First Impressions

Most of you have heard that first impressions are everything. Well, whoever told you that are right. If you are meeting someone for the first time or you are going on a first date or you have an interview for a job/internship then you need to be on point with your first impression. Basically, don’t screw up or say anything stupid. You would think I shouldn’t say anything about first impressions being that I usually stumble over my words, drop food on myself or fake a laugh because there are times I literally don’t know what to say. So here is what has happened to me and my thoughts on the three types of “intros”.

Meeting someone for the first time:

I am good at it this for the most part surprisingly but I am really really good at it when I am intoxicated and that probably sounds really bad but hey I am just being honest. At first it is totally okay to be nervous about meeting people especially if it is someone who is important to another person because you don’t want to make an ass of yourself. But you have to remember that you can’t please everyone and if they like you for you then great but if they don’t then at least you tried, right?  Also, don’t be really trashed when you meet someone (if you know are) because that could just be really bad. Just be yourself and don’t puke on them or sound stupid. You’re welcome and God speed.

First Dates:

Surprisingly I have not had really any bad experiences concerning first dates, mainly because I don’t go on them. But this past weekend I went out to dinner (it was a surprise and super cute) on Valentine’s Day to LaFontana and surprisingly I didn’t drop any food on my shirt but I did eat all the bread and I looked like an idiot not knowing what any of the appetizers were ONLY because they didn’t have mozzerella sticks on the menu (but they had them anyway..didn’t make sense). Then we brought an ice cream thing home and I spilled it down my hoodie but he expects all that to happen because I can’t eat like a normal person. But I really didn’t have to make a first impression because I knew my super cute dinner date and he knows that I eat like a bro so it was a win win. But hey, I remembered to put my napkin on my lap, not chug my beer, AND I even said thank you so it was all good.

But if anyone is nervous about a first date, don’t be. It’s really not that big of a deal so just be yourself. If you want to eat all the bread then eat it and be proud that you like carbs as much as I do. If you want to order a big kid drink then do it but not get sloppy at dinner because you don’t want your dinner all over his/her car floor (if ya know what I mean). And don’t forget to say thank you and attempt to help with the bill or at least cover the tip but if they say no once then don’t fight them because you will lose. Take it from me.

Interviews for internships/jobs

“You can buy a bottle of wine and get a free meal. So come to Italy and write.” -said by my interviewer yesterday.

So yesterday I had an interview (obviously) for this internship BUT after the interview I found out that I would have to pay close to $7,000 for it. Why do you ask? Well it is because it is a firm that places you with someone to give you an internship but they failed to tell me that. The quote above was said by my interviewer when she tried to pitch to me coming to Italy to write…after spending $7,000 to MAYBE be placed in a internship that might not give academic credit. Thank you to Kathy for explaining that to me because I was highly confused and then I went through my stages. Stage 1: pissed off because I literally wasted an hour listening to a chick talk out of her butt basically. Stage 2: felt stupid because I thought I actually had a chance of getting an internship because I literally rocked the absolute hell out of the interview. Stage 3: burn down a building just because it was totally ridiculous. Stage 4: totally fine because I ate two bowls of Lucky Charms…judge me I dare you. My mind was literally blown during the interview because some of the stuff she said made her sound like an idiot. I even had to pull out my fake laugh which I don’t do very much because I have had no reason to but yesterday it was crucial to pull it out. Ask my roommates….Caitie and Sam realized I did because they could hear me through my door. So basically I rocked an interview that doesn’t mean diddly squat to my future. Awesome right? It was a day maker.

So my advice to anyone who needs to make a good impression on an interview (whether in person or on the phone). Rule 1: Dress to impress. Even if you don’t have to meet them in person for the first interview dress nicely because you’re gonna have to meet them soon enough so start practicing actually looking professionally. I guess I should take my own advice for this because I was laying on my bed yesterday during it in yoga pants and t-shirt. Rule 2: Your handshake and eye contact are more important than you think. If you are a guy you should already have a firm handshake and actually if you are a girl you should have a firm one too. Just because you are a girl doesn’t mean you have to act girly when you shake someone’s hand so man up. Eye contact is really important too because it shows you are engaging so don’t have wandering eyes. Rule 3: If you have to fake laugh over the phone then practice your laugh and make sure you do it at the right time because if you don’t you’ll look like a douche. Thankfully I was fine with it and the girl thought I was agreeing with her. Key word there is thought. If I think anymore rules then they will just sound ridiculous. But you’re welcome for the general gist of it.

