Top Ten Questions I'm Sick of Answering

So the other day, while out to lunch with David, I decided I was going to come up with a list of the top 10 questions that I am sick of answering. These are questions that I am asked a lot, mostly by complete strangers. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind answering people's questions but some of them are particularly annoying and/or offensive. I think I should just print out a pamphlet with these so whenever I encounter any of them I can just hand them to the inquirer.

Anyway, here they are. Enjoy!


1. Why don't you speak Spanish? Aren't you Hispanic? Are you ashamed?
I've gotten this question asked a lot, especially since I moved to Miami. It's number one on my list because I don't think that I should have to justify whether or not I speak Spanish or be looked upon as some kind of freak of nature because I don't. Not every single Hispanic speaks Spanish (Have they not ever watched the movie Selena? She didn't always speak Spanish) and frankly I think it's rude to just assume that I should. It seems to me that Hispanics are the only minorities that are expected to speak Spanish just because of their ethnic background. I never see anyone give an Italian (for example) a hard time because they don't speak Italian. If you're born and raised in the US, is it really that unthinkable to only speak English? Isn't it still the official language? My question to people in Miami who live here and only speak Spanish is why don't you speak English? (I could go on and on about this one but I'll end it here)

2. What are you?

Many, many times, I'll come across a complete stranger who will look at me with a baffled look on their face and ask me, "what are you?" What they mean is that they are confused as to what my ethnic background is so they'll ask me "what I am." How ridiculous and insulting is that? Like it matters and like I should have to answer that. What I want to say to them is "freak, I don't even know you and what's it to you?" Who cares "what I am" and how is that relevant to anything? I don't mind answering that question if it's someone I just met that I have some kind of relationship with but if you're a complete stranger, don't ask me that question or if you do rephrase it so that it sounds more intellectual.

3. Why don't you smile more?

People have been asking me that question for years! I remember this one time when I was in H.S., I was walking to school and a complete stranger said "you should smile more" as he passed me by. Wtf? I never understood that. What am supposed to do? Walk around with a huge grin on my face for no reason? Who does that?

4. Why don't you work for a newspaper? (upon finding out that I have a BA in Journalism)

So I majored in Journalism and never worked in that field. A lot of people get degrees in certain majors and then end up doing something completely different. Besides, things don't always work out perfectly and one is always entitled to change one's mind about things, including careers.

5. Why don't you want to have/like kids?

Most people (especially women) think I am the biggest weirdo because I don't care much for kids and don't ever want to have any of my own. I just don't need that to feel complete. I'm more of an animal person. Besides, I think I'm being more responsible by realizing that this is not a road I ever want to take rather than just giving in to the norm and then turning out to be a bad parent (not that I think I'd make a bad parent, being one would just make me miserable). Too many people become parents for all the wrong reasons and I refuse to be one of them.

6. Why aren't you married/when are you getting married?

First of all, who cares? Second of all, getting married has never been a priority for me (I'm not even sure how I feel about the whole idea). I don't need to be anyone's wife to feel fulfilled. David and I have been together for many years and getting hitched is not going to make things any better. We'd still be the same people so why rush into anything? If we go ahead and do so it'll be whenever we feel is right.

7. Why are you still renting? Why haven't you bought a house?

Buying a home is a huge decision/commitment. I feel you should be 100% sure you want to live somewhere before you make such a huge investment. Besides, it's easier said than done. Buying property is something I definitely want to do but I'll do it when I feel it's right.

8. Why do you always wear black?

It's my favorite color, ok? I've worn mostly black since my metalhead days in H.S. and I just like it. I guess it's the goth in me. ;)


9. Why don't you cook more?

I don't enjoy the process. I love eating but do not enjoy actually making meals. Too time consuming, tedious, domestic, i.e. unlike me.

10. Why did you go to school in Arizona?

Why not? It's a pretty cool state (just not literally although they have more seasons than we do here in FL). It was just a place I wanted to check out.

No sense of time...

One of the things I dislike about living here is the consistent heat. It's always hot and humid (ok well maybe not always but 98% of the time). Like right now, for example, it's 80 degrees outside but feels hotter than it actually is because it's so damn humid! As a result you have no sense of season and if you do what I do for a living you also lack a sense of time. Now, if you know me, you already know what I do for a living so I won't get into that, but basically my job requires me to work random hours every week. I don't have a set schedule and my hours are very sporadic (I may go in at 5am one day, 2pm another day, etc) so I have difficulty knowing what day of the week it is, which combined with living in Florida with it's lack of seasons, has resulted in a very confused me. ;)

Sometimes I wonder what the hell possessed me to think that I could possibly be ok with living in a hot climate. I've always loved Fall and Winter, and wearing coats, boots and anything that has to do with cold weather. Plus I don't even like Summer/Spring clothes. The colors are always bright and cheery (very unlike me). Do you know how difficult it is to find a summery wardrobe when your favorite colors are black and grey?

Anyway, in conclusion, it's hot and I wish it were 50 degrees outside. ;)

P.S. I've added a countdown to moving day counter on the bottom of my blog. It's set to the date when my lease here ends give or take a day. (I've been too lazy to actually pull up the actual lease and double check but I'm almost positive it's right) As of today I have 162 days left. It sounds like an eternity but it'll probably go by faster than expected.

