’re all reading this-no, I learned a lot about how much I’ve changed from past (yet still fresh) personal obstacles in my life and how they have affected me now and how I come to view new players in my game called LIFE.

It was also a good reminder to sit back, breathe and enjoy your life. If you’re happy in one area in your life, then it will shine through to the other areas. So, if you are with a company who tends to send you to a seminar, be happy. It’s a great break.

Retraction on The Endless Torture

I'm here to give credit, when credit is due and therefore I must retract my previous GHE blog titled "The Endless Torture" speaking of the J-O-B (Juggling Others Bullshit). Although I still do believe firmly in this acronym. With the recent unemployment rate being the highest it has been in over 15 years and with the number skyrocketing from 6.1% to 6.5% in a months' time; I must admit that juggling, isn't all that bad.


I gladly strap on my red nose, oversized shoes and whistle the creepy circus music all the way to the office. Because at the end of this rainbow, there is a paycheck and health benefits--not to mention that I have found a few diamonds in the rough, or more eloquently put...some good people :)

For those of you who might have lost their jobs and are looking for new ones...the green market is rising!!! San Diego, came in the top 10 cities that they foresee as the highest green market jobs. So it's time for you to strap on your organic tees, bag up those all locally grown fruits and vegetables and hitch a ride on your bike to your new J-O-B!


No, but in all seriousness people-Change is Here.

The End of Apathy

It is really hard to put into words how amazing this Election night has been -- I am sure it will sink in as time goes on. I have been in awe over the last few weeks -- and I am even more so tonight. This is a historic and exciting night -- which will mark the beginning of a time of hope and unity in our country. I believe in this, I hoped for it, and it is here.

What I have enjoyed "watching" over the last few weeks is that people are talking, that people actually care about our country -- and I believe this election shows that we have hope and that we want change. The era of "business as usual" is over.

We need not only a new president, but an actual leader -- someone who inspires, who motivates, who encourages us to use our voices. I believe this is why Obama speaks to so many people and why so many people are thrilled to support him and what he stands for.

In this hard economic time, we can not "afford" apathy -- we have to care, we need to be involved, and we need to come together to make this country what we want it to be.

Gotta go watch the speech --- peace, love, and no more apathy! Here's to hope -- yes we can!

Love should be easy....or it's all about the Q-Tips

Well folks, we are ALIVE and back in business. Not only are we back, we are better, smarter, wiser, and hotter (thank you workouts and Jazzercise!) than ever. Oh, did I mention that our beloved GHE girl has been spending quite a bit of her time on our lovely, not-so-dark side. Yes, reader, the love bug has bitten and her GHF big sister, partner in crime and in writing could not be any happier.

Seeing her happy has made me stop and reflect a little on how I fell in love with my PC (Prince Charming as Breezy puts it) way back when......and it has made me even more grateful for just how awesome he is.


Needless to say, Breezy and I have been a little busy....really....like we-have-not-blogged-since-August-busy. Life is good though and with all that is going on in the world (thank God I have no money to lose!), I am even more grateful for my family, my friends, my job, and most of all, my man.


He is amazing and loving him is easy. I think I have always believed in fate, true love, destiny, whatever....but ever since Matt I have not only believed it, but lived it as well.

Even after more than six years married and almost nine years together, he is still easy on the eyes, easy to get along with, and easy :)....well that's another blog. Even though he's shy and I am not, we just work. He puts up with me -- that can't be easy -- and he never even skips a beat. He makes my life easier by cooking, doing laundry, and making me laugh. He loves me and I love him and we love the life that we share. Does it have to be more complicated than that?

Just the other day, Matt and I went on a date to the movies....oh the joy of a childless house...and we went shopping before hand. When cruising the toiletry aisle, I asked Matt if we needed Q-Tips. He said no, we had some under the sink.

Enough said. We went on to discussing lotion and shampoo....

The next morning, after my daily 5:30am Jazzercise, I came home and began rushing around to get ready for work. After my shower (still rushing), I leaned over to grab one of the final two Q-Tips that were on my side of the sink...or so I thought.

My Q-Tip container -- full -- magically full. Wow! That's my Matty. It seems like something so small and stupid, but, to me, it means the world. Matt saw the need and filled it. It's that easy. The thoughtfulness, the small acts of kindness, the small ways we love and pay attention to each other...this is why it is easy.

