you're not the boss of me!

Wooe Me

2006-11-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

My friend Dave reminded me of a date I had recently. I went on a date with this kid and overall had a really good time. We got along really well, had a lot in common and it was just a fun day. BUT I am not yet ready to call mr.date my mr.husband cause well, he totally lost some points.

I think it's important to remember when you are on Date #1 - Date #5 that it is only Date #1 - Date #5. We have absolutely no ties to each other. I could leave in the middle of the date and hey thats allowed. I could go on Date #1 - Date #5 with someone else and you really couldn't say a thing. That's the whole fun and point of dating.

That is why I think it is important to put your best foot forward, to be as nice and polite as you can. I mean we all know that kind of goes downhill once you pass the honeymoon stage. That's why this is the time to do it. You need to woooe me buddy!

I mean I've learned my lesson too. I try to dress up, I try to plan fun stuff, I try to look cute, and I offer to pay. I have learned to refrain from making fun of my dates or being my overly sarcastic self right off the bat - cause well I don't think it's all that appealing.

So anyways, here are some traits that pretty much made Mr.date lose some killer points:

1) Yawning. I know you are jet-lagged and tired, but as much as you tell me it's not me, I still think it's me. It's pretty much the most annoying thing when I start to tell you a story or something about anything and you start yawning.
2) Talking on the phone. You may use saturday's to call your family, etc. but you should really do this BEFORE I get to your apartment. Do you really expect me to sit there for 25 minutes while you talk to your sister and brother-in-law? Cause that's what I did.
3) Talking on the phone. I know I mentioned this before, and I know the football game is close, but do we really have to call your Five while we are out?
4) Talking on the phone. (Last time I promise) Maybe you should try to make your plans for dinner that night after I leave. I mean I am pretty sure your 'friend' isn't your 2nd date but still, there is only so much tv I can watch.

Don't get me wrong, I still think mr.date is really fun and cool. I guess if I don't tell someone about his annoying-ness then he's just going to have to deal with it and well, we're still working on Date #3.

Don't be a baby

2006-11-14T16:41:00.000-05:00

I think it is pretty clear to me at this point that I attract some weirdos. Most of the time I enjoy my dating life b/c it allows me to share it with you all. What is the point of having a bad date if we all can't laugh with me?

Apart from being a good date/bad date, there is also the time in-between that is kind of important. Will he call me? When is the next time we are going to talk? Does he like me? Blah blah.

I guess the thing with me is that I HATE the phone. No seriously, I hate it. I esp hate talking to BOYS on the phone. Cell phones are tricky in that sometimes you don't have good reception, sometimes the person on the other end is a mumbler, batteries might die, etc. Do you remember text message boy? Well I guess he kind went around the phone issue by constantly text messaging. It's cool - I have unlimited text's so I can handle it.

I guess the real problem is though that text message boy doesn't stop. If you are not my boyfriend (and even if you are) I don't want to talk to you every day. I don't think its necessary and pretty much I find it annoying.

So he has now become IM-er. Throughout the day at work he wants to chat here and there. I don't really like talking to my friends on this thing, why does he think I want to talk to him?! And today - since I didn't say hello, since I wasn't very receptive, he actually complained (ok not to me but my friend). AH!

I find all the babies. Be a man - who cares. Don't talk to me!!! Don't you know, the chase is part of the fun? Don't you know - I may be in a bad mood today? Don't you know - I don't want to talk to you every day? I talk to my own brother about once every 2-3 WEEKS. Why do I want to talk to you everyday?

Sigh. Boys got problems.

speed dizzle

2006-11-14T16:22:00.000-05:00

so recently i went speed dating. i wasn't really expecting much from this experience but well to write about it and laugh about it of course. i think the concept of speed dating is great - meet a lot of people in a short amount of time - no strings attached.

i dragged my friend P along with me to this event. we almost wanted to bail at the last minute but the $64 i paid to initially sign up weighed heavily on our heads. I have to admit I was surprised at the amount of people that were there. Also, since this was a strictly a dating event, most people were very friendly. We had a bunch of people come up to us, strike up conversation, etc. I was also pretty surprised to find out that some of these guys had actually flown or driven through states to be there. Uh we live in the tri-state area and weren't all that anxious to go.

Some guys that came up actually made good conversation. This, however, was probably offset by some other factors. Guy1 was nice but after 5 min moved on to the next pack of chicks (playaaa or trying to be extremely efficient), Guy2 could not hold a conversation if his life depended on it (and made us suffer for a painful 15 minutes!!!), Guy3 was really cool but about 150 lbs heavier and 2 feet taller than me, Guy4 was nice but stood way too close to me.

The event was a cash bar, which, I think was a smart idea. I can't imagine being drunk and talking to me is really the best way to impress me (I stuck with coke all night). I was however kind of disappointed in the lack of food. There were appetizers but dinner wasn't officially served until 9:15. I was starving by that time. I think my last conversation consisted of only talking about how hungry I was. Whoops.

Overall, although I may have met about 20 different guys, I didn't really find the right one for me. I do believe that you can tell within a few minutes if you would like to hang out with someone else. I guess what I wasn't expecting was how quickly 3 minutes would go. 9 times out of 10 I was in the middle of a conversation when that bell rang. Then of course Guy2 (who couldn't hold a conversation) was again back at my table and since I already knew everything there was to know about him (he was a doctor and didn't know how to socialize) I was hoping 3 minutes would be 3 seconds.

I totally would recommend this to anyone that is thinking of doing it. Here are some Kripsie tips to help make it successful:
1) eat beforehand
2) don't get drunk watching football beforehand (uh yea that was me) - it only makes you tired
3) have some soft of method for you to write down if GuyX is a stud or not (without him seeing)
4) don't go to an indian speed dating event (i am so over these boys!)

The Rules

2006-11-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

So there is this old rule when it comes to dating - regarding paying. Most girls will tell you that boys have to pay. I think on the first date at least, it is really nice of the boy to pay. Since we are in 2006, however, I kind of wonder of what the new Rule for this is.

Most of my (girl) friends are pretty powerful women. We went to an engineering school, we are usually the only female at work, and we are pretty tough. So, sometimes I think it's hard to take chivalry. Granted I don't really mind when a boy offers to pay or hold the door for me. Most of the time it's nice. But, when can I start paying? What's wrong if I want to pay?

I recently went on a date where I offered to pay for drinks. I was ready to hand over the bartender money before my date took the lead and took care of it. The bartender looked at me and said "Girls shouldn't pay!". I was a little shocked at this. If he pays for the cab, the dinner, why can't I be the one to pay for drinks?

To be honest, sometimes I feel like if a guy pays for everything it's like I am more obligated to do things in return - which I don't ever. Also, I'm a grown woman at this point. I make money, you don't need to always spend yours. Yes it's so great that you are willing to pay, but I guess all I'm saying is that it isn't always necessary.

Crutch You!

2006-10-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

I am having a miserable time with these crutches. I'm in more pain because of them and just plain uncomfortable. Apparently the world doesn't know how to behave if someone has been injured. Here are some tips to help you help me.

No need to stare. I'm using crutches + my ankle is wrapped up = probably a sprain/fracture. It doesn't mean that I have had crazy surgery or had my boobs done or have this disease you will catch. You really don't need to look at me like I have 3 heads.
I have the right of way. I am in pain and you are actually going to make me wait until you can pass me? How about doing that "one good deed a day" and let me walk before you. It won't take but a second...I'm pretty fast on these things!
Always hold the door open for me. Although I may say "I got it" I don't. It's pretty annoying to have to open a door when you have sticks for hands. And do you really want to be that jerk who watches while I struggle to open the door?

See, it doesn't take much. Maybe we can live in harmony again.

Text is the new Phone

2006-10-26T16:24:00.000-04:00

I don't know how it happened but it seems that text messaging has become the new phone call.

I am a big fan of text messaging. It is great for saying Happy Birthday, hey where are you, yo I'll call you later, call me please, etc. However, it is not how I want to be asked out.

Recently, I met a boy! This guy happened to get my phone number from one of my friends (who of course told me he was going to call). Well he never did call! Instead he text messaged. "Hey - it's Fred, I got your number from Wilma". This conversation then continued for a while as we made plans to meet up later that night. Why couldn't this boy have just picked up the phone and said hello beautiful let's go out (ok that's lame but you get it).

Since our meeting, he has text messaged me some more. I then decided to write him a lil ol' email to say wassup. This of course was returned with a text message! Ah! He's addicted.

We are trying to make plans to meet again...he says he will call, but I'm sure that's just code for text message.

apartments

2006-10-26T12:17:00.000-04:00

Although I love living at home, most days I find that it's probably time to leave. My parents are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but, well, I'm tired of being 16 and actually ready to get all my responsibilities back. So I've started to look for an apartment.

When I think of location I always go back to Hoboken, where I have lived for years. I like the city feel mixed with Jersey folk. I could do NYC but I love and need my car too much. Hoboken isn't always the best place to live alone; it's expensive, you can't go out by yourself, and it's expensive.

I decided to check out craigslist and find me a roommate to go with an apartment. I think I looked at about 5-6 apartments before deciding on one. Here are some things I have learned:

when you write all these randoms an email, try to incorporate something about the apartment (like address) in the email. this way, when they respond, you can actually remember which apartment they are talking about
no apartment is ever perfect. it's important to know what you want and what you don't want to compromise for
try to give them some information on you. although it may sound some what generic, at least they know something about you
follow you instinct. usually when you meet people you can know within the first 5 minutes whether you will be friends, if you like them, etc. although the apartment may be fabulous, do you really want to live with an anal, cat loving, clean-freak?
negotiate rent. if they are new to this subleting, renting thing, then they may not realize this is always negotiable, esp if the rooms are different sizes.

Inconvenient truth

2006-10-26T11:36:00.000-04:00

About 3 weeks ago I allegedly 'sprained' my ankle. I say alleged because according to my dr.venkat friend, a sprain is just another way of saying "i dunno, you have a hurt ligament or something".

If you have never had a sprain before (like me) I don't suggest you run out and get one. It is pretty much the worst thing since brussel sprouts!

Usually when you hurt your ankle, you need to follow the "RICE" method. That's Rest Ice Compression Elevate. I was fine with IC but in the real world it's pretty much impossible for Rest and Elevation unless you are at home on bed rest. I am a working girl (not that kind) and I need to be up and about! I guess there is a difference between normal people and me however, because my idea of Rest was nothing that anyone agreed with (i've been out twice in NYC and even went dancing).

When I finally succumbed to get x-rays this doctor gave me a wrap, an aircast, as well as crutches. Crutches?!! I highly don't think this is necessary but apparently I need to give my ankle some real REST. Too bad these crutches didn't last very long.

