Tag: blog

10 Things…

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Blog-tember Day 10 Prompt: List 10 things that you love about yourself! Let’s kick that negative self-talk outta here!

  1. I’m not a picky eater.
  2. I know how to dress for my body-type. Mostly. Yesterday, a co-worker did tell my outfit made me look like an Orthodox Jew, but in fairness, I’m not claiming how to dress for my religious affiliation.
  3. I make an effort to stay up with current events/world news.
  4. I make an effort to work out. Sometimes.
  5. I’m a really good friend.
  6. My childhood room is decked out in fuzzy zebra-print, and I will never admit it was a mistake. I will own that fuzzy zebra-print decision until the end of time.
  7. Cats… typically like me (?)
  8. I’m decently skilled at math.
  9. My independence. Aka the greatest hamartia of all.
  10. I consistently surround myself with pretty solid folks. The good people in my world keep me grounded and sane, and without those qualities, any and all of the above would cease to exist.
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Happiness Is…

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Blog-tember Day 2 Prompt: Write about what makes you happy, from the little joys to the huge game-changers. Can-dosville, baby doll. Here’s a few thing that are making me smile, as of late:

  • The tried and true cheeseburger + beer combo
  • Spending time with good people
  • Sleeping in
  • Long car rides, open roads, and country music
  • Reconnecting with old friends
  • My birks. If someone wanted to gift me these as a belated birthday present, it would be happiness bullet worthy too. Just sayin’
  • The Wonder Years
  • Buckeye wins. And friends who live-text you updates when you’re not around a television ;)
  • Television
  • This quote from Girls: “You say yes, and then you figure it out”

About the Author

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Blog-tember Day 1 prompt: Imagine the front sleeve of a hard cover novel. Give us your “About the Author” so we can get to know one another, and for fun tell us what your imaginary novel would be about.

Between “The Girl” page and my Twitter bio, you could probably collect a pretty nice idea of me and my sense of humor, but sure, talk about myself more? Twist my arm…

Glasses Cat

Mandy grew up in a small Ohio town that boasts local holidays such as Drive Your Tractor to School Day. Shortly after graduating from college, she made the move to New York City with a few dollars in her pocket and a drive in her gut that hasn’t dimmed since. 

Mandy is equally reliant on strong coffee, thesaurus.com, and late night television. When she isn’t writing or making awkward small talk in bars, she spends her time volunteering with the Junior League, rocking purposeful messy hair, and adding items to her online shopping cart but rarely purchasing them. Needless to say, she’s never owned a tractor.

As for my imaginary novel… it would likely be a memoir, a la Kelly Oxford. Not that I’m as hilariously witty or have a cult internet following a la Kelly Oxford (yet), but I have enough embarrassing stories and quippy anecdotes to fill a few hundred pages. Also, weirdly, memoirs are my favorite thing to read, and as they say, write what you know. I’d probably only get a few pages into my melodramatic teen angst/love-story set during the Mexican Revolution before waving the white flag. You’re right, I don’t know what I’m talking about. Nor do I really care. Sorry, love babies of the Mex-Rev.

The Blog-tember Challenge

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Hello, there! How’s your summer been? I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte today, and while the weather definitely wasn’t on it’s fall game, I’m very excited to be slowly segueing into my favorite season. The tail-end of last summer was when I really hopped back on the regularly-blogging bandwagon. I had every intention to do the same this year,  but must acknowledge that jumping back into a routine is just not the easiest thing to do… thus, enter the #BlogtemberChallenge!

blog-tember

Bailey Jean from Brave Love thoughtfully crafted daily prompts for the entire month of September — designed to ease the struggle of coming up with something worthwhile to write about while uniting the blogging community in posting habits. She enforces a strict no-rule policy, and encourages bloggers to write as many times as they can throughout the month (and if it’s not everyday, still cool). I’m very excited that I found out about this in the nick of time and am excited for the adventure ahead. My only promise is to write more (which won’t be hard to do considering my past few months of absolutely nothing) and to read/connect more with other blogging participants. Good news all around.

To meet Bailey and check out her prompts for the months ahead, visit here. See y’all tomorrow, for post #1!

It’s a Sunshine Day

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Oh hai there. Some things (such suspense in the vagueness) have yet again taken precedence away from updating this old thing the past few weeks, so for that I apologize. I can’t on-the-record promise this or next week will be any better… but I’m sure going to try.

A few weeks back, an ahh-mazing blogger known as Zee nominated me for a pretty cool thing called the Sunshine Award. Allegedly, this is a way for cool bloggers to introduce cool bloggers to other cool bloggers. A lot of cool bloggers involved in the process, specifically those who are creative, positive, and all around good guys and gals (or at least appear so in their internet personas). Sounds great, right?! Since I’m pretty much obsessed with Catching Zees and also this is the first time I’ve ever won (been nominated for? I prefer saying won) anything worthwhile in my young adult existence, I was pumped. But then I fell off the [blogging] wagon enough for enough time to gain 8 pounds. BUT LOOK AT ME NOW. HERE, BLOGGING AGAIN. Attempting to pick off right where I left. Let us allow this be seamless. Did someone say Seamless?! Uhh, so here’s the rules I was asked to follow:

  1. Display the Award Certificate on your blog.
  2. Announce your win with a post and thank the blogger who nominated you. (Thank you, Zee. You’re fantastic!)
  3. Post 10 interesting things about yourself.
  4. Nominate some fellow deserving bloggers for the award.
  5. Link your nominees in the post and let them know about their nomination with a comment.