I wish this kind of love for Bree and to all women in my life. The easy kind. The free-from-drama kind. The kind that is not afraid to express itself, in words and in actions. The kind that fills up your Q-Tip container. Here's to love....the easier, the better!

What I Learned At 26...My So-Called Life

So, now that I am a whole year older and I think it goes without saying, I'm wiser as well. What I've learned at age 26 is quite a lot and really nothing at all.

I was 26 when I made the typical, cliche move to NYC for love and for an adventure and just like majority of the people who do this, I got burned... BAD! Don't get me wrong, NYC is amazing and it really is the city that never sleeps-however, it is also the city that doesn't pay you enough to live in it, around it or on your own. So the only real solution is, live in NJ (yes, that's New Jersey, which isn't all that bad), move in with your boyfriend and find whatever job comes along, (although the job I had wasn't all that bad either).

Next, become very familar with public transportation, get used to people peeing in the subway and discover all the great hole-in-the-wall places to EAT!!! No wonder, NYC people walk 5 miles a day, with all that food, you really have no choice. Walk or perish!

I also have learned that when moving back home, broken-hearted and hating men, having a series of rebounds, bad dates, losers and all the other freakshows out there that are trying to get into your Iron-Clad Panties (see GHE for this story)-you really have to be patient, keep your eyes and heart open, because eventually, your Prince Charming does come knocking at your door (or your assistant hooks you up with this guy).

I've also learned that my older sister (Madge) has become my new best-friend, partner in crime and hopefully a partner in business (start writing the book, please) and that my life is getting mapped out similar to hers (meeting PC at age 27...getting married..WHOA!).

I've also learned that although living on the darker side of things (I heart sarcasm!), being on this side of the fence can work in my favor. Kissing not only provides endless hours of euphoric ecstacy (cuz I'm back in middle school, writing Dear Diary entries), but it burns calories, helps build your immune system and my skin is glowing (no, I'm not PG-we're kissing for crying out loud). So, maybe there really is something to this whole "GHF" life can be butterflies and rainbows...then again...men are men...PC can turn into TB (tool box) real quick...let's observe and find out :)

Sweet Payoff...Gratification from a Frienemy

There really is nothing sweeter than working your tail off for almost a year-your clothes fit better (and you moved down a few sizes, which means, you have to go shopping), you have a certain glow and your confidence level has reached its all time high!

What could be better?

How about when people notice how amazing you look? Good thing too, because you, dedicating yourself to the gym, eating right and improving your lifestyle habits (I'm a fan of drinking calories, but you have to make sacrifices). The only thing better, is when your Mortal Enemy (or in this case frienemy) comes into town (after several years) and you have seem to shrunk, when they have seem to...um...well, they're carrying a little more water weight than last time?

Another great thing is, in this case this frienemy happens to be the opposite sex, so that has been icing on the low-fat, low-calorie, no sugar-added cake! And when said frienemy wants to buy you a drink and toast your hard work..well-we all need our cheat days!

Here's to working-out hard, staying dedicated, and making them eat their words...or drink them!

Jazzercise Wisdom -- or Just Do Your Thing, Girl!

Raise your hand if you've ever gone to a group exercise class. Thought so. Ok -- raise your hand if you've ever gone to a group exercise class where one participant totally did his or her own thing THE ENTIRE TIME? Thought so. Well, unlike most of you -- I have been there. I go to Jazzercise -- OK, get the giggles out. I love it -- sue me! It's one whole hour of great music, positive energy, and sweating. I love the way I feel after class and I love what it does for my soul and my waistline.

There is one woman who also regularly attends class -- but for the life of me, half the time I am not sure why she is there. At first, it truly annoyed me (GHE style) that she did not keep up with the rest of us. I mean -- why come if you can't keep up? Why do Jazzercise if you are really just working out in the corner of a room full of women doing one thing while you are doing another? It has taken me quite a few classes to "get" my fellow Jazzerciser. After a while, it came to me -- who cares? She showed up and she's working out. Yes, to the beat of her own drum -- but working it nonetheless. Isn't that what matters?

Who am I to say that my way is better than hers? We are here -- we're sweating --- we're sisters in this thing we call "dancing it off". Do your thing, girl!