I am not sure who ever invented these horrendous things, but let me tell you, they suck! It's more painful for me to walk around with them than it is to walk on my ankle. To make matters worse, crutches make you completely incompetent. I can't get a glass of water, open doors, carry my purse, or do ANYTHING without a sidekick. And let's just say that although I am back in the dating world, I do not yet have a life-partner I can dump this responsibility on.

So here I am...almost 3 weeks later and my ankle is still a little swollen and is even starting to hurt again. I haven't really been able to wear heels, I have this annoying cast, and stairs are my constant nightmare. Since I only gave my crutches a full 4 days of a chance, it seems that I need to return to this doom.

I've been defeated.

Dating again

2006-10-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I have really mentioned my dating situation. Heck, what dating situation? Maybe that's why.

Let's face it, I'm no energizer kripsie. There comes a point at some time where I have to say ok enough. Enough effort, enough bad dates, enough complaining. I took a vacation, went to the gym, slept a lot, watched some pretty good tv, looked at some condos, and hung out with my parents. I mean maybe it wasn't the best way to spend my summer vacation, but whatevs, it happened. I met absolutely no one, went on zero dates, and pretty much kept to myself.

So now, people are asking if I'm seeing anyone (no), if I'm 'dating' (nope), if I met anyone (not yet) and well it's starting to get annoying again. Annoying enough that I've actually decided to do something about it. I'm back out there. I'm coming back with a vengeance but only cause I've learned a couple of things:

1) You have to listen to 'fate'. There is this thing out there, and if you listen to it, sometimes it just helps. If something is going to happen, those stars will align and you will meet and it will be fun and it'll be great. Sometimes, fate steps in (and here is where you must listen) and prevent everything from happening.

For example: Say you like this boy and this boy just happened to live in Baltimore. Hey, great you might be there for work! We should meet up! You get all excited, prepare your speech, let the boy know this might be going down. Then work calls, "Sorry trip to Baltimore is canceled." Dang, ok next time. Then you plan to meet up sometime later. Yes! Get the speech back out, let's practice. Then boy calls, "Sorry I just got promoted at work, can't make it after all" Uhh sersious? Dang. When this unfortunate pattern continues, it's probably fate preventing a bad situation. It's not the right time! Back off.

2) I look dang young. So young that most boys my age (um I'm old) or older don't look my way. This explains the great mystery of '05 where every single boy that liked me was 23. They think I'm 21!! It's so sweet, but unfortunately NOT TRUE. The thing is, I don't want to be 21. I was dumb at 21 and would make out with ya if you wanted (ok joke). I'm in my later 20's now. I have goals, I have a career, heck I have a bank account. People that are 21-24 are usually vastly different from people 25-30. It's true baby. So what do I do? I guess blog about it until the entire world finds out I am really 26.

3) You can meet people anywhere. I have truly met boys in a variety of situations. Temple camp (that was my fav!), Stevens, 46 Grand, Phila, Friendster, bbqs. So, although going out is fun and all, it's not the only location for me (or you) to meet someone. I have come to realize I need to get more interests, maybe more friends? I've also decided to volunteer. Maybe I can meet a fun do-gooder while improving my karma. Score.

Wish me luck!

Pet Peeve

2006-10-12T15:51:00.000-04:00

I love my digital camera. For most of my friends that know me, I am very reliable for bringing my camera on most outings. I like to capture the moment, take action shots, and have memories of everything. I'm sure you have tons of albums in your snapfish account from me or get annoyed at the ridiculous number of times I tell you to look over here at the camera.

What I am also known for though, is my quick turn-around time for posting my pictures. What is the point of taking pictures of a group event if I don't share it? What is the reason for me telling you, "yes I'll send these to you" if I never do? There is none!

So I have come to realize this is one of my biggest pet peeves. Those people that take all the photos but never send it out! I don't like you! Now there are different instances of this so let me be absolutely clear so everyone out there knows my expectations:

If we take 1-5 photos of something minor, although I may still want to see them, I don't really expect them from you. If I really wanted them I would send you an appropriate text message, email, phone call to ask you to send them my way. I have no problem hassling you if I am in need of the photo (ahem Grishma!). But if YOU come to a Bachelorette party with about 15 other girls and you are the ONLY ONE with a camera and PROMISE to send out these photos, and DON'T??? Well you are a big stinker.

In Kripsie land, I would have those suckers downloaded and uploaded within 24-48 hrs. I understand not everyone has a job that doesn't give them enough work; got it. So, for the rest of the human race, I will give you one week (including a weekend). 2 weeks, I'm a little anxious, but ok, let's see after the weekend. But anything after that, you officially should have your camera stolen.

Sup

2006-10-12T15:44:00.000-04:00

Hi peeps

I'm back - I hope. I haven't been blogging I know. But the thing is, nothing super exciting has really happened. I'm not gonna write to you if I know you are going to be bored. I come to entertain. I hope you understand.

I'm actually pretty sure most of you didn't miss me, cause I'm sure not that many people read my rambling. But, in honesty, that's ok. I don't think I could tell you about the debacle that is my job and the misery that is my love life if I feared that everyone in the world was reading this.

So, let's get on with the news, there's stuff to be told.

self diagnosis

2006-08-08T15:43:00.000-04:00

Recently I have diagnosed myself with Dermotagrophia. For years now I have had this skin issue where every time I scratch, my skin becomes raised and it almost looks like I have hives. Gross. It's not the worst condition to have but it can get quite irritating. People sometimes look at me like I'm crazy when I have these huge scratch marks along my arms.

This condition also gets worse with the heat. I am also easily susceptible to heat rashes. Sometimes if it is too hot my clothes will irritate my skin and I will get itchy and blotchy all over. Double gross.

But here we go - I have a name for this 'problem' of mine: Dermotagrophia. Apparently Dermotagrophia is a condition in which lightly scratching your skin causes raised, red lines where you've scratched. In dermatographia, the skin cells are overly sensitive to minor injury, such as scratching.

Apparently there is no real cure for this and it only affects 5% of the population. See, I'm special :)

All things Google

2006-08-08T15:37:00.000-04:00

I'm a sucker for Google. For no reason I love all things Google. I don't think their products are really revolutionary - I mean other companies have been offering the same services for years now. But when Google's name is on it - I am immediately drawn to it.

One thing that I think Google does provide is simplicity. You want to blog? Join blogger. You want email, join Gmail. It's a unified theme so visually its very appealing. There isn't too much clutter so things seem a lot simpler and a lot easier to use.

Recently I decided to join Gmail. I had a great personal email that I have been using since I graduated from college but all of a sudden one day I had a change of heart. So welcome to Gmail. It really isn't that wonderful of an email system. It has some cool features that I haven't seen, but overall its not really everything that I want. But, for some reason, this new shiny toy that they have is exactly what I need to have. So I have given up a couple of hours of my life this week to learn all about Gmail and it's cool functionalities and write people new emails so that I can get new emails in my new email account.

Sucker I tell you.

I made it

2006-07-11T22:56:00.000-04:00

I am back in Philadelphia this week for work. Yes the same work I cursed out two weeks ago. I don't hate my job so much this week although I was muttering wishes of a new life as I woke up at 5 am.

I can even handle Manager this week! We don't have to drive anywhere and because I can sleep and have some space from him, well we may even become friends (right, who am I kidding?). What is also different this week is that we are also working with a Partner with my firm. This Partner actually recruited me for this project so I sort of want to make a good impression (only for greedy promotional purposes).

While at the office today, of course, Manager was being his usual kiss-ass and schmoozing away with Partner. Since I was actually pretty involved in my work I soon realized that my bladder was about to burst. Since this the office we are in is Partners turf, I asked him if he knew where the restroom was.

"Sure let me show you Kripsie"

He then proceeded to walk me all the way to the bathroom. Umm well thank you sir. I do understand directions but I appreciate the gesture. Do you want to come into the bathroom with me? No? Ok then please go away.

Does this mean I have made it in the corporate world? Did I get my promotion? I mean a Partner walking you to the bathroom has to mean something, right?

where is kripsie

2006-07-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

Hello bloggers. It seems that we have not talked in a while. It's not that I have been not thinking or do not have any new stories for you. I think I have been both lazy and busy. Hopefully I can get some stories together today to entertain you with.

l8rs

Not a fan...

2006-06-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. I hate my job. I am working on this assessment with a consultant and another manager this week. I hate my job.

Day 1 went pretty smoothly. Manager apparently likes to eat a LOT for breakfast (I'm talking sandwich, coffee, muffin, and fruit) and loves to eat while driving. I mean is his Egg and Cheese really more important than my life? His stomach may not notice the swerving he does on the road, but I sure do!

Day 2 was pretty horrible. We needed to be at a client site at 6:30 AM!!!!!!!! I don't even wake up that early on a normal day. Against my wishes, we planned to leave our hotel at 5:30 in the morning (again I would be sleeping on any given day at this time). What time does the rest of my team show up to the lobby though? 5:45 - 6:00 AM. Little Kripsie was stuck sitting on the couch like a mofo waiting for them. Sigh.

It gets better.

I am not one of those people who hate the morning - you know the cranky ones that you are scared to talk to. But at 5:30 am? Is it really necessary to talk? Is it necessary to be polite? Is it necessary to be nice when you have been duped into waking up early while everyone else got a couple extra minutes of sleep? I THINK NOT. But of course, I get multiple comments on how I am NOT a morning person and how cranky/scary I appeared to be.

Yes butthead, you saying all this to me is going to cheer me right up. Let me tell you, it's FRIDAY and I am still hearing about how I was on Tuesday morning. I don't understand - me not speaking and wanting to sit in the backseat of the car now does NOT mean I am the new daughter of Satan set out to destroy the world.

To specify, most of my animosity is going towards this bozo manager who I have deemed not worthy of my smiles (I wonder if he can tell my fake smile apart from the real deal). My consultant friend knows when to leave me be but this manager, I hope he doesn't experience my full wrath.

All in all I have been working my butt off this week. Let's hope manager realizes that he's annoying and doesn't bring much to the table but bad jokes and swervy driving.

To tan or not to tan

2006-05-31T17:06:00.000-04:00

I got some tan this past weekend. Not like the hot kind. The sock and tank top kind. The redneck kind. Is that accurate? I don't know much about rednecks.

Well here's the thing. Normally I don't mind getting some color. But this? Ew it's gross. I'm dark. And it looks dirty! Normally indian peeps aren't fans of being tan. We don't want to be darker like the rest of the american/european society. No we use products such as "Fair and Lovely" (yes this product exists) to actually lighten our skin.

Now I am not one of the crazy few who goes out of her way to not get any sun. I think some sun is healthy. I like laying out at the beach and getting fun tan lines.

But tennis tan lines? No one wants those.

It seems that....

2006-05-31T16:58:00.000-04:00

...when I like a boy or am trying to make a good impression to a boy, my first email never gets sent.