Sunshine Award

I’ll do my best to make this interesting. Here are some typed up things about me:

  1. I don’t know how to embed gifs on my blog. Or even really how to google gifs properly. I know gifs would make this more interesting, so I’m kind of already considering this a failure.
  2. I don’t use emoticons. Never have. I’d confidently continue with “never will” but there’s some awfully tempting cat-faced contenders out there. For the time being, I have a folder of saved images of Kristin Wiig’s facial expressions that I send out when I feel the need to deeply convey emotion outside of the normal : ) slash : ( slash o_O Kristen Wiig face
  3. Once in 2011 I tweeted something to the effect of “I hope wine and popcorn count toward my daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables.” So I guess you could say I was Olivia Poping it before Olivia Pope. *brushes dirt off shoulders*Olivia Wine
  4. I have the handwriting of a second grader.
  5. Life goal is to be: half as hip as Lindsay Weir, a third of as funny as anyone who replies to the @Midnight tweets, a fourth of as energetic as Leslie Knope, and a fifth of as continuously turnt up as Miley Cyrus.Miley Cyrus LipKristen Wiig face
  6. True life: I didn’t know what the Oxford comma was until last week.
  7. You always know what I’m thinking and feeling because I wear my emotions on my sleeve face. Sorrrrrry.Gilly
  8. I have a very real, very perpetual fear of mispronouncing words. And using words at incorrect times. I guess, just talking in general. I should probably look into data-entry as a career.
  9. For as obsessed with television as I am, I loathe reality TV. (Much to my mom’s dismay)
  10. “If you’re going to break the rules, break all the rules” is my favorite thing anyone’s ever said to me. Walter White

In the same vein, I do feel like breaking some Sunshine rules. I don’t want to pressure anyone to do this type of post if it isn’t your thing. Plus, some of you have been around for a while and potentially have been nominated before. SO, instead of commenting on each of your blogs with this nom., I’m going to not. But I think you all are very wonderful in such creative, inspiring and unique ways, and since I don’t have a “blogroll” of sorts, I’m excited that this award has given me the chance to shout out to the few sites I regularly pop over to check out during the week.

Ahh, hope I’m not forgetting anyone. Also, I hope this isn’t creepy to those of you who don’t know me at all since I just tagged your blog! If anyone has any other great recommendations of who to follow out there in the blogosphere, let me know in the comments! Always up for checking out new reads/making new web-based friends. AND: happy Monday!

New Year’s Non-Resolution Resolutions

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New Years 1

I’ve never really been a person who sticks to her “New Year’s Resolutions.” But, is anyone? I make them, because I’m a follower and everyone else does, but I think it’s kind of a silly tradition. I get the “new year, new you, new beginnings, blah blah whatever” bit that all the gyms bang you over the head with, but if you really wanted to change your eating habits and do 200 crunches a day, wouldn’t you be doing it by now?

I wanted to transform this blog and write more, so I woke up one day and just did. The method of getting off my ass and “doing it” (thanks, Nike!) is kind of my thing and has worked out for me more times than not. Having said that, my type-A self can get on board with setting realistic short and long-term goals. It’s important to have at the very least a loose guideline of those, both professionally and personally. How else do you make sure you’re on the right track? Or measure progress? So in the fashion of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal-setting (thanks, University of Dayton!), here’s my New Year’s Non-Resolution Resolutions for the year of 2014:

  1. BLOG better. (More reviews, comedic story telling. Less personal BS no one cares about.)
  2. READ more. (52 books in 52 weeks.)
  3. SAVE something. (I.e. Money. Save some money.)
  4. NETWORK a lot. (Because, yes.)
  5. TRAVEL a bit. (Currently on deck: LA, New Orleans, India.)
  6. NO CABS. (Well, maybe not none, but definitely fewer.)

And there you have them. I’m expecting a lot of changes in 2014 and know none of them will happen without the hard work to back them up. Changes aren’t always easy, but they’re usually needed and always worth it. And with that, I wish a happy new year to all, and the best of luck with your resolutions, if that’s your kind of thing. Otherwise, party like it’s 1999, but remember, you still likely have two days left in the workweek.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Mandy1 Comment

Rock TreeHappy nondenominational holiday eve to all! Just kidding, Christians only. Today, I embark on my week “vacation” to Ohio. I’ll likely be taking the rest of the week off blogging to celebrate the holiday and catch up with friends and family; I will allegedly resume normal posting duties on Monday the 30th. Try not to miss me too much. And you guys, amidst all the crazy, please don’t forget the real meaning of ChristMAS: the “más” which means “more” in Spanish. More presents, more food, more wine. :) But really, I hope Santa’s good to all of you Beliebers out there! Xo.