Really -- isn't that what life is all about -- working it, owning it, and being your own fabulous self :). So -- whatever your thing is, go do it!

"I wish my boyfriend was this dirty" or Car Window Wisdom

Sometimes the answer is right in front of you and you fail to see it. When it is written in the dirty back window of the car parked next to you, it's hard to miss. For our purposes, I changed the sex -- and yes, the window did say "I wish my girlfriend was this dirty!". Well, where am I going with this, you ask? After giggling and driving away....here are my thoughts....

Yes, readers, it's time to talk sex. It was inevitable, wasn't it? The writing on the window made me think -- hey kid, stop wishing and start asking. Maybe she is that "dirty", maybe he is that adventurous. We spend so much time wanting things and so little time going out and getting them. Dirty to you might be tame to me and tame to me might be wild to someone else. What really matters is that we are getting what we want and if not, we are asking for it. Why be shy? I mean -- if you can get naked with him or her, you have just earned yourself the right to be open and not hold back. If you can't ask, then you are naked with the wrong person, honey.

GHF girls know that life is too short and that we must take charge. What's the point in being with anyone who does not know how to make you happy, in or out of the bedroom. Let our GHE counterparts keep wishing that life would be better while we are out -- well, gettin' some!

Stop wishing and start embracing that dirty side!

Just Throw It

There comes a point in your life when you realize that A. You're life is good. B. Someone's life is always better and C. Someone's life is always worse. Or D. Throw caution into the wind, take a chance and just ask the dude out! 

No one's life plays out like a movie, but we do have movie moments in our lives.

Grab some popcorn, grab the guy and enjoy your life!

Counterpoint to GHE: Guest Appearance

So as my friend decided to go over to the "dark side"-I feel that it is my civil-blogger duty to go ahead and play Devil's Advocate and make a statement here on the subject of re-opening those oh-so-fun past relationship doors.

May I offer this inspirational quote to start us off right: "May the dreams of your past be the reality of the future." 

With this said, I believe in not closing doors (not completely anyway). Keep it cracked-just a little, or better yet, keep your eye on the peephole, what you see one day may surprise you.

Leopards may not be able to change their spots, (*please note that the animal print is popular again  and people are working it!). Don't count anything out-put it in your closet and for one of those days, when you feel like going vintage and bringing the past into the present. 

Of course, if you do have a pair of those legwarmers (or that ex that left you completely broken-hearted, dumbfounded, flabbergasted and let's not forget the fact that he showed up 4 o'clock in the morning after cheating on you), BURN the DAMN things! They shouldn't have been invented/discovered (born) in the first place. (Sorry, a little bit of GHE creeps in).

Give it a second glance-you may have missed something the first time around!

Bright Side: Why have a six pack when you can have a keg?

We've all heard the saying "more is more" -- music to a GHF girl's ears. Since the GHF world is all about more and not less, full and not empty, a GHF girl can never have enough.

Take shoes for example -- really -- "too many shoes" -- no such thing. Too much fun, too much money, too many friends -- you get the point.

When driving home from work yesterday, I was annoyed, tired, and hungry. Stuck in traffic as usual, I was losing interest in my standard book-on-cd. My mind starting wandering to the things that waited for me at home -- laundry, cleaning -- and yes, the one that makes it all worth it, the hubs :). Snapping out of my momentary GHE mood, a license plate frame caught my eye.

"Why have a six pack when you can have a keg?". So true in so many ways. Besides the obvious -- it's more fun (and tasty) to have a gut than to kill yourself at the gym OR beer is good and becomes even better in large and share-able quantities -- this quote is the essence of the GHF v. GHE debate.

Why limit yourself? Why look at the world for what's not there? You may not be as thin, as rich, or as perfect as you'd like. I say -- so what? Grab a red plastic cup, put your dancing shoes on, and join the big frat party called life.

When the party ends and you meet your maker, doubtful God will be asking how you looked in your bikini or how much you could bench press. I would venture to say that God could care less if they are Manolos or Chuck Taylors (even though I wear high heels in my sleep). God will care however if you had more -- more compassion, more love, and more concern for others.

"Why have a six pack when you can have a keg?" -- why settle for less when the world is out there, waiting for you, wanting you to join in the fun? So grab a Sharpie, write your name on that cup, and drink it in.