No it actually goes through multiple drafts. The first will be written about 5 seconds after I re-read your email to me about 3 times. Then after realizing that I am a crazy fool and that no one responds this quickly, it will painfully be put in my "draft" folder.

Once I find something else to do and get a break I will then return to my email. I re-read your email to me and then go back to my draft. No way, this email stinks! Too wordy, too needy, too Kripsie. Let's change it up. After shortening (boys don't like to read) and adding some non-insulting puns I then put it back into the "draft" folder.

If I am in an especially non-creative mood I will most likely send the email off to my friend Rajani who will edit appropriately.

Once I feel that an appropriate amount of time has passed, I will anxiously hit send, but then stop myself realizing that I haven't spell checked my work. Now we can send.

Of course, as soon as I send I start checking my email about every 5 minutes to see if you have responded.

Wow I can't believe I actually confessed to doing this..

Thoughts

2006-05-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

I'm not really one to discuss my political views or really my views on anything substantial on this blizzog, but here's a gander at a topic: Outsourcing.

People have so much negativity towards outsourcing. I for once knew about it, heard about it, but never really took the time to fully understand what is going on. That is, until I started reading The World is Flat by Freedman. This book discusses outsourcing in great detail and taught me a lot.

I always used to (and still do) get frustrated with people who will look at me and hold this resentment that there is so much outsourcing going on in India. Yes I caused this, please focus your hostility towards me, because I am in charge of the world. I can and do understand and am empathic with people who lose their jobs due to outsourcing. It could even be me one day! But honestly in this day and age how can you expect something like outsourcing NOT to exist?!

If you think about our own daily lives we do what we can to cut costs. Well, because we are greedy and want to have more money to support ourselves better. This is not a bad thing. Coupons, rebates, driving an extra couple of miles for cheaper gas, heck we ALL do this. So why is it so surprising to hear that companies are doing the same thing?

And lets talk about India for a second. There are over 1 billion people in this country. Can you actually imagine how many people that is? I really can't. Most people in India live poorer than the poorest people in the United States. For them to be able to do what we do for pennies is really not a big step up for them. What it does allow these people to do however, is get some money, become educated and be proud of what they do.

When I used to work in Admissions, concerned parents would ask me what schools like mine were doing about this outsourcing epidemic. Um? Is there even a response for this? We keep developing technology -this in turn is flattening out the worlds playing field. People in foreign countries are able to do the same things as us. Granted the company's CEO and COO are making millions of more dollars out of all of this - but they were smart enough to think of it! I can't argue that.

This isn't a perfect system by any means. It's unfortunate that anyone needs to be out of a job when they are willing and capable to work. But it IS unfair for 'people' to blame these countries for what they are doing. They are just trying to make a living like everyone else.

Home Sweet Home

2006-05-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of friends that live at home and love it. I used to alway look at them as if they were crazy or just gosh darn weird. The first time I started living at home (circa 2003) I wasn't a happy camper. In fact, I was miserable; so I left.

Fast forward to 2006 - I'm back at home. I don't know what happened but I love living at home. I may never leave.

All you people who love their apartments - I get it. But here's what you're missing -
At my house you get: great dinners, served to you when you get home, there is no grocery bill (cause well my parents are great), ALWAYS toilet paper, water, soap, shampoo, and toothpaste in stock, two fridges filled with food, free laundry, no bills, lots of space, free parking, lunches made by my mom (greatest lunch maker ever) great backyard, tennis courts near-by, and a brother to play with.

Of course I probably will leave one day. Since my lack of love life doesn't require me to have any "privacy" I am pretty content with being home. You should want to live with me.

Eager Beaver

2006-05-25T09:06:00.000-04:00

Have I ever introduced you to Eager Beaver? He's the guy that just got out of college and loves to drive you nuts. I care about my job (somewhat). Well I care that I personally do a good job and perform well. But it goes to an extent. Sometimes I just don't care or.....yea, I just don't care. Things always get done (even if you aren't involved) and if you are in a team, you should be able to rely on your other team members to pitch in.

But Eager Beaver? I want to throw something at him. He has to question every little thing and he's exactly like that annoying guy in class that asks questions when all you want to do is leave. He's that guy who will do all the work, get to work the earliest, and wants to stay the latest.

Um Hi, I like to sleep and I have a life after work, so please give me what you need me to get done and I promise from 8-5 I will do it. I won't pretend I like you more than I do and I really won't volunteer for every freaking task.

Beautiful People

2006-05-16T17:05:00.000-04:00

I think I am scared of good looking people. Not like "please don't hurt me" but more like "I don't look as pretty as you but please still be my friend". Is that weird? Maybe

I have this new manager at work. Although he will never read this blog, I will choose to keep him anonymous. He is a married hottie. I have absolutely no attraction or desire for this man, but every morning I cannot help but think how good looking he is. I almost can't look at him in the eye fearing that he will know that I want to make a mask of his face and wear it when I am out in public. Yes definitely disturbing.

hehehe

2006-05-16T16:59:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I find myself laughing to myself. Like I am the funniest person I know (which is TRUE btw). This is due to a joke I might make to myself or am about to make. I don't need you to laugh with me or at me at any chance. I know I'm funny. You read my blog, you chuckle. You know I'm funny too.

Hair

2006-05-16T11:39:00.000-04:00

I hate getting hair cuts. My hair is kind of out of control. Like a boy, it grows really fast and needs a trim every few months. I get extremely nervous when I am in the hairdresser's seat. Panic-y almost.

If you have ever had a bad haircut, you can understand why I may feel this way. Since I was young I have had many issues with my hair. I am finally at a point in my life where A) I understand, yes it is just hair and B) I know what looks good on me. But even this wisdom doesn't stop me sometimes from panicing.

What is she cutting, how much, why did she cut it like that, is my head straight, does she know what she is doing, omg how much did she cut.

Those are pretty much the exact thoughts I am thinking all while not breathing. More than not my hair has come out OK and I can usually breathe again, but this ritual will endure until I learn to cut my own hair, or maybe develop a potion that will allow my hair to be healthy, beautiful, and fabulous all my life.

Bathroom Rules

2006-05-11T16:28:00.000-04:00

I think we are all clear about bathroom rules. Boy or girl. If there are multiple stalls, you do not sit immediately next to someone who is already occupying a stall. Why do people not understand this? To me, its common sense. I don't really need to be next to anyone while I am doing my thang in the bathroom.

This happened to me today at work. There are about 15 clean stalls at our office. But for some reason, this one chickie needed to come and squat right next to me.

What's worse is that these ACN offices - they have very shiny floors. And when I say shiny I mean you can see reflections. So say you are using the facilities; yup, I can see a reflection of an outline of a person if I look at the floor. I don't need to go into detail. You get it.

So ladies, let's sit together at lunch, at the movies, on a car ride, but how bout we keep some space in the bathroom. thanks.

Nuke It

2006-05-08T14:13:00.000-04:00

Once in a while, I enjoy a good breakfast sangwich. If I had the time I might make myself a lil old egg mcmuffin at home, but alas I don't. I usually don't like getting breakfast items at any fast food place: McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts. Although I might like some of their other items, I like real eggs on my bread - cooked in front of me. No synthetic for me thanks.

When I was in college the best place ever to get these types of treats was at Bagels on the Hudson. They had a science to their bagel making and I loved ordering my "Bacon, Egg, and Cheese on an everything bagel" or "Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese on an everything bagel". YUM.

Recently, while I was slowing getting to work, I decided that yes! I wanted a sangwich today. So I headed over to Noah's Bagels in the next town. They made their bagels fresh, I am sure they will make my eggs the same way. After putting in my order, I noticed how the evil man behind the counter takes a cup filled with what I am assuming was a real egg and proceeds to PUT IT IN THE MICROWAVE. Huh? What happened to the grill? Where is my freshly made egg delight? He nuked it!

When did it become that you go to an authentic bagel store and then are given a synthetic egg concoction? Where is my quality? What in God's name is this world turning into??

Cars.com

2006-05-04T12:52:00.000-04:00

I bought a car! Can you believe it? Me! Do you like? After years of driving my parents car, I figured that it was finally time for me to make my first big purchase.

My new 2006 Jetta has yet to have a name and has yet to have any crumbs in it. As some of you know, I am not the cleanest with my cars. BUT I have vowed to keep this one in tip top shape.

So here are some things that I have learned about when it comes to car shopping:

1. Do your research! Car dealers want your money and its your job not to give them more than they deserve.
2. There is something called the Invoice price and the MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price). You want to pay as close to or BELOW the invoice price as possible.
3. The invoice price that the dealer has is NOT the true invoice price. You can find out the true invoice price of your car by using different resources.
4. Some websites that helped me: ConsumerReports.com, Edmunds.com, kbb.com
5. You don't always have to go to the dealership to bargain for a price.
6. Even small girls like me can get a good deal!
7. There are tons of dealerships out there. Use the ones you don't like to leverage a good price to bring to the dealer you do like.

Tennis

2006-05-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

I recently started taking tennis lessons. I am in my 2nd week and I have come to realize that I suck and I hate it!!

I grew up around a family of 8. 1 mom, 1 dad, 1 aunt, 1 uncle, 2 boy cousins, 1 brother. That's a lot of boys around me. When I was younger I was basically a tomboy. I was the only girl on my t-ball team, I used to play in the woods, went dirt bike riding, and collected frogs. Yup pretty different from how I am today. Having so many boys in my family also leads to another trait: competitiveness. I am actually pretty mild compared to the others in my family. But, deciding that I am going to get back into sports, I have taken up tennis. Almost everyone in my family can play and my goal is to kick some a$$ by the end of the summer.

So, I signed up for tennis lessons. My first lesson was great. Dennis (my instructor) was really cool and was encouraging and I thought I was actually learning and improving. My second lesson however blew big time.

Dennis for some reason couldn't come to our lesson so I got Yaya as my replacement. Yaya apparently called my name for our lesson, and although I was sitting in the same room as him, I didn't hear him. We got off to a bad start. Throughout the whole lesson this was my situation

yayy: you are doing it wrong
kripsie: ok
yaya: if you don't stop doing it wrong you won't get better
kripsie: ok
yaya: you are still doing it wrong
kripsie: ok
yaya: why do you keep doing it wrong
kripsie: i don't know

Along with the yelling Yaya also decided to return his shots to me at FULL SPEED. I was praying I could hit him in the balls to make him shut up! After being confident and excited about learning and getting better at tennis, this man single handedly ruined this experience for me. Way to go.

Facial Expression

2006-05-03T13:59:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be someone else watching me. Did that make sense to you? I'm sure I could secretly record different interactions I have with people, but really, what do you all think of me? What type of vibe am I giving off? I have no idea really.