 

I am going to wrap this up unfortunately because the girl next to me is being a Nosey Nellie and reading every word I write and I have no clue who she is.

Love to you all.

Sisters

Before I start talking about my topic I want to apologize for being M.I.A for like a week. I have had a lot going on recently and I know you all have missed me but don’t worry kids, your girl is back and ready to write.

So when I started this blog I asked people what I should write about and while I got many awesome ideas, I can’t write about them all at once because then I would have no back up plans. One topic really stood out to me: The Middle Child Syndrome. While I am not going to write about this now, I am instead going to write about having sisters. I will write about the middle child syndrome another day when I am not trying to sneak this post on a computer during class. I know I know, I am a bad ass. 

Having sisters is one of the greatest things. Many of you know my sisters which means you know how amazing they are. If you don’t know my sisters I will give you some background info on them. Kelsey is my older sister who is 24 (old hag) and is a teacher at an elementary school near us. Meg is the baby of the family and is finishing up her senior year of high school. Meg is also going through the process of deciding what college she wants to attend and what to major in. So here are my reasons why having sisters is awesome. Enjoy.

Having an extra closet to pick clothes from:  Us Eddy girls are famous for taking each others clothing. And this is a great thing because you can never have too many options. Unless your bodies are different then you’re kind of screwed for some pieces but you get the general gist of this. We are also famous for not letting each other know when we take clothes from one another which always results in name calling and me running to dad to complain (it works every time). Contrary to belief Kelsey is actually really good at name calling….she has a very colorful language when she gets annoyed with me (which is often). The only bad thing about sharing clothes is when your older sister moves out with her boyfriend and she takes some of your clothes and you find out by going into her closet in her new apartment…yes Kelsey is guilty of this and yes she will deny it.

Having a backup for anything: Now when I say this I mean having a back-up for when a sister is in trouble. For example: fighting with your parents, trying to get something from your parents, or being in a bar fight. Having backup when you fight with your parents is almost as crucial as having backup when you want something from them. I know that sounds wrong but hey I am just being honest. I think we all can agree that fighting with your parents suck and usually the fights in our house are about stupid shit but just in case we rally one more sister on our side and if there are two then we are good as gold. Same thing goes for when we want something. Dad is easier going than mom sometimes and vice versa….it depends on the day but they rock in the end. Usually if I want or get something that my sisters don’t then I don’t get them on my side because then they’ll just complain that I got it and they didn’t and call me spoiled. I wouldn’t say I am spoiled…I am just the favorite but hey it’s a tough life trying to hold high standards being the favorite daughter. Now onto to the bar topic… while this has never happened to us (mainly because Meg isn’t of age and Kelsey doesn’t go out with me) it is good to have them as backup because hey you never know when a dude or chick will push you or say something rude. On the upside, both my sisters are scrappy as hell…..Kelsey scratches like a damn cat and Meg turns into a full on ninja and kicks and throws her arms every where (especially when I take the remote). I know this because it has happened. You never know when or why you’ll need backup so keep your sisters on your side so you win a bar fight or win over your parents. (every time I win over my parents I dance around like I won a million bucks…mainly because I am never right)

Having someone to vent to all the time: While I am a good listener, having someone in your house that will listen is great. While you can talk to your parents, having a sister in these situations is awesome because they are most likely closer in age and they probably went through something that you’re venting about so it is a perfect situation. And even better, after you vent they will either give you  advice or a big container or ice cream. While it is your choice to take the advice and actually use it, take the damn ice cream, eat it and enjoy it. You go through a lot in your life, both when you’re young and when you’re older and having someone as close to you as a sister to listen is so relieving.