Bright Side: Gay or The One That Got Away

"Oh, sweetie -- you actually thought he wasn't gay?" Legitimate question if you are talking about a hair dresser or fashion designer....sometimes it's hard to know for sure. Not so much if you're asking me about an ex-boyfriend. Even more unfortunate if it's happened to you more than once. (I know....right?)

I think it's safe to say that no one likes a break-up. There's nothing easy about parting ways with someone. But when you part ways and then find out that maybe you didn't have....how do we say this?....the right equipment....well, it makes it a little easier to handle. All of a sudden, the rejection you felt melts away -- you can smile, relax, and think "it wasn't me, it was you" and really mean it.

But what about those other breakups? The ones that leave you crying on the couch until your friends rescue you, whisking you away for the weekend -- thanks girls! The ones that have you swearing off men and doubting that true love really exists. The ones that even self-help books and Oprah can't fix.

They say time heals all wounds but when you're in the thick of it, up to your elbows in Kleenex and heartache, time can't move fast enough. Bright side? Yeah, right. And then time does pass and you feel like wearing something other than his old college sweatshirt and mismatched pajama bottoms. Time passes and you're ready to get out there again, this time stronger, wiser, and determined to make your ex see the error of his ways. How could he not want you -- sexy, successful, and sassy -- and now savvy as well due to the pain you have just endured?

Eventually, enough time passes that you and your exes have not only found true love, you've married it. The pain of the breakups are a distant memory, but you always wonder -- what if? All you care about is that he thinks you are "the one that got away". Shallow, maybe...but admit it, you want the title. And why not?
Who would be stupid enough to pass you up?

You may never have the title, you may never see or speak to those exes again -- even though you might Google them or (gasp!) find them on Facebook. The words "You were the one that got away" may never be spoken. No one's going to send you a golden statue or certificate to prove it. But you know it. Just own it.

Glass Half Full folks, you are the one who got away -- own it and stay fabulous! And if you have a gay ex or three -- fabulous is your middle name, sister!

3:1 Odds-That Ain't Bad

The moment that you decide to hang up your shoes, put a red shirt on and place your name on the disability list that will take you out for the entire season and maybe a few months post-season-next thing you know, 3 scouts from top teams are coming to check you out. So what they say is true, "If you stop looking for it, it will come to you."

After "Never Look Back" dating fiasco, our bonafide Half Glass Empty girl, decided that she was done with the opposite sex, told herself the cliche "pep-talks" about focusing on yourself and your life's work, blah, blah, blah...

Enter text messages...that's right, messages (plural)-from multiple senders, people from the past, present and possible future. GAME ON!

Silver Lining: $16 Saturday

Saturday could have been chalked up as a total waste of makeup if Mr. Tiki had not stepped in. My little sister and I were out downtown – something we rarely rally up for – and it was not going well. www.isyourglasshalfempty.blogspot.com can give you the scoop on the events that took place prior, but long story short, we were in need of some TLC and fast. Enter Tropical Paradise. We wandered to Mister Tiki’s Mai Tai Lounge, dazed and confused and feeling like fish out of water. Among other lessons, the night had proven that we had missed the memo that mini dresses and short shorts, not jeans and a hot top, are Bar Wear for 2008. And P.S., when did downtown turn into the mecca for bald headed, striped shirt and blazer wearing, toolboxes? I digress…..

In true Glass Half Full fashion, we tried to revive our spirits by planting ourselves at the bar and moving on to Plan B. Deep into our discussion of how to salvage our Saturday, our bartender appeared and greeted us with “How can I get you ladies wasted tonight?” We giggled and began to relax. By the end of the evening (we closed the place down), we had forgotten all about Plan A and the fact that love was not to be found in the Gaslamp. Instead, we bonded with the bartender and each other over the fact that (his words) “we were the only normal people there”.

The silver lining to this – the bill. Ready to head home, we asked our new friend for our tab. He slid our bill across the bar with a broad smile. $8. Yes, $8. For four drinks. We happily gave him more and headed to the car.

$8 for parking and we were on the road home, ready to take off our jeans and hot tops (never to be replaced with a mini, mind you) and dream of a better outing next time. Sixteen dollars (plus tip) for good conversation and a reminder that we’re the normal ones– not a bad Saturday after all.