LOL!! Hahaha. SMH! WTF?

LOL!!!

 Haha!

 LMAO!

 Smh….

😉

WTF?!

 Are you really doing all these actions when your fingers are swiping over your iPhone keyboard, praying autocorrect doesn’t make you look like an idiot? 

Imagine if you did.  You’re sitting on the bus, your best friend texts you to re-cap her happy hour that got out of control and you respond with a mix of LOL!!! No f***** way.  Smh, Alison…you’re soooo crazy!

 Laughing to yourself and shaking your head back and forth on the 134 Express at 8am? Winking? Laughing you ass off?  You’d be considered a freaking nutso (my favorite is the wink face…is there an underlying meaning I’m missing here?  Are you trying to  be sexy? JUST TELL ME!) 

 Around ten years ago, my parents always asked who I was talking to on MSN Messenger or AIM or whatever form of chatting you used at that age.  I’d tell them and they would always respond, “would you talk to this person on the phone?  In person? If you wouldn’t, I don’t understand why you’re talking to each other.”

 In more cases than not, at fourteen years old, no, I probably would not talk to all of those people in person.  I’m not talking about strangers in chat rooms, I’m talking about kids from another school that you’ve met once or twice or the guy a grade or two ahead of you who asked for your e-mail address while you were warming up for a volleyball  game (true story! I had a Hotmail address then).   In the prime of my MSN Messenger/AIM existence, I can remember having six or seven or eight convos going at one time.  It was cool then, ok?

 As I got older, those nights of chatting turned to texting.  Ten cent per text, texting.  You can imagine how thrilled my parents were when those MSN/AIM chats transferred to texting and amounted into some monstrous bills.  Luckily, through a little maturity on my end (g2g, anyone?!) and a stern warning by my parents, my texting went down (we eventually went to unlimited…thankfully, since I hate talking on the phone) and the people I talked to were actually ones I talked to everyday in person.

 And then there was Skype.  I used it a ton in college (yes, to people I actually know and am friends with) but have kind of forgotten about it until recently.  Alas, I have climbed back on the bandwagon.  With all of my ten contacts or so.  Whatever.

 What stems from all this, however, is how easy it is to say things to someone via social media (@justintimberlake YOU’RE SO HOT!! @charliesheen WINNING!!! @ESPN DUDE…that was NOT a top ten play. You guys suck!!!!) or through texting that you wouldn’t normally say to their face.  And that’s understood—some people express themselves better through writing than speaking (me! me! me!). 

 I also understand it is a convenience.  Sometimes you just CAN’T talk on the phone.  The bus (you can, but it’s annoying….fyi), a loud bar, some desolate place where you don’t get enough service to hear someone but jussssst enough to send a text. 

Don’t misunderstand me here—I’m not hating on texting.  I love it.  It’s what people use it for at times that irks me.

 Anyway,  with this also comes A LOT of talk….and no action.

 “We should get a drink sometime lol.”  (So…are you being serious? If I text you and take you up on your offer are you going to act like you didn’t mention it?)

 “You going out tonight haha?” (What is funny about that? I take my weekends seriously.  Like, seriously fun.)

Facebook post: “Omg!!!! It was SO good running into you yesterday….let’s get dinner/drinks/go out soon?!?!”  (Like WTF?  Should we?  Because I haven’t heard from you in 3 months since you posted this).

 It also gives people an easy out when breaking plans or commitments.

 “Oh..I sent you a text!  I swear. My phone has been messing up lately.”

 “I’m so sorry I didn’t go!!  I left you a voicemail I think but it cut me off.”

 “Really?  Well, my phone died so I didn’t your message until the next morning.”

 You’re guilty of this, so am I. Once or twice.  It feels ok to do this to someone, but it never feels ok for them to do it for you.  You get that funny look on your face; you literally crinkle and turn up your nose and  give your phone a good “eff you” look and move on to whoever/whatever is better.  LOL!

But in reality, it’s sad we’re a disposable society that can write certain things like plans, commitments, dates, etc off that way.  Always moving on to the next one when what you have (person, material object) isn’t good enough or exactly what you wanted and ignoring things or people, hoping the technology Gods will save your butt with another “broken phone.”

 LOL.  JK, jk (are you really joking? Or kidding about joking? Laughing at what I said and joking about it?).

 Smh,  whatever.  Ttyl!

 np

“Things change. People leave. And life doesn’t stop for anybody.”

See you when I see you!

 

I’m not writing this to preach about being independent, to make sentimental, inspirational cracks about “being the best you can be! you can do it! just believe!”

Someone (many someones) have written things like that before and that is probably why I am where I am.  I lived in LA for a summer after my freshman year of college, Fort Myers in the summer of 2008 and again from Jan-Aug of 2009.  Now, I am laying on an air mattress in my nearly empty living room, trying to get comfortable on my improvised couch.  Comfort…

That word rings a bell I think about any place I have lived.  I’ve been out of my comfort zone–in nearly every aspect.  New roads? Interstates? Detours?  Forget it.  If you know me, I am GLUED to my GPS.  I would advise that you not get in car with me unless you want to take the “scenic” route (unfortunately, not many people have time for that these days).

