A Sad, Sad Day

My friend Carissa is about to start a new job downtown and leave me all alone at work. Well, not all alone - but semi. Rachel and I are simply heart broken over Carissa's move. Though it's a wonderful opportunity for her and we are happy for that.....it's just not the same.

We were the humorous three amigos. The mighty three musketeers. The three good fairy's of Sleeping Beauty. OK, so maybe I'm taking this a bit too far. We are all still such wonderful friends and will have many good times to come. Still, I can't help feeling a bit down.

Carissa, my friend, I wish you luck as you start the next chapter of your life.....we will continue to sip martinis and guzzle beer....dance like we're the only ones on the floor....and perform wardrobe consultation. Perfect.

......And I find a little extra comfort in the fact that I'll have you here for at least a few more years. Just a little:) HEART YOU!

Autumn

School buses zooming by....leaves changing color.....a cool, fresh breeze floating through the open window.....the smell of spiced pumpkin. Yes my friends, Autumn has arrived.

I'm pretty positive that autumn is my most favorite time of year. The chilled weather is perfect for a long sleeved shirt or light jacket. You can walk all around downtown without breaking a sweat. Pumpkin patches are up and running for visitors to stake their claim. The best part of autumn though, is the smell.

You can say there's no "smell" to the season, but there certainly is. And I just heart it.

Dirty Laundry

Rules:
1. Dirty Laundry is to be kept sacred among those the owner tells. This does not give permission to observers/handlers to do any of the following:

a. tell others

b. speak freely around the owner when in a social situation

2. Dirty Laundry is only to be shared with the most trustworthy friends - obviously you are trusting them to provide you with advice or simply just get it off your chest. Not every friend is entitled to this trust so you should consider yourself lucky.

3. It shows a lack of class to air someones Dirty Laundry. Point is simple: don't do it, no matter who the people in the room are.

4. Come on all you lovely ladies out there....bring back the class I know you have somewhere deep down....possibly far far down, but still. I know it's there!

Foot Note: If one feels like they might burst out some Dirty Laundry, follow this procedure:

1. Pause to think about who you are with

2. How may this affect the owner of the Laundry?

3. Put a Hamper on it!

No one ever said housework was easy.

An unadorable mistake on the stage

For all who watched last Sunday's VMA's...or simply read the 30 blogs about it on Perez Hilton, you know that Brit Brit did not have the anticipated comeback many of us hoped for. What was supposed to be a career resurrection quickly turned into the plight of the once-fabulous Ms. Britney Spears. I can't say that I'm not disappointed or surprised.

Perez called her out on it all - drinking and partying every night instead of rehearsing, placing blame up and down the VMA guest list, simply not trying. PH might have been a bit harsh, and I certainly don't agree with him that Sarah Silverman [how fowl is she!] rocked the show....but come on Brit - take control of your life! And seriously, she should have objected to the glitter clad bikini they expected her to jiggle around the stage in - I'm sorry but she is not confident enough in her body yet to be getting down on the dance floor in anything that lacks material.

I will obviously purchase her upcoming album, with fingers crossed that Ne-Yo pulls through some fantastic, earth shattering songs for her. In the meantime, I can only hope that Britters gets her sh*t together and shows us what a truly fabulous entertainer can bring to the stage - regardless of the path her life took these past few years. It's a shame that K-Fed had ambition to be somebody.....that could have saved Brit a lot of trouble [i.e. money, style and stretch marks]

Fare thee well

My good friend A is saying goodbye to cold winters, autumn color changes and new-beginning springs. Next weekend she's packing her bags, loading her car, and moving to sunny Florida where the summer weather lasts forever.

I trekked to PA this past weekend to help celebrate A's departure. L met me in West Chester and we continued on to M and A's apartment. As L and I were catching up during the drive, I let my random thought come out, "what if C is there?" In this case, C is an ex....an ex where things did not end so pleasantly.

"Why would he be there?" L said.