Do I have a poker face? Sometimes I can lie really well, but other times, well I suck. I wonder how easily I give away my true feelings.

For example... I was out in Hoboken one night with my friends Deven, LeVaur and some other peeps. Surprisingly, this guy came by to talk to me. I don't know if it was my face telling him that I wasn't interested, but after 2 minutes, he started asking about my friend and if he should go talk to her. Hmm. So either a) totally using me to get to her or b) i some how give off this expression like ?!? and he knows he has no chance. Quite a pickle.

I also have this thing where I have the SAME SMILE in all of my pictures. It's true. And I've been told my photo smile is different from my real smile. Weird.

I guess it's the same theory of how we hear our own voice different from how other people hear it. Why is this? I think I should walk around with a videoc amera all the time. This way I can hear and see the Kripsie you all see.

Teddy

2006-05-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

I have this teddy bear that has been with me, well...since birth. He's actually almost 34 years old, cause he was handed down to me from my cousin Raj. "Teddy" as he is properly named, has gone through pretty much everything with me. He himself though, has gone through his own little adventures.

When I was in the 4th grade, we lived in an apartment in New Providence, NJ. One day, while playing in the bathroom (um yea I don't know why I was playing there), Teddy had a small accident. Somehow I fumbled and dropped him in the toilet! Super scared that my mom was going to throw Teddy away after realizing where he had just been, I totally lied. "He fell in the sink mommy!" Hmm my mom didn't seem too convinced. Obviously. Teddy was soaking wet and well, let's just say, the sink doesn't really carry as much water as a toilet.

Disclaimer: the toilet had NOT been used thank you.

Later on however, I found out that my mom had put Teddy through the rinse cycle and properly cleaned him. Poor teddy.

Last year, when I was living in Philly, Teddy came along. One week, our housekeeping staff came by to replace our sheets and give us new towels. When I came home though, I found that I couldn't find Teddy anywhere! I sent out an email to my girlfriends who had just spent the weekend with me to see if there was any devious kidnapping going on.

Hi girls

I have a dilemma. I don't know if any of you know my teddy bear (named Teddy); but he is

TV wins

2006-04-29T10:13:00.000-04:00

There is no way I am reaching my book goal this year. I was doing pretty good in the beginning of the year...but not any more. The downfall? My tv.

When I was living in Philadelphia, our tv was in the living room. I only went there to watch while eating or just bumming around. But once I was in my bedroom, it was just me and my stuff - mainly my books. I would read for hours and be happy with my quiet little life. Not any more.

Ever since I moved back home, I have this gi-normous tv in my bedroom (courtesy of my cousin Raj). This tv has cable and !voila! HBO. I am addicted. No longer am I reading before going to bed but watching Sex and the City and Entourage and any other show that is remotely interesting. It's a disease. It's like because it's there, I can't turn it off. I even tried to have my book next to me, but nope. Tv wins.

I need to make some changes.

Boys Suck

2006-04-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

I'm surprised I haven't had more posts titled Boys Suck. Cause you all really do.

Situation: What do this weekend
I was planning on spending Satuday hanging out with my two girlfriends down in Baltimore. Since I was already 'down that way' I decided that I would take an afternoon/evening stop in Philadelphia to visit a certain someone. We try to coordinate. I then realize that hmm I might be making my life hectic, driving down to PA in the am, then driving down to Baltimore, then drive back to Philly, then back to NJ. That's crazy right - yes, I agree. So then I decided, OK I can maybe reschedule Baltimore and just go to Philly instead. I can probably spend the whole day in Philly with Mr.Someone and then can really figure out if well this going anywhere. Wish it was that easy. I get an email "Come down in the late afternoon, evening (between 5-6 sometime). Will help me to catch up on life since I've been away this week."

UM yes I have no life, let me drive all the way to Philadelphia just to hang out for the evening and then drive my ass all the way back up to NJ. Seriously, am I crazy? Do boys not understand gas prices and inflation. I at least need my moneys worth of time and activities if I am going to hang out. I feel like ditching Mr.Loser and just go back to shopping with the girls. You all suck.

Wasted Time

2006-04-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

You know what I am not a fan of - when people say they are going to end class/meeting/group session at a certain time, but then GO OVER. I hate this. I absolutely hate this. If I am somewhere I need to be due to an email, grade, or being told to, then I expect it to end at the proper END TIME. Dates, reunions, dinners, and other fun stuff, these can go over their expected time limit.

I don't think it's fair to tell me that we will be done at 3:30 but then continue to talk until 4:15. My body doesn't work that way. When I see that it is 3:15 I start getting ancy. "yes yes almost time to run away and never come back" is what I am thinking. Then when you go over, I am not paying attention, nope. I am either looking at my watch every 30 seconds to see if my watch is wrong or thinking "die die die!" ok maybe not that extreme, but Oh I'm mad alright.

There is also this thing with Indian people called "Indian Standard Time" where things always start 1/2 hr to 1 hr LATE. I hate this too. If you say Please be here from 9 am - 11 am. Then you better believe I will be there on time and expect to leave on time.

Unbelievable

2006-04-27T16:45:00.000-04:00

It's pretty amazing. I haven't gone to the gym since the last time we talked but miraculously I have lost weight! And people can't stop telling me about it. Is this a good thing? I think so.

Last Friday I went to a training session in NYC. My friend Phu asked me if I lost weight - umm don't think so since I love cookies and hate the gym. "Really" Phu wonders - "Cause you look so small to me!" umm sure we can say I lost weight. But really, was I that big before Phu? "Well I only really saw you at bars so I'm not sure" wow you really know how to dig yourself into a hole. Good luck climbing out.

Then today my dear mentor James asked me if I lost weight. His I take to be a compliment though since we met more frequently than just at the bar. But did I really loose weight? It may be true since I am squeezing into size 0 pants and well I am not as scared to wear my tighter fitting clothes.

Could it be - my body finally wised up? My age and metabolism finally reached an agreement and decided to work to my advantage?! This is awesome. Forget the gym, bring on the ice cream!

Siblings

2006-04-27T15:32:00.000-04:00

I have a younger brother (who often reads this blizzog). Although we look similar, we are really pretty different. That got me to thinking, 'hmmm..this happens a lot'. Two or three people who were from the same 'gina, lived in the same house, and went to the same school end up being nothing like each other! I mean sure, we have our similarities: we like to watch tv, we like bike riding and playing outside, chocolate milk, and love for waffles.

There are so many differences though!

My brother: a little husky, lazy bum, kinda disorganized, good at lawn mowing, will eat pretty much anything, loves video games, loves baseball, tall

Me: pretty skinny, small, pretty organized, suck at lawn mowing, picky eater, arts and crafty, likes to shop

Ok so maybe this isn't like substantial differences, but it's true. My brother exudes this confidence and "i dont care" attitude when it comes to his social life. He doesn't go with the crowd, and hey, if you don't like him, that's ok with him. Me? In high school I couldn't take it if anyone was mad at me, couldn't do anything without a friends approval, and was always worried about what everyone thought about me. It kind of took me years to be where he has kind of always been.

When it comes to school work, I was a big time nerd. School always came harder to me so I would always be studying 10000 hours. I was also really organized. I made charts, graphs, always used a ruler, hmm wow, I'm a loser. Anyways, my mom never really worried about me and school cause she saw my effort. But my brother is kind of another story. Not that he isn't smart as heck, but he never has to try as hard as me. His handwriting - compares to most 2nd graders, and organized, hmmm, not sure he knows how to spell that. My mom used the same tactics with both of us - why are we so different?

I've seen this happen lots of times. I'm sure genes, personality, blah blah all has lots to do with it, but does this mean I should change my approach with my own kids? The same method is kind of proven to not work. Or MAYBE the first child (ME) is already so amazing and perfect that the moms and dads kind of slack off and half ass the same method for the second child (BROTHER). I think I am on to something here.

Never Happy

2006-04-25T10:55:00.000-04:00

There is a problem with society that I face on a day-to-day basis. I am pretty small. I choose to wear heels, not only cause I think they are h.o.t but because it helps me to look taller. Trust me if I had the choice between sneakers or 3-inch heels, I will most always pick sneakers. But I don't.

Pretty much everyday when I am at work, I am in heels. Some of my heels are 2 inches, some are 3. Yup you got it, the higher the inch, the harder it is to walk in. It's pretty easy math. But, my feet are almost trained in pain. Take for example last week. I was in NYC pretty much all day. I wore 2.5 inch heels from 6:30 am - 8:30 pm. I not only walked about 6 city blocks, but I also had to run to A) cross the street B) give a lady her ATM card that she forgot C) catch my train. Did that sound easy? Cause it's not.

The shoes however aren't really my problem. It's people. If I wear heels, I get these comments "Oh my how do you even walk in those?" "Isn't that painful?" "You're going to have problems when you get older" But HELLO if I don't wear heels I get "Man I didn't realize how small you are" "You're really short" "Hey there tiny". Granted the heels comments make me want to punch you less, but still. I only wear the heels so I don't get the short comments! Now you are going to give me grief about this?!

I can never win.

Intuition

2006-04-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

I swear I think boys have ESP or something. It always seems that every time I decide I am going to end things with a potential, or I am starting to get those i'm not into this vibe from myself, Mr. Potential becomes cooler/nicer/cuter. Is there a reason for this? See it's not that girls are indecisive, it's that boys have intuition. They kind of know when we are ready to kick them to the curb so they start behaving. Messes up my whole train of thought!

Star Quality

2006-04-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

I should be a movie star. I mean, I am already playing the perfect role of 'Bob' from Office Space, why not just put me up on the big screen? I know we have talked many times about how my life at work is very similar to some others on the big screen. Well this week, it's gotten worse.

As my role in Office Space2, I will play Bobbie (the female 'Bob'). My character is a beautiful young complex woman, who is trying to just do her job. Her company, along with two other coworkers (Robert and Bobo) are sent to exotic Richmond, VA where they will meet and greet some of the finest Comtech has to offer.

In my first scene, I am with Robert and we are running interviews.

Bobbie: "You see, what we're trying to do is get a feeling for how people spend their time at work so if you would, would you walk us through a typical day, for you?"
Peter Gibbons: Yeah.
Bobbie: Great.
Peter Gibbons: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, ah, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me, heh - after that I sorta space out for an hour.
Robert: Da-uh? Space out?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch too, I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.

See. I have star potential written all over me. It's been an interesting life.

*FYI: if you have never seen Office Space this will mean nothing to you so go away!

match.com

2006-04-17T21:14:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I go back to thinking about online dating. Why? I'm not sure. I have tried in my day about 4 different types of 'online dating'. I never really felt that it was for me. This could be because I never really gave it 100% or because of the fact that I never really took an interest in the types of guys that were contacting me. There is something about it though that is kind of appealing.