Weird timing

Life is weird. Several months ago I was on here bitching about how I hadn't met any cool people in FL. After a while I had met a couple of new people (primarily through work and still not as many as I would've liked) but it didn't matter as much because I was busy with work and most recently had made the decision that I'd be moving away, so it didn't really matter to me anymore. My focus shifted to just getting ready to head out. Anyway, the other night, per one of my Yelp buddies' suggestion, I decided to attend something called an "Art walk" in Miami's Design District. The walk happens every second Saturday of each month but what differentiated this one from all the rest was that this particular Saturday would be a gathering of some of South Florida's Yelpers. (If you don't know what Yelp is, click on the link to find out) Anyway, the event pretty much consisted of walking from art gallery to art gallery while acquiring free alcoholic drinks (trick-or-treating for adults as I referred to it). It was a great time but one of the best parts was meeting new and interesting people, proving that there are indeed some cool people in Miami. ;) I knew there were, I just hadn't met any and had kind of given up. It's just funny how things happen when you least expect it.

Within the past couple of days I've also been getting e-mails from old friends I haven't heard from in a while. Weird, but very cool. ;)

Anyway, here's a pic from our outing on Saturday night!

Still longing for you...

Out of boredom and a strong desire for Diet Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper, I came across this commercial.

R.I.P. Diet Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper. I'll never forget you!

On Vaca...

So yesterday was the official start to my vacation. I'm taking 9 consecutive days off from work just to do some things around the house and to have time to myself. One of the most annoying things about telling people that you're taking vacation time is them asking you "where are you going?" as if going somewhere is mandatory. I can't tell you how many people have asked me that question within the past week or so and then reacted surprised or disappointed upon finding out that, no, I am not going away anywhere. Is it really that unheard of to just take time to get some things taken care of or even to just get away from work? I will be spending my week posting items on ebay (lord knows I have a million things to sell), running errands and just spending time with Prince. Little things like that take a lot of time and when you work crazy hours like I do, they don't always get done. Ebay alone takes a lot of time (taking pics, posting listings, responding to people's questions, going to the post office) but I guess people don't think about those things. Anyway, I wouldn't mind just taking the week off doing absolutely nothing but lounging at home but that's not going to happen. Lots to do if I want to move to NYC!

See you soon, NYC...

Last weekend David and I went to NYC. It was the perfect weekend getaway, complete with lots of shopping, drinking, eating out and cold weather. In other words, all of my favorite things. ;) The trip started out with the potential to be disastrous thanks to Mother Nature. The day we left there was a snow storm in the Tri-State area so a lot of flights were being canceled including our connecting flight leaving Atlanta. Fortunately we were on standby on another flight and actually made it onto the plane.

We stayed in a suite at the Hudson Hotel on W. 58th. It was the coolest hotel I've ever stayed at. It was very modern and chic, almost as if it had been designed for me (how many hotels have dark grey hallways?). ;) Not only was it an awesome atmosphere but the customer service was great the entire time. If I could live there, I would. It was definitely difficult to say good-bye to that place and the city in general but visiting confirmed what I already knew; it's time to move back to NYC and get the hell away from Miami.

David and I have been talking about moving back once and for all for a while now but now I realize how strongly I feel about that. I've always known deep down that this is where I truly want to be (and belong) but never really pursued it because it can be quite pricey. However, living in Miami made me realize that things are quite pricey here as well and not as great as I had expected. I could make a list of the reasons I could never live in Florida long-term (but I won't right now, I'll save it for a later post)and after having lived in several places I've realized that it's best to just be wherever's going to make you happy and for me it's NYC.

When I was there I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I know I'll have to put up with other annoyances (no place is perfect) but overall this is where I fit in and where I want to be.

Now the countdown to moving back has begun and I have a lot to get done to make this happen. Number one on my list is getting rid of a ton of stuff. Ebay's about to become my best friend...

New Obsession

I've always been obsessed with handbags, particularly silver metallic leather ones, but most recently my obsession has reached a new level. I am now obsessed with Chloe handbags. Before, I would have been satisfied with a Kenneth Cole or DKNY bag but that has changed since I discovered my love for Chloe.

Actually, the first time I discovered Chloe handbags was about 3 or 4 years back when I lived in NJ. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was at Short Hills mall and I saw my first Chloe handbag. It was one of the camera bags with chain straps. There were actually a couple of different ones and they were all beautiful. They were made of black leather and had silver chain straps. I remember picking one up and looking at the price tag. They cost around $1500 or so which made me think I'd never have one of these but if I had the money I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I walked away and didn't think much of it again, that is until now.

I recently found and bought one of these on ebay for $350 which was a steal! I found it in the midst of a quest to find a more current Chloe; a large Chain Betty bag in either black, grey or silver, and/or a large Betty bag in grey or silver. These bags are from previous seasons so they're not as easy to find. The chain one is the most difficult to come across, at least if you want one that's authentic (found that out the hard way). Anyway, I am not giving up on my mission to find it. If anyone reading this has one they'd like to sell, please feel free to contact me. ;)

I am also seeking a pewter Balenciaga Weekender bag. Wish I had one of these for my trip to NYC this coming weekend...

Anyway, it's weird but I feel like in a way I'm becoming a purse snob. I even joined The Purse Forum (a website for bagaholics like me where we can discuss and obsess over our favorite bags). Some might say I need help but what I really need is a new bag. ;)