I explained the 'why' and she says "doubtful."

Everything at A and M's apartment was great....I love seeing the girls and reminiscing of college days and sorority escapades. After several adult beverages we hop into our cars and head to the hip bar, Kildaire's in King of Prussia. We pay the $3 cover, walk to the back of the bar and up the stairs to the second level where the DJ is spinning some hits. Walking toward the back table where I've spotted our friends, I notice an Asian man that looks familiar.....where do I know him from?

Two seconds later I take in the tall, dark haired man in glasses sitting across from him....it's C.

Grabbing L's arm I whisper "he's here. C is here!" At the bar L and M stare at him while I'm getting drinks....they don't believe it's really C. He looks thinner, significant loss of muscle...no where near as vibrant as he used to be. Back at our table I decide that I'm pretty sure he's seen me....and if not me, then certainly my friends' staring at his table. I'm the bigger person.....I go over to say hello.

It was fine. Totally fine. He's doing well....I'm doing better.

With that, I go back to the girls, enjoy my drink.....then give hugs and warm wishes to A. One last glance to C on my way out, and I know that when that mess ended, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. He's just standing. I'm soaring.

Mr. Right Now

Hello, my name is Kate and I'm a commitment phobic. Or, at least I was. My attitude toward relationships has changed and I no longer fear the idea of committing to one person. Relationships are a fickle thing though. Of all the dating categories, I must say that my best friend's category tops the list. A serial monogamist with a commitment phobia. How scandalous is that?



My friend *Chloe has never had a one night stand, never gone on 3 first dates in a week, and never had a fling. She remains in long term relationships, but can't help wondering what else is out there. What if she misses a great opportunity with Mr. Right because she's in a relationship with Mr. Right Now? I guess that's the chance you take when you commit to someone - or pretend to commit.



The best relationship I personally ever had was with New York. New York never made me feel lonely, was available 24/7, constantly showered me with gifts of entertainment, discounts, culture and drinks. I gave that big, beautiful city my whole heart. The same heart that broke when we parted ways. No man could ever live up to the expectations that New York set....I suppose I'll have to learn to love again....in a different way.



When all is said and done, I don't think there really is a Mr. Right. Everyone is a Mr. Right Now, and he can become whoever we want him to be...a New York, a fling, a forever. It's not a change in person, it's a change in heart.

Downfall of an Icon (?)

It's safe to assume that I am one of Britney's most loyal fans. I have always maintained the notion that her career will bounce back and place her on top of the totem pole once again - and there I would be, standing in line with her fresh album burning hot in my hands. I don't believe that she has the range and tone of mastermind singer Christina Aguilera; or that she possesses the cult attraction and following of Madonna, who has been a constant in the musical world for 24 solid years and a personal favorite of mine. But Brit has something else that I love. Each album she released contained lyrics that, word for word, described the position in life I was in....how I felt, what I was doing...testing the waters of life. On each album I could find a few songs that matched me perfectly. For this reason, I will always be interested in what she will produce next.

I'm just not sure now if she will actually be able to produce anything that truly relates to me. While Brit has fallen so far downhill, I've continued my climb up. I'm not compromised by wanna-be rappers in baggy jeans, I'm not reproducing like a rabbit, and I'm certainly not lackadaisical in hygiene. She's fallen so severely far down, that I'm not quite sure she'll be able to bring herself back up. Her disastrous photo shoot and interview with OK! Magazine has exposed her mental state to the world - the only conclusion is that she needs 1. therapy, 2. medication and 3. a dog trainer. [http://www.tmz.com/2007/07/23/britneys-disastrous-photo-shoot/]

Maybe calling Brit an Icon is going a little too far. However, she will certainly go down in the books as the Pop Princess and for her record breaking influence is the industry. Whether you like her music or not, she once reigned supreme over the pop world, second only to Madonna.

So for now, until she "does it again" - RIP Britney Spears - your toxic music and dancing will be missed.