Always your first best friend: Sisters are truly your first best friends and that is great because you literally grow up with them so you can grow together as best friends. I don’t think I could ever say my sisters are not my best friends. They have been there for me through more than I can talk about and vice versa. And another perk of having them as a best friend is that you can’t get rid of them (unless you kill them but that is just ridiculous). They’ll always be there for you no matter what and they don’t judge (that hard at least).

They prevent depression: The other day I read that sisters prevent depression. You are probably thinking that this is really weird but when I read about it more it made sense. And here’s why: girls are better at talking about problems and they most commonly take on a care-giver role than brothers do. The care-giver role comes naturally in our house from having such amazing parents who taught us that if one is suffering (by sickness or personal issues) then we all rally to make them better. I’m pretty sure the way I prevent my sisters from having depression is by my amazingly funny attitude and my good looks. Kelsey prevents this by all the stuff she says. Meg prevents this by, well, just being Meg. Clearly we are fine with this because we are cool as shit.

All in all, I just want to express how grateful I am to have the sisters that I have. Even though sisters don’t have to be ‘blood’ I am focusing on my ‘blood sistas’ in this post. I honestly don’t know what I do without Kelsey or Meg.

I hope you all are having a good start to the week and have fun if you have a snow day. Bloomsburg probably won’t have a snow day because they hate us.

Love to you all.

 

One Year

“I thought of you today, but that is nothing new. I thought about you yesterday and days before that too. I think of you in silence, I often speak your name. All I have are memories and your picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake from which I’ll never part. God has you in His arms, I have you in my heart.”

One year ago my mom and I got a call I never wanted to get. My mom’s best friend and my second mother passed away. It was by far one of the worst days of my life but I can’t compare my feelings to how her family must have felt. If any of you knew or even heard of Mama Gale you know that she was one of the nicest and most gracious people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  She had a smile that could light up a room and gave a hug that would make everything bad go away. Whenever I walked into her house I was greeted by a huge hug and if I was lucky there would be a pan of brownies waiting for me to eat (and yes I ate the whole pan because her brownies were fantastic). She was one person I could always go to for advice. Mama Gale was taken too fast but I guess I can’t be selfish because now she is free of pain and suffering and she is happy up in Heaven with her mom. My friend Ashley sent me a quote the other day and the beginning of it said “life is short” and then she suggested to tie it into a post and I knew immediately which one I would put it in to.  Life is short so hug the people you love and never forget to tell them you love them everyday.  Also, the power of prayer is amazing so even if you don’t know the family say a prayer because everyone needs it.

Mama Gale-       There hasn’t been a day where I don’t think of you or the family. I feel so privileged to  have been so close to you. You will always be my second mother even if you aren’t physically here. I still can’t go to church without crying because that is one place where I think of you but I know you are there in spirit.  I haven’t been able to build the strength to go to the mausoleum but I will someday I promise. Thank you for being such a good friend to my mom and always being there if she needed anything. She had nothing but love for you and so did my whole family. We could always count on you for a good laugh or a big hug. I carry your mass card with me everywhere I go and I have a picture of you, me, Sean, and my mom from our senior mass hanging over my desk. Even though I have those things I still feel like it isn’t enough. I wish more than anything that you were still here physically but I know you are looking over all of us. You are  missed by many but are loved for forever. You inspired so many people throughout your life and you continue to do so. Words will never be able to describe how much I miss you and love you. Keep flying high angel.

I love you Mama Gale. Always and forever.

Wrapping up Break

While I sit here watching the Bachelor with my roommates I started to think about the winter break. I thought this break would drag on and suck like every other break but it was the complete opposite. It was actually awesome, never thought I would say that. My break was filled with family and my friends and I couldn’t be more happy about that. Some days were better than others and sometimes there were arguments with others but you can’t have good days without bad days. It was definitely a learning experience. Even though it was a good break I am very happy to be back and get classes started and see my other friends. (Then again my break ended with a three hour drive back to school but hey it could be worse.)

