Movie Clip Monday!

I've been in a Tank Girl mood for a good few months now, so I thought what better way to start off the week than with this clip? Lori Petty, you rock my world!

Oh, and I'm wearing gray kneehighs over fishnet stockings for the occasion.

Maybe the Me Generation was right all along

While watching Julie and Julia (an excellent movie if you're thinking about renting it--Nora Ephron=genius.) the other day, someone posed a question to me: Are all successful people selfish?

My immediate answer: Yes.

I think selfishness has gotten a bad wrap. Even Merriam-Webster is out to get it! Perhaps I should submit an addendum to the definition, because I believe that selfishness is an integral part of mental health.

In order to be selfless, one has to be selfish. I can't save you from drowning if I don't know how to swim. My cooking skills suffer when I'm dying of starvation. In order for me to help you, I must first help myself.

I know that there are plenty of acts of selfishness that hurt people and destroy lives. I just think that some acts of selfishness are necessary and good as long as they don't harm others.

Radar Love

For whatever reason I woke up a few mornings ago and read my good friend's horoscope. It seemed to be pertinent to her--all about new learning opportunities and such (she just started school)--so I sent it to her. She emailed me back saying, "This morning I woke up thinking I should ask you to send me my horoscope."

Last night I thought: My boyfriend should start the dishwasher. Two minutes later, he did.

This morning I was listening to a really silly pop song while writing my sister an email. On a whim I included the name and artist of the song, thinking she might like it. She later told me that she had an 8 a.m. dance party because of my email.

My friend and I have a phrase for these sort of things: It's weird but it's not.

We are all connected. If you listen to the "weird" impulses in your brain and believe what to some is unbelievable, you can all become mind readers.

Astigmatisms can't be blamed for lack of perspective

Today I was tasked with inspiring my team at work. I introduced them to Littlewood's Law, which basically applies a little math to my idealistic attitude. I thought it was pretty good. What I didn't expect was for them to come up with a few of their own thoughts about it that blew my optimism out of the water. Bonus!

Last night my boyfriend gave me some constructive criticism and I actually listened. (What? I'm not perfect?!? This came as a shock to me as well.)

I've always said that I want to surround myself with people that make me want to be a better person. But I guess I've never really fully considered what that means. Wanting to be a better person is one thing. Becoming a better person is another. It involves admitting that others might know more than me and then changing to see their point of view. Or to at least consider it.

These things are uncomfortable and scary. All of this reminds me of a moment in As Good As It Gets.

I guess I just want to say thank you to everyone who is in my life in big and small ways. You make me want to be a better woman. And damn, I know it's hard because I'm stubborn and arrogant!

In turn, I encourage people to speak their minds and keep their perspectives. No one person thinks in the same way, and you never know whose life or heart you will touch with your thoughts.

Hope in all the right places

I have a very strange fear of dying of dehydration. Most of the time this works out to my advantage, because I drink a lot of water and eat tons of fruits and veggies to stave off said death. But once in a while I have to face that fear. And this week I am: I've gone to the desert. Las Vegas to be exact.

Those who know me know that I've sworn off this place. I've been here several times, and it's not really my scene now. Alas, there is a trade show here, and I want to be involved. So here I am. Again.

Once I got here I knew tons of old memories would come flooding back. And I was right. But they weren't the memories I expected.

The last time I was here I had just turned 27 and swore to myself that I was going to do all those things I had set out to do in life. People say that all the time, but dammit! I was going to do it. I was about two months into it and honestly thought I wasn't doing too bad.

I wanted to get paid to write. At the time I worked at a job I hated and didn't do much writing beyond emails. These days, most of my job is writing, and I even get to play on Twitter and Facebook.

I wanted to be in better shape so I joined a gym and worked out a few days a week. The weekend I was in Vegas I certainly wasn't going to work out! This was Vegas for god's sake! This week I packed my workout clothes without even thinking about it.

I lived in Minnesota, the state I grew up in. No way in hell I was going to spend the rest of my life living there. Don't get me wrong, I love the place, but have you checked the weather lately? No thank you! I can't complain too much about the weather in California...because it's CALIFORNIA! Oh, and I call it home now. Sick!

I started blogging then, and I tried really hard to update regularly. But months would go by and nothing would be posted. Lately my posts have been weekly and usually on the same day. (OK, OK I am a few days late this week, but c'mon it's Vegas!)

The few days I have been in the desert has been nothing but encouraging. And at the beginning of the year, with new goals in mind, I think most people could use the encouragement.

So in that spirit, I encourage everyone who has begun a journey, big or small, to look for the positive influence in something they may not have considered, whether it be that person who never has anything good to say or a place with nothing but difficult memories. You may be surprised at what you encounter.