I’ve had to be the “new girl” more times since I turned twenty-one than in my entire life (I lived in the same house my entire life and stayed in the same school system) and that is not a particularly easy task when you don’t have cool toys to share or a Mom around to make cookies for your birthday at school–and you KNOW every kid in grade school thought those days were the best.  Nope, you have to have the coolest smart phone and the ability to show off your cooking skills on your own.  You have to be open-minded, take some chances, and hope your new found friends are something like the cast of How I Met Your Mother (ok, maybe not EXACTLY, but they do look fun…) and less a la The Hills or some other ridiculous group of friends.

Finding your way around?  Well, I already mentioned my skills with geography, but lets talk about the social scene.  In LA I wasn’t twenty-one yet and worked at night a lot so that helped out a bit.  I was limited to shopping (lottttts of shopping) and going to the beach during the day but guess how we had to get there?  DRIVING ON THE 405. THE. 4. 0.5!!!  If you have been to LA, it’s that extremely crowded, crazy, scary mass of cement. I shake thinking about it.

Anyway, on to Fort Myers.  The gentleman on the early morning shift at the 7-11 across the street from where I lived recognized me every morning.  He learned my name (alright…I DID have on my Twins name tag most days but I like to think he remembered it) and noticed when I switched from coffee to tea (which didn’t last long. Coffee> tea.).  The season ticket holders noticed when you got your hair cut (seriously!) and recognized you out of work. You were “that girl that works for the Miracle!  You do the YMCA on the dugout, right?!” to others. “GCTC,” otherwise known as Gulf Coast Town Center, was where the social scene was.  Bar Louie was cool in 2008, Fire Pit was the place in 2009.  You sat at the same booth, got your drinks at the same side of the bar each time.  You knew which bartenders poured them heavy and which ones scammed you out of your well drink.  You got comfortable.

Then you move.

Insert the rest of college here–more of the same.  Comfort. $2 Tuesdays ($2 Holla!) at Roys, half-off at Sports on Wednesday, $1 tequila shots at Brothers on Thursday before Roys/Sports then Roys/Sports again Friday and Saturday.  See the pattern?  In between, I went to class and graduated.

My move to West Palm was a little different compared to my move to Fort Myers.  Yes, I had built in friends from work. I lived in an awesome apartment downtown.  But I was an adult.  A real adult. In the real world.  I wasn’t here for an internship, looking forward to going to back to IU.  I couldn’t be unhappy and decide to quit and move.  I couldn’t “forget” to pay my bills like I “forgot” to do my homework.  I couldn’t decide not to show up for work like I did (only once or twice..) class when I looked outside and saw it was pouring out. Or snowing. Or hailing. You get the idea.

Thankfully, I acclimated myself well.  I think I can credit a lot of that from already living on my own once or twice before I got to this point.  That’s not to say, however, that it is a total breeze to be the new girl, even if it is your third or fourth move.  First and foremost, I didn’t feel quite at home until I found the nearest Tar-jayyy (for those of you with no sense of humor, that is Target).  Next, I had to figure out where to shop…that lead me to City Place, which also led me to the Gardens Mall (if both were combined it seriously would be a shopping heaven).  And wouldn’t you know it…I was in walking distance to City Place.  I also learned to be pretty good friends with Clematis Street, which was home to many fun nights.  Grease, Gratify, Bradleys, World of Beer, Roccos Tacos….and my favorite place, Roxys.  Girl has to get her dance on!

The same thing happened at some of these places–they waved you on in without showing your ID (I’m still not sure if that is a compliment–I clearly go too much AND look older than 21?? Ugh).

Along the way of making myself right at home in West Palm, I learned that you can only use the internet at Panera for so long–and it hardly works. Your next move?  Over to Starbucks where they hopefully don’t see you holding your iced coffee from Panera. Want to go to the movies alone?  You can’t go on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Only exception: if the movie has been out for a very long time and no one will be in the theater to see you sitting alone, wiping away that tear trickling down your face when you realize that Mila Kunis and Justin Timeberlake really do end up together in Friends with Benefits.  You can go, however, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday–at almost any hour. I’ve probably done it six or seven times and I have no problem with it.  No one is hogging the arm rest or asking you what just happened.  It’s just you, Mila Kunis, JT, and that pesky tear.

I’ve learned that you can’t have two “Call-A-Cabs” at Wet Willies. I once met my handsome neighbor there and unknowingly did the fore mentioned.  I won’t go into details, but just. don’t. do. it.  Luckily, he learned his lesson and let me order my OWN drinks from there on out–and we’re still friends.

Friends.