On a side note of this post… I would like to express an opinion on something that happened to me last night at a bar. Here is my story: I am sitting there minding my business sipping (really chugging) my drink and three girls come over to our table and one decides to glare at me and make faces to her other friend. Keep in mind I don’t know them at all and if looks could kill I’d be dead. Literally though. Obviously I didn’t say anything because I’m not like that and it wouldn’t end well AND I didn’t even give a look. Surprising I know. Granted I am bothered by the fact these chicks decided to glare at me but hey I took it in stride, like a boss. So girls, if this ever happens to you just know that obviously you are really hot because they’re clearly jealous of your life. Oh and just look away and chug your drink because you don’t want to waste perfectly good mean look on an insignificant girl. Yes it is hard not to say something or give a look but as my mom says, “kill them with kindness”, unless you really just don’t care (like me last night) then just smile. You’re welcome.

I hope everyone has a wonderful first day of classes. Dress to kill.

Love to you all.

Childhood Dreams

“When I grow up, I want to be….” This is a question many of us were asked when we were little and some of us are still being asked it. While I can’t remember what I wanted to be when I was older I probably had a ridiculous (but awesome) idea. While most kids wanted to be a pop star or a famous person or a princess when they grew older I had a different dream. When I was in middle school my dream was to go to college at UCONN and play basketball there to eventually become the best point guard at the school and also live in an apartment with my best friend with a huge flat screen on our wall. Yes this is all true and yes I had high hopes. When I think back I wish I did pursue my childhood dream but now I am working to my new big girl dreams and I love every step of the way. 

Thinking back to it, childhood dreams are the best part of being a kid because you let your imagination speak for yourself. While you probably didn’t think this when you were little, dreams give you something to work towards. Remember if your childhood dreams don’t match up to your dreams now it is totally okay because your dreams now are probably so much better. As Charles Dickens said, “the dreams of childhood- it’s airy fables, it’s graceful, beautiful, humane, impossible adorments of the world beyond; so good to believed in once, so good to be remembered when outgrown.” When you look back on your childhood dreams, please smile, because you will realize how creative you really were/are and maybe you will put the creativity to work. And if your childhood dreams are what you are doing now then congratulations kids but keep in mind that if some one is pursuing a dream of theirs then be encouraging because there is nothing worse then some one being none supportive of some one else’s dreams.

Really nothing else I can say about this so have a wonderful night and keep dreaming.

Love to you all. 

 

The Truth Hurts Sometimes

Since I didn’t blog last night I am going to write an actual post instead of doing my normal Sunday “thank you”. This post has taken me almost two hours to write because I keep getting distracted by the Golden Globes (ADD at its finest) so everyone better like it. Just kidding I could care less.

For most of my life I never really told people how I truly felt, I usually just danced around it. If someone hurt me or made me angry I would say the classic, “I’m fine”.  BUT if I was actually okay and happy I wouldn’t show it because I was used to just acting like I was fine when I wasn’t which in turn made me not know how to act fine when I was actually fine…if that all made sense.  

Over the past couple years I have been really good at telling people how it is and how I feel. Sometimes it is harsh but I think people want to hear the truth because why would you want to hear anything but the truth? Sometimes the truth hurts but hey you just gotta suck it up and take it. If anyone wants to hear the truth from me give me a couple beers and I will just start talking and everything will be laid out nice and clear for you. Don’t judge me. Usually I am best with a little liquid courage and having bathroom bonding talks to tell how I feel….Sam, Ashley and Nina can vouch for this.

I guess people are usually scared to tell others how it is or the truth because it usually sucks for the person who receives it. But it also sucks for the person who says it because any normal person doesn’t like shitting on someone. (well, I don’t think so at least) But as you grow older you have to learn how to tell people how you feel and take criticism and actually listen to it. Learning how to take criticism is a big thing because when you’re older in a big kid job and your boss talks about your work and doesn’t like it you can’t go off the deep end and spaz out. On the other hand when you tell people how it is or how you feel you have to basically be a little bitchy because that’s how some people actually can get their point across. If you say how it is like jokingly or with a smile on your face no one will take you seriously and you will look like an ass and a joke so buck up baby and say what’s on your mind. 

