arm candy

So you see a guy at a bar. He's cute, stylish but not too stylish, seems normal and speaks well. You share a drink, some small talk. No girlfriend in sight, no wedding band. As he goes to order another drink you see it, his man jewelry. Not a watch but an actual bracelet that he's taken the time to select, purchase and put on this evening. Someone down the line told him, "No way man, that bracelet isn't feminine at all. It's cool." I'm here to tell you, you're friends are lying to you.

There are only two items of jewelry that a man should own. The first is a watch and the second is a wedding band. That's it, no exceptions. Man jewelry carries a distinct personality which completely cancels out that conversation we just had and instantly puts you in the friend zone.

Man jewelry tells me that you are conscious about what you wear and so conscious that you think you need a bracelet or necklace to feel like you've "completed your outfit." This means you probably take longer to get ready than I do. It says that you see yourself as masculine with a sensitive side. I don't want to know that up front. You can tell me all about your soft side on date 6, which mind you, you'll never make it to because of your man jewelry. Finally it tells me that some female in your life, either a past girlfriend or maybe even your own mother told you it looked okay. This bothers me most of all, it looks ridiculous. All of this leads up to the same end; you're not getting my number. Think of this as your own personal public announcement and soft nudge; leave your leather, gold and hemp bracelets at home.

flight risk

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how excited or how wonderful the trip ahead of me is, about a week before I am set to leave I get in my head that if I get on the plane, something terrible will happen. I'm not scared of planes, trains, cars, etc. It's being unavailable for a period of time when they make you turn your phones off and knowing that to get back to wherever I need to be will take much more time and effort that I might not be capable of given the situation.

From my travels (which are not plenty) I've realized that I am one of those terrible itinerary people. I need to know where, when, how and why for all actions leading up for me to get on the plane, train or car. This was a problem a few years ago when I was heading to Killington, Vermont for a ski weekend where I was left without my answers. What was supposed to be a relaxing, stress-free birthday trip, left me with extreme anxiety and a miniature explosion from my boyfriend at the time who boasted, "Why can't you just let me handle it?"

So now, a week out of leaving for Charleston, South Carolina for Memorial Day the excessive list making and planning begin. Let me share with your some of the humorous steps I will go through: I will obsessively charge my phone, ipod and kindle. I will list of every item I need to bring and access which are deemed "southern appropriate." I will completely lose my appetite three days before my flight and live on coffee alone. I will read and re-read my plane itinerary 50 times convincing myself that I booked the wrong time or place. It's absolutely embarrassing but I've come to learn that I can't do anything but help balance out the stress with a good dose of humor. I know I'm ridiculous but at least I can laugh at myself.

let's get high

Have you ever taken a drive and arrived at your destination without knowing how you got there? You try to remember the last few minutes, if you stopped at all the stop signs, if you ran any red lights, if you were speeding, but nothing registers. Your mind was obviously somewhere else. This is why I run.

I began running when I graduated. Half because I wanted to explore some of the city I was living in and half because I didn't want to pay the high costs of a gym membership. What I discovered was I had a similar phenomena of arriving at a destination without fully being aware of how I had gotten there. The run always begins the same way. The first 5-7 minutes are a physical and emotional battle. A laundry list of things I need to do, people I need to call back, work that I still need to finish rip though me. My muscles are cold and my ankles ache. I skip every song on my ipod. From minute 7-12 I start to find my step. I find myself listening to my breathing, becoming aware of the way my foot hits the pavement. After minute 12 until the point where I find myself at the end of my playlist, at the finish line of my run, I am completely blank. The easiest way for me to explain the feeling is when you wake up from a realistic dream and you can remember everything yet nothing about it. It resonates as good or bad but then nothing. Your memory escapes and you are just left with a feeling.

My feeling is best described as light. I called bullshit on the rumored "runners high" until I realized, that's exactly what my body and mind does when I set in my pace and breathing. The downfall is that my body is unable to register when I've pushed myself too far. I end my run without feeling tired or sore and head back home to stretch and relax. 30 minutes later I'm singing a different tune. I realize that I've worn blisters into my feet, my hips feel like they've been cracked in half and I'm so thirsty that it feels like I might drown with all the water I drink. There is a still a debate about the truth of a runners high. Why some experience it and some do not and which environments, measures of time, speed and overall health promote it. Luckily unlike my previous example of driving a car without remembering if you stopped at a red light, running doesn't put anyone else in danger. I can float along for 50 or so minutes left with a blissful feeling of lightness.