One friend told me to try it because it was like online shopping, but this time it's boys you are trying on. Another friend told me that she never had time to actually go out and meet people, so this was the next best thing. Other friends, well they were curious too.

It's hard to knock online dating if you have never tried it, so I don't really wanna hear it. I actually know a good number of people who met online and are either completely in love, about to get married, or are already married. I am assuming that apart from the occasional crazy loon, it's a logical system that should work. Well heck, if Dr. Phil says do it - maybe I should?!

So, I went to match.com. It's really interesting to fill out these little boxes about who I want to meet. 25-30 (check), hindu (check), umm apparently those are all that really mattered to me at this stage. (FYI I am an equal opportunity dater, so if you are reading please feel free to approach)

When I hit enter I am given 22 pages of possibilities. For someone to catch my eye in the mere 2 milliseconds it takes for me to glance over your picture has to be a little noteworthy. The candidates were decent. I am no super woman so who am I to judge these boys when I don't know them. But, I'm not signed up to match.com; here's why:

Since I have already been on 3 (pretty much indian) dating sites and am currently filling out my criteria to be Indian, who is to say I won't be recognized. - Hmm maybe my usual alias should not be used - Now what if I am going through the list and end up recognizing other people?! - Oh yea, he was on this other site, I guess he's still looking to - HA - Or what about the fact that this totally may not be the way for me and I should just go back to blogging about my misery. - at least you get to laugh right? - Well the last and most important drawback at this point is that match.com costs money. Since they gotta pay Dr. Phil to say all those fancy catch phrases, I guess Kripsie won't be subscribing today...maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Ex Boxes

2006-04-16T19:10:00.000-04:00

So while I have been cleaning up and throwing away my junk, I have come across all the little boxes I have up in the attic. Learning from my mistakes, I have started to go through my older junk to see what I can save and what needs to go. This, along with labeling all my new boxes and keeping them in a pile on the corner has been a great accomplishment for me.

Those boxes though. Hmm. No one warned me about the past lurking around in them. I forgot about the photos and letters of past 'people' that come back to visit you. What to do with this stuff?

While sitting in my stuffy attic, I couldn't help but open up packages and envelopes that contained, well, pretty heavy duty stuff. When you date someone for a long period of time, your memories are entwined. I can't erase them from my memory because doing so would also erase some of the best memories I have had of college, vacations, and important events in my life.

What is the protocol here? I can't throw away this stuff. Although I have no romantic interest with this person anymore, they were still a part of my life. A part that I will never get rid of. Do I label a box with all the photos and letter saying - BEWARE THIS MIGHT HURT. Or do I just keep it all mixed in, knowing that yes it might hurt, but its probably the good kind?

What about if I ever meet someone new (hahaha we all know how this is going)? Do I really need to get rid of everything fearing that this new person might be insecure and give a hoot? I'm not really sure how to handle all this. Maybe I will just ignore the situation until I am older and more mature to face it.

Ms.Clean

2006-04-16T19:09:00.000-04:00

Moving sucks. Moving someone like me is even worse. When I was little my nickname used to be 'bag lady'. If you can understand why, then good, we are on the same page. This pretty much still holds true today. What I have learned these past few weeks is that I am a huge PACKRAT. I have so much of every kind of piece of crap available to mankind. It's time for me to change.

That's right, clean up the junk. Why I save ripped panty hose, I am not sure. Why I have nail polish from high school kind of frightens me. Why oh why I have 8,000 bottles of lotion and 10,000 shampoos and conditioners actually angers me. What is wrong with me?! How can I accumulate so much trash? Here were the rules when it came to packing:

If I don't fit in it, give it away
If I won't ever wear it again, give it away
If it's so ugly that no one will ever wear it...give it to my mom so that she can give it away.
If it's semi broken and I have already bought something else to replace it, throw it away
If it's absolute crap, throw it away
If it's ugly crap, throw it away

This resulted in 3 shopping bags (oh I'm talking the big kind) full of shoes that I do not wear anymore, 3 shopping bags of clothes I can give to the needy, and 5 garbage bags filled with crap. It felt SO good to get rid of this. My possessions are literally at a 1/3 of what they used to be. Some things I am sure my mom would FREAK out if she knew I was throwing it away. But seriously, if I stopped using the hair straightener for a reason (um broken) I think I can finally get rid of it now. Not only did appliances go, but everything I knew I was kidding myself if I thought I might use it, also was disposed of.

Feels so good to be clean.

Busy Bee

2006-04-13T10:12:00.000-04:00

I have not been able to give my full blogger attention this past week. Things have been a little hectic since I have returned to the dirty jerz. Between looking for a new project, fighting with my mom, trying to unpack, being lazy and watching tv, reading my book, and visiting all my friends, I hardly have time to sleep! Do not fear though: My return is near.

Take a Napa

2006-04-07T14:05:00.000-04:00

Well all - I'm back! I was in Napa for the past couple of days drinkin some vino and celebrating birthdays with some girl friends. Highlights of the trip (many of you have already received the email version):

Went to a San Fran ACN party on Friday night with Grishma and got to meet up with some old/great friends! Too bad everyone was super trashed by the time we got there. Saw some scandalous stuff that I will have to keep to myself ;)
The weather was actually pretty crappy all week. It rained every day although we did get to see the sun for a couple hours. Overall though the weather did NOT keep our spirits down
Had a blind date with a boy in Napa (set up by mums). I don't know if it was him being bad at dating or just not being compatible, but I don't think I will be doing any 2nd dates any time soon
Birthday was truly a drunken blur. We went on a tour of 5 different wineries and came out if barely awake. I don't think our poor tour guide had seen anything like NJ girls on vacation before. Thanks for all the txt's and phone calls :)
Overall we brought home almost 40 bottles of wine between the 5 of us. This caused a lot of pain seeing that we had to carry these boxes all through the airports.

Philla Dilla

2006-03-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

Oh Philla. I will miss you. I have grown to love and adore the city of Philadelphia. When I first came here, I was in typical NY mode - Um this is NOT New York City so why should I even give it a chance? Totally wrong. Philly in a lot of ways is better that NYC to me. A) Philly has a lot of history and personality B) It's not as big as New York so you don't feel overwhelmed or lost C) You can walk the entire city of Philadelphia in one afternoon

I could list more, but there are more important Philly-isms that I need to mention.

Favorite Restaurant: Effies (11th and Pine)
Favorite Bar to unwind at: Rouge
Favorite Park: Rittenhouse Square
Favorite Memory: People watching in the park with Rupal and Gaurav
Least Favorite Memory: That crazy dog on Chestnut with the extremely big and noticeable thang
Favorite Work Outing: McGillans on any tuesday night
Worst Philly location: Corner of 12 and Chestnut by Seven Eleven - those bums are annoying
Favorite Philly Weekend: Tie btwn PSU girls visiting and Emily's Bachelorett Party :)
Favorite Philly Friend: RUPAL and Geoff of course :)

Oh memories. I am really going to miss this city. There is still so much I haven't explored and want to do. Le sigh. I hope I can come back real soon for a longer more permanent stay. In honor, here is a photo recap of my Philly experience:

Movin on Up

2006-03-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

I did it - I finally moved out of Philly! For the 2nd time in 2 years, I packed up all my shiz again. Let me be the first to tell you if you don't already know - moving SUCKS. It stinks so bad, you'll wonder why you ever decided to unpack in the first place.

My apartment in Philly wasn't even mine! It was fully furnished, so I didn't have to really worry about lugging any furniture back. But oh boy, did I accumulate one huge pile of crap. Here are some things I have learned, that you might want to read about:

1. The amount of clothing I own could probably fill my entire apartment
2. Shoes shoes everywhere!!!
3. Little handbags fit into bigger handbags which are easy to move
4. I apparently shop - a lot
5. Since I have so many shopping bags, who needs boxes?!
6. It takes a lot of products to help me see, do my hair, and get ready
7. Shoe boxes come in extremely handy for storage. Would probably be best to label though.
8. Loose items such as hair thingies, pens, earrings, and socks will most definitely get lost in the move
9. Why do I own 5 bottles of lotion?
10. Thinking about unpacking is even worse than packing

Sammy

2006-03-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

Last night I had dinner with my friend "Sammy" (i have changed his name for my protection). Sammy is wonderful - he is so smart and so great and (sigh) I have had the biggest crush on him forever. Sammy and I met a couple years ago in NY; he was friends with my cousin. Once I came to Philly, we kept in touch and periodically would have dinner together.

Of course when I was breaking up with my then boyfriend Sammy just started dating his now fiance. Big time bummer. I have come to terms with his engagement and couldn't be happier for him. He is a great friend and I always look forward to our reunions to catch up.

One weekend, however, in Philadelphia, Sammy almost found out about my un-dying love for him. My two fabulous friends Rupal and Tuhin joined me and my cousins for a night out on the town. Since I never really get to see Sammy, I invited him out too!

When Sammy came to the restaurant that we were at, most of my focus was on him. He didn't know anyone else, and we had a lot to catch up on! My wonderful friends however, kept themselves entertained by making fun of me. While I was deep in conversation with Sammy, I could hear their little snickers and whispers in the background. When I went to confront them, they told me how I was flipping my hair, smiling immensely, and flirting heavily. NOT TRUE! It was pure and innocent - swear! This man is taken; no point in wasting good effort on him.

When we moved on to our next destination, Sammy went to make a phone call. When he came back, he hears Tuhin saying "Hey, where's your boy at, where's your man" -- uhh Tuhin, he's standing NEXT to you. I had to do some pretty fancy lying to get out of this little pickle. He left soon after :/

Oh Sammy, how I heart you.

Update: Project Skinny Bitch

2006-03-28T18:24:00.000-05:00

So it seems to be working! My motivation for the summer and a bathing suit are helping me to achieve my weight loss goals!

I have been going to the gym for the past couple weeks. I try to walk 2 miles or do 30 minutes on the elliptical, some weight training and of course ABS! Somehow though, I strained a muscle in my butt yesterday working on the elliptical. I'm in pain. My weight has been a steady 105 but I do see improvements!

Hopefully when I start taking tennis lessons this spring/summer it will only help to shape up.

I have also seen Cutie a couple more times in the gym. Tired of playing the "i'm not really looking at you but I am game" I have decided to move on and pretend he's not there. It helps my workout and my focus. If he's really that interested, he will find a way to talk to me.

Dark Side of Consulting

2006-03-28T16:07:00.000-05:00

I think my entire team and project thinks that I have absolutely no life. Yes this is my last week at project. No I do NOT know where I am going to be next. These past two weeks have actually been pretty stressful regarding this.

Let me break it down for you all. I am what we call compensatory. Since I have been on an out-of-town assignment for over a year, all my expenses are considered taxable income and have to be reported to the government. This basically boils down to the fact that my taxes are completely messed up and that it's a complicated issue that no one ever wants to deal with.