At the end of the day or after something happens that bothers you you have to ask yourself, “Did I really express my true opinions or did I just let it hold me down like always?” I should have taken my own advice about four years ago when all I said was “I’m fine” when I really wasn’t but I am really good at realizing that at least now I do it. That kind of cancels out the fact that I never used to, right? Everyone remember, tell people how you feel because it makes you feel better in the end and if it doesn’t then just remember, practice makes perfect. You’ll become a pro before you know it. If you are the person who gets it said to you then suck it up and learn how to take criticism because sometimes it is actually constructive.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and has an even better week. 

Love to you all.

Referees

So tonight I spent about three hours at my high school watching the JV and Varsity Girls’ basketball games. You are probably wondering why I was there since I am a senior in college, well I have to go because I am a coach in the high school’s basketball feeder team. Of course we sit right behind the bench with our players so they can listen to the head coach and have a front row seat in watching the girls play. Tonight the girls’ varsity team played North Hunterdon and pulled out a 52-46 win. Unfortunately the referees sucked most of the game which resulted in the fans in the stands freaking out and harassing the refs to no end.

In my opinion I think fans needs to understand when to shut the hell up and know that they should be there for support. Maybe my opinion on this is a little biased to one side because I am a coach and if someone in the stands was harassing a ref I would be uber pissed off at the fan. I mean you got to give it to some refs for taking all the shit they get from fans if they make a bad call. If I was a ref from the game tonight I would be at the bar right now drinking to no end…even though they sucked and did it to themselves. I know if I was a ref and someone (other than a coach) was yelling or harassing me I would probably chuck a ball at their face but I guess that is the Irish temper in me. Remember, the coaches know what they’re doing or they wouldn’t be coaching. DUH. But you know what is even worse? Fans who yell about stuff that doesn’t make any sense. That would be like me commenting on a dancer’s skill. I don’t know anything about dancing other than I can’t twerk (no ass problems) so why would I say anything? So to fans who don’t know what they’re talking about when they yell at a ref….LEARN THE SPORT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH. Believe it or not some fouls are actually fouls and some travels are actually travels. For the most part, refs know what they’re doing believe it or not. Tonight I literally almost freaked out on about five people. Like I am a coach and I didn’t harass the refs tonight because hello, I wasn’t coaching the game. I get it that some referees make really bad calls but fans need to remember their place and to say quiet. So fans please shut up and sit down and stop shouting irrelevant things and let the coaches handle it because you annoy everyone around you. Rant over.

Don’t worry tomorrow’s blog post is going to be a good one all thanks to another good idea.

Love to you all.

Self Confidence

So my plan for tonight’s blog was to talk about the stomach bug (no I don’t have it) but then I started eating Chips Ahoy cookies Candy Blast Edition and well, I can’t do both at the same time without wanting to vomit. While thinking of what I should write about I was side tracked thinking about how it is a Thursday night and if I was back at school I would be getting ready (slowly but surely) for pitchers at Hardware with my friends. But I will stop being mopey and get on with my topic. While racking my brain and after getting side tracked my friend from WCU gave me a brilliant idea to write about self confidence. So before I start I would like to say thank you to John from WCU and even though you annoy the hell out of me sometimes you always rock with topics. So here we go kids.

Self confidence comes in three types: not enough confidence, perfect amount of confidence and too much confidence. Even though the people who don’t have enough confidence really make me sad I can relate to them. Even though it is hard to believe (since I am so awesome) I used to have little self confidence in high school (one of you knows what I am talking about) but now that I am a senior in college I have grown more confident. Looking back I realize that having little self confidence was really stupid. There is honestly no reason why people should have little self confidence. I think a big reason why people aren’t confident with themselves is because people have become too harsh and down right nasty. Lets be real, who gives a damn if they don’t like who you are or how you act or if you’re too loud or if you’re too quiet around certain people or how you look? If you’re too loud at the wrong moment or talk like no one is around then be proud of it and tell anyone who thinks it is embarrassing to shove off.  Shit, I wish I thought like this during my last year in high school buy hey better late than never, right?  If someone doesn’t like how you act or look then why are you associating yourself with them? You’re wasting your time on someone who just degrades you and that’s not fair to you.

My advice to the people who don’t have enough confidence: Start loving yourself because as they say, no one will love you unless you love yourself first. If that doesn’t work then find something that you love to do to help you make yourself more confident. And please don’t eat a container of ice cream because then you’ll gain weight or vomit and then you’ll be worse.