Thank goodness for them, right?  They’ve helped me move furniture, taken me to the airport, picked me up from the airport, made me dinner, checked in on me while I was sick, put together my IKEA furniture (it’s only cheap because of the hours of manual labor it takes to put it together…thanks, guys!), just been really great all around–I will miss every one of you so much!  Chicago is FREEZING most of the year, so I’ll be back for a quick weekend 🙂

See?  I’m not trying to inspire you with this, or make you think you can do anything you put your mind to (you already know you can, by the way…).  I’m just letting you know that with the help of family, friends, and of course, yourself, anywhere can be “home” if you let it.  Let’s see what Chicago brings….

“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”-Stephen Chbosky

Nat

Florida Bound….But for now, the Indianapolis International Airport

It’s not often I have not one, but two hours of free time on my hands where I don’t have ANY homework waiting for me.  No Stat S-300 folder sitting lonely in my backpack, no “Espanol Tareas” to complete (Spanish homework) and no Sport Marketing P418 waiting for me to figure out what market I am targeting for the next up-and-coming sport product.  No, readers, I am sitting in the Indianapolis International Airport, very new and clean might I add, waiting for my 7:14 p.m. flight to Ft. Myers, Florida, home of the Spring Training Minnesota Twins, their High-A affiliate Fort Myers Miracle, and many of my good friends that I have made since making this sandy, sun-filled state my second home.

Currently, I am sitting at an un-named sports bar watching the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team hopefully defeat Northwestern…and if they lose, hopefully it’s  in exciting fashion….an exciting loss is almost as good as a win for us these days.  Ah, but I am optimistic that by the time I return to IU to see if I have really outgrown Kirkwood and Walnut that the basketball team has redeemed itsself.   To might right is a man dressed in a suit that is worth at least five times that is currently in my bank account talking about “capital trust, capital qualified, and capital non-qualified trust” on his BlackBerry Tour.  To the left of me is a man from the East coast, only identifiable by his thick accent that I hear all too much on the IU campus.  His heaping plate of pasta and bread sticks that he brought from the “authentic pizzeria” across from the bar also gave him away.  Have you ever seen the movie “For Love of the Game?”  If you have, remember the man in the airport rooting for the Yankees?  According to IMDB, his real name is David Mitchell Evans.  Anyway, he precedes to name every Yankee player and their number dating back eons and is a general annoyance to everyone else in the bar.  Yeah, that is who I am sitting by right now.  Between him and Mr. Business on my left (Tour still glued to his right ear discussing an account in Persia), I am stuck somewhere between the Bronx and Wall Street.

I also just ran into my journalism Sport Research J-460 professor, on his way to Maryland, where he lives permanently.  Good think he canceled class today…apparently we both had important flights 🙂

Oh, IU is leading 20-17 over Northwestern.  HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOOOOOSSSIIEERRRS!

np

Miracle News and Player Profiles!

 

Our beautiful stadium--Home of the Spring Training MN Twins and Fort Myers Miracle!

 The Miracle are currently 34-19 and in FIRST PLACE IN THE FSL SOUTH!  We’re (not that I technically play but…) 6 1/2 games ahead of the Charlotte Rays, our I-75 rival.  After a few bumpy games in the past week or so, including a season long 3-game losing streak, we’ve (again, there is no jersey bearing my last name on the back) beat Clearwater the past two nights by 1 run a piece.  LHP Spencer Steedley is 4-0 with an 0.67 ERA and Ben Revere is hitting .339 through last night.  The All-Star game is coming up on June 20th (and it’s @ our stadium!) and we have a record 8 All-Stars on the South team, including, P David Bromberg, P Spencer Steedley, P Carlos Gutierrez (will not play due to AA promotion), C Danny Lehmann, OF Ben Revere, SS Chris Cates, OF Chris Parmelee, and IF Steve Singleton. 

I am doing short, fun player profiles on our All-Stars, and have 3 to share with you all that I did yesterday!  

Name: Chris Cates

My family: The most important people, ever.

Best concert I’ve been to: Keith Anderson

Playing baseball at Louisville was: Awesome and unforgettable

Best road trip city: Tampa, because it’s my home town

I have always wanted to: Host my own talk show

I’m known for: My height

On a day off I: Go home and spend time with my family

Favorite food: Pizza

Day or night: Both

Fort Myers is: Nice

 

Name: Ben Revere

Funniest teammate: Chris Cates

Best dressed on the team: David Bromberg

The next car I buy: Lamborghini

Team with the best uniforms in FSL: Charlotte Stone Crabs

Lexington, KY is: No place like home

My family: The love of my life

Favorite city: Atlanta

After a game I usually: Eat

Best advice: Play hard every day

Favorite dessert: Twizzlers 

 

Name: Steve Singleton

California: Beautiful

In my refrigerator: Gatorade and a watermelon

Biggest pet peeve: Floating debris in my water at restaurants

Best Halloween costume I ever had: Officer Jones from Reno 911

Early Bird or Night owl: Early bird

Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch

If I could be anyone, I would be: Tiger Woods

Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi

Siblings: 1 brother

iPhone or BlackBerry: iPhone

 

I will hopefully finish up the other 4 today and get them posted soon!  

np