I was hoping that once I got to leave Comcrap that this would not be a topic I would have to discuss anymore. Wrong. It turns out that I cannot accept any other projects within 40 miles of my current project, or else I will continue to be compensatory there. Of course, I was actually approached by a great project that was - 38 miles away from my current assignment. This means that I am back on the search and will not be joining their team. Compensatory, like the plague, is not something you want to get.

The management on my team also thinks that we are best friends. They are allowing me to leave - that is enough of a present. Unfortunately, though, they think that we need one more outing together to properly say goodbye. I already had dinner last night with my actual friends on this project. I really don't need to spend the company's money on another night speaking to people that I have NOTHING to say to. Sorry Mr.Manager, we hardly said 2 words to each other my entire time here. Sorry Ms.Senior Executive, I get very uncomfortable around you; dinner would not be wise. I also have planned for a final Philly date that night! I can't very well get my mack on when I have Accenture cock-blocking like crazy.

And this is what is called the darkside of consulting.

Love Doctor is IN

2006-03-26T21:02:00.000-05:00

I think all my readers (ok all 4 of you) know at this point that I have no love life and it is the topic of many of my posts (are you bored yet?). This is my general love formula:

boy = 23 + horrible on paper
girl = me

boy + girl = amazing chemistry

boy = older + successful + fabulous on paper
girl = me

boy + girl = not so much

There is something terribly wrong here. It seems that when I meet a suitable match for myself things just never go right. Why is this? I absolutely can't stand this whole dating ritual I have to put myself through. I meet a great guy, but when we are together, spark or no spark, things just don't seem to work out.

Theory 1: Too much pressure
It seems to me that the reason this occurs is because of too much pressure. "this could be the one!" is not a thought I need to be thinking. In fact, I need to treat all these dates as a purely platonic/non romantic meeting, perhaps. Maybe this way I can just enjoy the evening and not have any sort of expectations.

Theory 2: Bad Karma
This is also another possibility that I actually believe in. Maybe I have broken so many hearts in my past life that it's just my karma that is preventing this whole thing to occur. It could just be my fate to suffer through this and not find anyone that can really be right for me.

Theory 3: Reverse Psychology
You seem wrong for me, in turn, I want to see you more. Although I know that this probably won't go anywhere, I am, for some reason at my best. I already know that it's not going to work out, so I don't invest many of my emotions or thoughts into it. This allows me to be charming and let my guard down (cause heck, we really aren't going to get into anything serious) and have a great time.

Theory 4: Dating sucks
How about the fact that dating just sucks?! To meet a complete stranger, go on a date, figure out if you have some sort of future. I think Wedding Crashers put it best:

Janice, I apologize to you if I don't seem real eager to jump into a forced awkward intimate situation that people like to call dating. I don't like the feeling. You're sitting there, you're wondering do I have food on my face, am I eating, am I talking too much, are they talking enough, am I interested I'm not really interested, should I play like I'm interested but I'm not that interested but I think she might be interested but do I want to be interested but now she's not interested? So all of the sudden I'm getting, I'm starting to get interested... And when am I supposed to kiss her? Do I have to wait for the door cause then it's awkward, it's like well goodnight. Do you do like that ass-out hug? Where you like, you hug each other like this and your ass sticks out cause you're trying not to get too close or do you just go right in and kiss them on the lips or don't kiss them at all? It's very difficult trying to read the situation. And all the while you're just really wondering are we gonna get hopped up enough to make some bad decisions?

Animal Planet

2006-03-26T17:28:00.000-05:00

When I was driving home this past weekend, I almost hit a rabbit. The little guy was running along side of the road and ran right in front of my car! Thank God I didn't hear that thud and I think he's doing ok. But that got me thinking - do rabbits have adrenaline? I know my heart started beating faster and I was like "holy shiz, I almost killed this poor animal". Was the rabbit thinking "damn that biotch is crazy! I almost died tonight - I'm going to go home and kiss my kids" ?

It amazes me all that researchers find out about animals. Apparently rabbits can produce catecholamine which is an adrenaline-like hormone. How do they know this?! When I was a little kid I never really wondered about the science of animals. I guess other kids did.

When I was watching animal planet yesterday, there was a special about hippos. They were describing the rituals a baby hippo goes through to acclimate itself into the herd. Apparently the male leader will lick all the baby hippos to show love. This is regarded as the highest form of affection that a hippo can receive. Again - how the heck do they know this? Do they ask the hippos? What if they flutter their ears a certain way and that means "I love you"? What if they are licking them to get some type of crud off?

Just some thoughts to entertain you with...

Professional Dater

2006-03-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

I wish I could consider myself to be a 'professional dater' but unfortunately it's just not my reality. Is anyone really good at dating? I don't think I'm a very good dater.

I've recently picked up this bad attitude. I don't like to get dressed up anymore. Why bother? I love t-shirts, I want to be comfortable. If a guy is going to be into me, shouldn't he be into the real me? Why dress up and pretend like I'm someone I'm not?

When I have dates, I get all sorts of advice. My mom for instance - this is what she tells me (taken straight from her email) " You are always yourself I know and please dress to kill and wear lipstick and stand out exceptional. " My roommate usually takes one look at me and tells me to put on more makeup or to get cuter. I have actually had a friend of a friend tell me to do my hair again and made me put on more lipstick.

Hmm ok, so more makeup and exceptional outfits. This is my dating handicap.

City Livin

2006-03-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

Last night I got rudely awakened by screaming drunken idiots and a lot of car honking. I did not get my ample beauty sleep!

We have a ball room in our building; which is quite popular. Last night, like many nights, there was an elegant event occurring in the ballroom. Around 2 am though, I was reminded how drunken idiots and city life are sometimes just not the life for me.

For some ungodly reason there was a traffic jam right outside our building - AT 2 AM!! Apparently the valet and the drunken fools were having some sort of problem and all I could hear for about 10 minutes was HOOOOOOOONK HOOOOOOOOOOOONK. Too bad my window is too heavy to open because they definitely would have heard what I had to say.

Once the honking finally stopped I kept hearing shrieks of laughter from all these people. Do they not know they are outside? I know there are street lights, but I don't think you can mistake them for actual SUN LIGHT. It's not 2 pm ladies and gentlemen - it's 2 AM. Let's try to let your neighbors sleep please.

Tag I'm It

2006-03-24T14:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not really a fan of email chain letters or "tags" (as we call it in blogger/myspace land). Since I am in the mood to blog, I will succumb to the forces and cooperate.

I've been tagged!

Rules
If i tag you, you have to do the following:
1. The tagged victim must come up with 10 different points of their perfect lover.
2. Need to mention gender of target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game and leave a comment saying they've been tagged.
4. If tagged again, there's no need to post a 2nd time.

I'm actually going to change the rules a little. A) I will not tag 8 other people B) perfect lover? is this really interesting to people?

ok Perfect MAN Lover (ooooooh)
1. sense of humor (if i'm not laughing, you're not funny)
2. good teeth (i had to suffer w/ braces, so should you)
3. no gross birth defects (3rd nipple, etc)
4. at least 4 inches taller than me (not that hard to achieve)
5. should always have gum
6. cannot live at home
7. should not own any reptiles
8. must like Coke - not pepsi
9. have some sort of interest in God
10. fabulous kisser

I'm Electric

2006-03-23T16:37:00.000-05:00

I have seem to have this constant problem: static electricity. All day long I seem to be shocking myself. This is actually happens most often when I am in my apartment (which has carpeting). I got really annoyed with this constant habit this week so I decided to do some Kripsie research to figure out what is going on.

I don't intentionally rub my feet on carpeting before touching things. I am actually very careful when I walk. This guy says that no friction or rug-scuffing is required in order to electrically charge our bodies. So there goes that theory.

Static electricity occurs when we have an imbalance between our negative and positive particles (remember science class? atoms, neutrons, electrons?). When we walk, our socks or shoes can steal the negative charges from the floor and we get this "imbalance".

Some things I could do to fix this:
1. change my shoe soles to leather
2. raise the humidity in the room
3. spray the carpet or floors with an antistatic coating

These don't really seem to be the theories or answers I am looking for. I wear socks at home! I don't want to get leather soles. The room is hot enough! Maybe I just have so much energy in me the rest of the room is jealous? Yes, I like that theory.

Spring Break

2006-03-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

When I was in college I loved spring break - mainly for the fact that I was away from school for a whole week. I have never really gone 'crazy' during spring break though. Although I went away pretty much every year, I never once was caught on film making out with three girls or doing jello shots off of some midget in Mexico (I'm sure that happened somewhere).

What is the appeal of going buck-wild during spring break? There is no doubt that MTV helped the popularity of spring break craziness. But seriously, they have some of their most disgusting television during this week. Yes I would love to be at the beach, sleep in, go out, have a great time, but I can only take so much. Have you ever watched any of these shows? I wonder if these kids know they are being videotaped. Maybe it wasn't their fault...they just happened to be confused and went home with a he rather than a she. Hmm right. What about their parents? If my parents ever saw a picture of me half naked hanging all over some boy, God knows I would not be allowed outside of my house (yes even now).

Plus, honestly, what is so awesome about going out and getting so unbelievably drunk and bragging to your friends that you got "so much a$$". There are words for people like that and they are not nice. I hope you all get a weird rash that won't go away!

Birthdizzle

2006-03-21T12:56:00.000-05:00

My favorite day of the year is my birthday. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been unbelievably excited for April to come. The one day of the year that we all get to celebrate ME!

When I was young I used to say "It's my happy birthday" - not realizing that "Happy Birthday" was a greeting not the actual name of the event. How cute was I?!

Last year, to celebrate my new found freedom of turning 25 (lower car insurance, no car rental fees) I had a huge party in NYC with all my favorite people. The year before I'm sure I was drinking it up somewhere with my sidekicks. This year, however, is a different story. 26?! I'm not ready for 26. Shiz, I don't feel 26, I don't look 26, I don't act 26 - I can't be turning 26. What happened to 23 and 24? Where did those years go? What the heck was I doing? (making out with someone hot I hope)

So this year in order to celebrate my NOT turning 26, I decided to run away. I can't tell you where I am going. It's a proven fact that if your birthday can't find you, then you can't get older. So HA. While you suckers are getting older, I'm running away and staying 25 for one more year.

Note: You better call me still and wish me a "happy not turning 26 but staying 25 birthday"
Note Note: Happy Birthday Bola!!!!

Slurpy

2006-03-21T12:42:00.001-05:00

Now to add to my rants about work, here is another one: Noisy eaters. I currently sit in a room with 4 other people. The size of the room isn't very big so we are basically in each others biznaz all day long (do you understand now why I get frustrated?).