My advice to people have enough confidence: Keep living your life but help the people who are struggling to find confidence.

My advice to people who have too much confidence: Eat a slice of humble pie and shut up. No one likes a bragger so practice some humility. And actually instead of a slice…eat a whole pie…or five.

Be true to yourself because your happiness should be your main priority and if you’re not happy then that’s just a waste. Again, thank you John for the idea because my other ideas sucked. Have a wonderful night everyone.

Love to you all.

The Perks of Awkward Charm

Some people think that awkward charm is a bad thing but in my case it’s a great thing. Why do you ask? Well I’m going to tell you obviously!

Tonight after practice I went to Dunkin Donuts before going to my friends house and while driving up to the microphone thing I asked how much 50 munchkins are while stumbling over my words since I suck at ordering (I get it from my dad) because clearly I can’t read the sign. The dude said some outrageous amount so of course I was not about that life so I didn’t order them but I did get my other stuff. So now I’m driving up to the window to pay and get my coffees and the dude opened the window and gave me coffees and then surprised me with a box of 50 munchkins on the house. It was like Christmas all over again. And of course when he handed me the box he gave me a creepy-like smile but hey I took it like a champ and flashed him a smile and grabbed my munchkins proudly.

I would say another example of awkward charm but it involves the bar and Kathy and Bob wouldn’t be proud if they read it.

So while y’all keep thinking awkward charm is stupid and embarrassing, I’m gonna go enjoy my 50 free munchkins with my two best friends.

Love to you all.

The Little Things

So I am sitting here wondering what I should write about since it is almost 11 p.m. and my lovely best friend gave me a wonderful idea. So here I go about to throw some words into sentences and hopefully this is good.

For anyone who gives a shit I am currently sitting on a friend’s couch eating sourdough pretzels WITH twists watching Family Feud listening to some outrageous stories between my two friends. Don’t judge me that this is my life every night. I should be at a bar or watching something more entertaining but hey I can’t always win. Anyway, you are all probably wondering why I said “WITH twists” WELP it is because I have two types of pretzels to choose from right now. Here are my choices: Sourdough Nuggets Pounder Edition or Sourdough Hard Pretzels Pounder Edition. Obviously I chose the hard pretzels because they have twists and twists are more fun and exciting than the stupid nuggets. You are now probably saying what the hell is wrong with this chick but hey they make me happy so don’t judge. Obviously, pretzels with a twist is not a big deal but as they say, it is the little things that make me happy and pretzels with twists make me happy.

A lot of people probably need big extravagant things to make them happy but the best things that make you happy are little things. Take my pretzels for example. If that is not enough here is another little thing that makes me happy. MY BIRTHDAY! Now you are all probably thinking in your head that I am a conceded chick and all I think about is myself. Well for one day it is all about me so get over it. It is not the presents that make me happy, it is the texts or posts on social media sites that make me happy that day. Something that makes me even happier on my birthday is just being surrounded by people who I love and who love me. There is no better feeling than that and none of you can argue that. If you do try to argue that you then are not American, sorry.

One more thing that makes me the happiest is more than a little thing but I am still gonna talk about it. Coaching. Most of you know I have been around sports all my life from participating in them or just watching them. Well here is some background information on how I got started coaching. My dad started coaching my soccer team when I was little and then later coached my basketball team and when I was little I wanted to be just like my dad. Another factor that helped me start coaching was watching my mom coach in our AAU program. She has coached for roughly 10 years and she has made her way through the program as an assistant coach, to vice president of the program to now being a head coach of team with my dad. Yes, my parents coach together and it is literally the cutest thing ever. In high school I was always helping at her practices and doing the book at her games and finally in my freshman year of college I decided to start coaching. I am now going into my fourth year of coaching and I love it. It is a great feeling being able to share and show kids what you know about a sport. Coaching is a not-so-little thing that makes me happy.

Hopefully after reading this you guys will realize that little things are in fact better than big things. I hope you all are surviving this awfully cold weather and staying warm.

Love to you all.