I don't know if you have experienced a slurper. This person cannot drink tea/coffee or eat soup without making an excessive amount of noise. Granted the food may be hot, but you knew that already. Is there really a reason for you to sluuuuuurrrrp every sip? Did you ever think this may be the worst noise on the face of the planet? I used to have this "friend" - let's call him Pras - who did this all the time. I once threatened to fire him (kidding of course!!!) if he didn't stop. Now I have this new guy sitting next to me. He loves soup and loves to slurp. Too bad I can't fire him.

How about open-mouth chewers. I don't think there is anything grosser than this. Along with slurping, they love to make noises while chewing. Their mouth for some reason can't stay shut while eating. Did you take too big of a bite? Try smaller mouthfuls next time. I seriously can't put my music any louder or make myself temporarily blind to prevent myself from noticing this. This might be a good topic to add to our home economic classes in high school: How Not to be Annoying While Eating.

Grumpy

2006-03-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

I am normally a pretty friendly person. There is however a period of 8 hours where even I don't want to deal with myself: at work. I think for the most part I have been generally pleasant to work with. But for the past couple of months it's been quite a challenge.

I work with a lot of idiots - and I am not really using that in it's nicest terms. My team nowadays consists of other contractors and Comcast employees: only 1 other Accenture companion (who is fab). Most days I wonder how these people get themselves out of bed and into work without my help. It seems that anything that doesn't work does not require any sort of "trial and error". Their immediate response to a problem is "Hey I got a question" "Hey this isn't working" "Hey what do I do". Hmmm how about - I don't freakin' care!

I honestly don't know what people do in full time jobs that they have FOREVER. Don't you get frustrated with your co-workers? What about the work? Doesn't it get boring and out-dated for you? I am slated to leave in 1.5 weeks and my last day can't get here any faster.

Kids

2006-03-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

My friend Wendy and I were talking about kids the other day. We were actually surprised by the fact that babies don't seem so scary to us anymore.

note: when I say babies, I mean actual babies, not the process of giving birth

While I was in the airport last night, arriving in Pittsburgh, I got to thinking about this. Am I really ready for kids? Are we being serious about this? Right as I was starting to feel that "motherly instinct" a cute little family came on board my AirTrain. This brought me back to reality. What I realized is that yes, babies are cute. They are cuddly, innocent, and really sweet. But then - they grow up; they learn to talk.

Take for example this sweet family on the AirTrain:

parent: hold on to the pole
monster: sit on the pole?
parent: no hold on to it
monster: oh hahahahahaha I thought you said sit
monster: where are we going
parent: this will take us to the exit
monster: is this a train? I thought it was a box
parent: yes it's a train
monster: who's driving this?
monster: who's driving this?
monster: who's driving this?
parent: sigh

See what I'm saying. If kids would just stay babies, I think I could handle it. But nope, they learn to talk and then they learn to be annoying. Sorry Wendy, I go back to the original theory:
Babies = NOT FOR ME (well at least not for now)

Wedding Cake

2006-03-16T14:51:00.000-05:00

I have been to my fair share of weddings -all have been fabulous and lot's of fun. One part of weddings though that I am not really a fan of - the wedding cake.

I don't really like cake to begin with; only rarely do I ever have a piece. But people end up paying SO much money for this cake. How many people actually EAT the cake?? From my experience, I am too busy drinking, dancing, etc to even notice the cake. Usually I am not at my table and I have even missed the cake-handing-out on many occasions.

And the cake cutting ceremony - again - don't really pay attention. Why spend all this money on cake?

I think if I ever get married, I might have cupcakes. Generally everyone loves cupcakes. They are small, so you get the correct portion, it has easy clean up, and very convenient to take home!

I'm a genius.

Email Dating

2006-03-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

I think we need to create rules about email dating. Oh you don't know what it is?

Say you are introduced to someone via email and photo. You are somewhat interested - but because of some sort of complication (distance, fear) you are restricted to conversing through emails. You find your email box filled with messages titled "Introduction" and then a lengthy message from there.

What is the proper amount of time to wait before giving your phone number?
What is the proper amount of time before you meet in person?
Is there email flirting?
My general tendency in life is to tease. Is teasing not appropriate via email? (I think the joke loses its translation in text)
What if you receive additional pictures and are completely not interested?
If we email and then decide it's not going anywhere - how do we "break-up"?
If we break-up, were we actually dating?

Am I the only one that deals with this?

I Can't Believe It's Not...

2006-03-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

Something that has confused me for a while is this whole butter/margarine issue. I always buy Country Crock Shed's Spread (what the heck is Shed?). I like the packaging and the spread is very easy to use. But what the heck is it? It's not butter - so does that automatically mean it's margarine. And what is margarine? I'm so confused....

Well in simple terms, butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. Butter actually comes in many different forms: sweet cream butter, spreadable butter, or whipped butter. AND all forms of butter also come in salted and unsalted versions. I think we all know how/when to use butter so I'm going to skip that portion of this lesson.

Now the problem with butter is that it has been labeled as a serious contributor to health problems - especially heart disease. It seems that one tablespoon of butter contains 100 calories, all from fat: 11 grams of fat, of which 7 grams are saturated fat, and 30 milligrams of cholesterol. Gross. Here's where margarine came in.

Margarine is basically a butter-substitute. I don't think you want to know the chemical make-up of it, so I'll spare you that as well. Margarine however was also flagged as another health risk due to its high proportion of trans-fat. Trans-fat can lead to coronary heart disease - oy! Since the 90's though, they have been trying to lower the amount of trans-fat in margarine and now you can find most with "zero grams" trans fat.

But this still leaves me confused about Country Crock. They call themselves a 'spread' - and no where do they refer to themselves as anything else. Apparently my spread is cholesterol free but still has trans fat. Should I be concerned?

Milton and RSG

2006-03-14T16:55:00.000-05:00

Do you all remember Milton? I'm sure you do. Well it turns out Milton 'ain't that bad! He's been very nice to me recently and get this - - - - - we have the same birthday!!!

I know. Gosh of all the coincidences in this world. But don't worry, Red Sweater Guy and I are still arch enemies. In fact, let me give you another wonderful example of his crazy ways. And when I say crazy I mean so freakin annoying!

RSG - "kripa, one more thing I need to ask you"
RSG - "I forgot my wallet at my home"
RSG - "now only I realized"
RSG - "can you lend me some cheeze?"
Kripsie - "cheeze?"
RSG - "yeah money"
Kripsie - "I actually have no cash on me" - honest truth!
RSG - "dough"
RSG - "whatever"
Kripsie - "?"
RSG - "thanks"
RSG - "You don't have money"
RSG - "I just cannot believe that"

Ummmm WEIRDO.

Flyin' High

2006-03-14T16:17:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I have come to realize that I might possibly have the worst luck with flying. I'm not really sure when this curse began. Is there a flying curse? I haven't broken any mirrors recently or walked under any ladders. Hmmm once I thought a black cat crossed my path - could that sucker be the cause of my flying misery?

I just flew to Chicago from Newark. My flight to Chicago was 1 hr delayed. My flight to Newark was 1.5 hrs delayed and then I sat on the runway for another 45 minutes after landing.

In July I flew to London. The flight there was fantastic. The flight home was 3 hours delayed - all of it spent in the airplane ON the runway.

In October I flew to Italy. The Venice airport only opens at 4 am. I had to wake up at 3 am - take a water taxi and then a regular taxi and then wait outside the airport. Then I was stuck in the stinky Frankfurt Airport while I waited for my painful flight home.

In October I also flew to Connecticut. My flight was 1 hr delayed. My airport was 1 hr away from my destination!

Do you see the pattern? Every time I get on one of these contraptions they want to screw me - big time.

I'm Baaack

2006-03-14T12:05:00.000-05:00

Sup y'all. I'm back. It's been a pretty crazy couple of days. After recovering from being sick (thank God) I shipped my brown butt off to Chicago to have some fun.

This was only my 3rd trip ever to the Windy City. I must say, I really do heart Chicago. Every time I have gone, I have only had wonderful experiences. The best part of it all was that I was there for their annual St.Patty's celebration - Green River and all!

Anyways, some interesting facts you may not know about Chicago:

Chicago is home to the world's largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw.
In Chicago, it is a criminal offense for anyone except a police officer to use a slingshot.
There is a Chicago law that makes it illegal for male Chicagoans to fish in their pajamas.
The Sear Tower elevators operate as fast as 1,600 feet per minute.
The world's largest cookie and cracker factory, where Nabisco made 16 billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in Chicago.

I know - I'm just a regular encyclopedia. Thank You. Come Again.

Doctor Doctor

2006-03-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

Now that I have some more energy in me, let's get to talking about some things that have been on my mind today. I went to the Doctor this morning to try to figure out what the heck is wrong with me. Luckily I live right across the street from a hospital so finding someone was not a problem. I was so excited to go get some drugs and feel better. I only have a mere 24hrs before I leave for Chicago and I am not about to let this "flu-ish" get the best of me.

P.S: I prefer female doctors over male ones anyday. If they need to be touching any part of my body it comforts me that they have the same physical make-up so that what they see or don't see isn't weird or ugly to them. I'm still single; yes this is how we think.

I was relieved to know that my newest physician was in-fact a female: Diane. She wasn't as friendly as I am so me trying some small talk wasn't really helping. I also have a problem recently trying to explain my unique situations to doctors.

No I am not from Philly, I am just here during the week. Yes my permanent address is up in northern NJ. No I have a primary physician, it's just easier for me to see specialists during the week down here.

Sigh. It can get so annoying.

Diane checked me out: I have low blood pressure: I need to drink some more fluids. She also says I have a viral infection. Can I have some drugs Diane? She tells me to get some 'tussin or some Musselex. WTF? Where is my codine, where is my antibiotic?! I just paid $20 for this crazy biotch to tell me to keep drinking tea and keep sleeping. Oh and to wash my hands - germs also travel! WTF?

I like it better when doctors give me some drugs. That's why I have insurance! I want to pay my $5 and get my drugs. Sigh. To show her who's boss, I made some pancakes for lunch. Eat that!

Sick

2006-03-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

Some-how, some-way, some-where I got sick this past weekend.

So here I am at work coughing and feeling like shiz. Worse yet these weenies I call co-workers just can't seem to do anything without my help. I am leaving early. Sorry for you blog-addicts. Hopefully tomorrow I will have more to update.

Journal

2006-03-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

My dear roommate Bola got me thinking the other day about Journals. I am a huge fan of journals (duh I have a blog). I have had a journal ever since I was a little girl. The problem with journals though is that they are very susceptible to theivery.

When I was in the 4th grade, I kept this little diary - it had a lock and everything. Of course, the lock didn't do shiz and anyone could get into it. Since my obsession with boys started very young some of my notable journal entries were pertaining to my crush Drew (yes that Drew). I also wrote about a conversation we had that included some curse words. When I got home from school my mom gave me the "we need to talk" look.
Uh oh. I got in trouble.

When I was a grown-up in college I had a boyfriend. I also had another journal. This journal wasn't actually being used, but was in my closet for me to reminisce about the past couple of years. This journal was a lot more intricate and dealt with high school (oh boy). This time it wasn't my mom that read it, it was Boyfriend. When I got back from class, he gave me the "we need to talk" look.

Uh oh. I got in trouble.

Now here's the thing. What is worse - having you read the journal or you getting mad at me for what is IN the journal? I think the latter.

So what - I wrote that I don't like this or that or I did this and that. It's NONE of your business! My journal is there for me to write in - not for you to read. In my opinion...if you are going to snoop and read something you KNOW you should not be reading, then it's your own fault. Don't be crying me a river. I'll just write about it in my journal and get over it.

Oh Cutie

2006-03-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Last night, I went to the gym (see Project Skinny Bitch) for a kickass workout. After I was completely sweaty and disgusting from my cardio workout, I decided to go the extra mile and work out a little more.

Enter Cutie.

Now Cutie and I have seen each other before on my floor. He definitely looks like he uses the gym and is well a Cutie.

Now if you have ever been to the gym, you know its hard not to check out/notice the other fitness enthusiasts. But flirting at the gym? That's just weird to me. I'm sweaty, I might smell, and I am not in my party best. So what resulted was Cutie and me playing a lot "Not Making Eye Contact". It was a little obvious (well to me) that we both recognized each other and well hello he's a Cutie! Let's just say I tried to be Ms.Play-It-Cool.

We both continued with our little workout routines. At one point I couldn't get my leg press machine's seat in a comfortable position. Instead of looking like a FOOL in front of Cutie, I decided to pretend like it was just fine - HA. Once I finished, I finally gave up on Cutie checkin me out and headed back upstairs to my apartment.

After taking a detour to pick up my mail, I was in my own little world, perusing through my magazine and listening to whatever hot jam was on my Ipod. Guess who decides to leave the gym and come into MY elevator - YUP - Cutie!!! Unfortunately another man named Cock Block also decided to join us in the elevator ruining any chances of Cutie and Kripsie to fall madly in love.

Cutie - I'm going to the gym again today. Meet you there ;) And Cock Block - you can just stay home, thanks!

Liar Liar

2006-03-01T17:36:00.000-05:00

Sometimes the funniest thing in the world to me is telling a lie. Now I'm not talking about those serious lies that hurt and cause pain - I'm talking about the little white lies that are so much fun!!

For example:

a) During senior year of college we all had Senior Design projects. When people asked me what I made, I told them all I built a Time Machine. "Really?" they would ask. Umm - NO! Of course not! I can hardly change the oil in my car, you really think I could build a Time Machine? And hello - they don't exist. sheesh!

b) Again in college, my friend Wendy was asked to give a speech in front of all the new prospective students that were visiting Stevens. Since she refused to make me a part of her speech ["...I would like to give a shout out to my homie Kripsie.."] I needed to get her back! So when everyone approached her to congratulate her on a wonderful speech, I would reply with "I wrote it for her". That got me a lot of praise and hand shakes. ha ha.

c) When I was 18 my friend Lydia and I went to this West Indian club in Queens. Boys back in the day actually would approach me and buy me drinks (foreign concept now). One time, this boy kept pressuring me for a name. To get him off my back I finally responded with "Princess". "Princess?" he asked me. After a few minutes of discussion, he realized I wasn't budging on the fact that my name was in fact Princess and proceeded to call me that for the rest of the night. That's a classic.

See... lying IS fun and VERY entertaining.

Fake ID

2006-03-01T17:16:00.000-05:00

When I was in college, I looked like I was 16 years old. I also lived in Hoboken, NJ where there are over 100 bars in 1 square mile. This equates to a lot of drinking that I didn't look old enough to do!

Since I wasn't one of those sexy bitches that could shake it and get into any bar, I needed what they call a fake id. I luckily knew this guy from Oregon (remember Tyler - yup - him!). He was in the habit of being good with a computer and offered to make me a fake Oregon ID for the low cost of $20 (which I never paid - ha ha - suckaaa). I got to use this ID all over town and since no one really knew what an Oregon ID looked like....it worked like a charm!

When I was 20, my family decided to take our annual family trip on the road to the West Coast - with a stop in LAS VEGAS. Now I'm not much of a gambler, but I do enjoy my alcohol, so let's just say I became 'concerned' with my age restriction out there. Since Oregon was a little closer to Vegas than Hoboken, I worried that this ID would be flagged and I would get my ass in trouble. So, during lunch one day, I hopped on over to NYC's East Village and got me a Maryland ID. Yup! Now I was 20 in NJ, 21 in Maryland, and 22 in Oregon! I only really used my fake ID once while in Vegas. My cousin and I snuck out of our hotel rooms to hit up the Luxor Casino. While he gambled (he was really 21) I hung out and drank some corona's in the background. Of course, the "pit boss" spotted me in a second and asked me for my id.

batted eye lashes "oh here you go officer " hehehe.

Now let me tell you, this must have been the stupidest thing I have ever done in my entire life.
1) I was on vacation with my family 2) I was giving a Las Vegas Pitt Boss my little fake id from the East Village and 3) I WAS ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY!

Luckily though, my play-it-cool act fooled them all (muaahaha) and I got away with it. Needless to say I gave these fake id's away to some poor girls after I turned 21. Yes girls, you made Santa's Nice list! It's nice now to be 25 and still get carded, BUT able to at least tell the truth. Now when I bat those eyelashes, it's only cause you're cute ;)

Cold Air

2006-03-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

Why am I sitting at work with the air conditioning blowing at me? Why Why?! Does this happen to you at work? I didn't realize March 1st was the beginning of National Air Conditioning Month. Where is the petition to stop this rubbish?

Project Skinny Bitch

2006-03-01T09:46:00.000-05:00

For most of my adolescent life I have been a skinny skinny girl. I weighed a mere 98 lbs and couldn't gain anything! Now I'm not saying this to brag or anything like that. I actually never really appreciated being "small boned" and still thought I had some weight to shed. oh sigh.

Once I joined the working world, it seemed that although I gained a pay check, I lost my amazing metabolism. I gained about 15 lbs! I actually had to BUY new clothes. It was a mess. Although I was still fairly 'thin' to the world, it was a whole different story when it was me vs. the mirror.

I have since lost about 10 lbs and am at a pretty steady weight. Of course, the weight still jiggles and wiggles around a little too much. Enter Project Skinny Bitch. I have decided to get my a$$ back to the gym and get ready for summer and more importantly dating season. Wish me luck!

Have you seen this skinny bitch anywhere?

circa 2003

TRAVEL!

2006-02-28T16:47:00.000-05:00

People, I am about to give away an unbelievable secret. You can go to Puerto Rico for just $79 ONE WAY! Who wants to go on vacation?! Pick me, pick me!!! Anyone interested in traveling in April? Need a cute brown friend to accompany you? Pick me, pick me!!!

Role Model

2006-02-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when I watch TV or Movies there aren't a lot of characters that I can relate to. Ok let's be honest, there aren't many (if any) Indian actors/actresses in the mainstream US media. Every once in a while we get a cool cameo or hit single but that's about it. Forgive me if I get over-excited about an Indian actor that I can watch on the big screen.

At the moment I think I can count on one hand the # of times I have seen this:
Pinky Finger: Bend It Like Beckham
Ring Finger: 40 Year Old Virgin (4 Indian characters)
Middle Finger: Parminder Nagra on ER (girl from Bend It Like Beckham)
Index Finger: Punjabi MC featuring Jay-Z: Beware of the Boys
Thumb: Bombay Dreams (broadway production)

Not to say I want to start a revolution like Indian History Month or anything. Just saying that it's no wonder that Indian people still hold onto Bollywood and its Indian Movies! Although I love Grey's Anatomy, it's not like me and Meredith really have a lot in common.

Email Etiquette

2006-02-28T14:52:00.000-05:00

Remember how we talked about Arranged Marriage v2.0.0.6? Well here are some email tips for all you boys who want to "connect" with me.

* Please don't write me a page describing yourself
* Try to be witty! It really only takes me a few minutes to know if I want to continue
* Ask questions for me to respond to
* I don't want your life story in the first email - how about we start off slow.
* Send me a picture of yourself!
* Don't accuse me of not liking your picture if I take a few days to respond.
* Spell check!
* Better yet - spell MY name right!
* Let's not talk about previous boyfriends/girlfriends already
* How about we start of as friends? Let's not think/talk about the future just yet.

If we both follow the above rules it could just make it all so much easier.

Thanks.

Celebration

2006-02-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

It's coming! Are you ready?! Annual St Patty's Day in Hoboken 2006!!!

It's taken me a full year to recover, but man am I ready for it! Find me @ McMahons early on Saturday morning.

And to reminisce, here are some snaps from last years party

Nomad

2006-02-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

For most of my life I have lived out of a suitcase.

I was born in Madras, India
My parents then moved me to Africa between the ages of 4 and 6.
When I was 6 I came to the US and lived with my aunt and uncle in a small town: Berkeley Heights,NJ.
After finishing 1st grade, we moved to another little town called Summit, NJ.
When I was about to start 4th grade, my parents realized that they needed to move once again to another little town called New Providence, NJ.
We finally stayed in New Providence for me to finish up high school. Even during that time though, we moved from our two bedroom apartment to a house about 10 minutes away.
As soon as I left for college however, my parents realized that they might want to move again and we retreated back to Berkeley Heights, NJ, where they currently live today.

Lets do the math: that's 7 houses, 6 college dorm rooms, and 2 apartments in 26 years

Although I have had some amazing experiences in my life - I have never been able to call any one place my "home". This concept is almost foreign to me.

In the movie Garden State, Zach Braff is quoted as saying "You know that point in your life when you realize that the house that you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of the sudden even though you have some place where you can put your stuff that idea of home is gone." Well I sort of have felt this way for most of my life. My home is not a house that my parents have bought that keeps us safe and warm. My home is the thought of my family being together - anywhere. I don't have a house that I grew up in - heck I don't even have a town that I grew up in. Maybe this is why I travel so much now? It's the nomad in me that is constantly traveling to find a home to which I might belong to.

There's some Freud shit for ya.

Dreams

2006-02-24T10:42:00.000-05:00

I have some crazy crazy dreams. Some of them I remember but of course most I do not. Recently however my dreams have become more real and weirder. Join me in some dream interpretation will ya...

(I am using this site as a reference)

Dream #1
I dreamt I was feeding or chasing a squirrel and he bit my hand!!! I had to shake my had to get the bastard off of me! Talk about scary (and so bizarre!)

Interpretation:
"To see squirrels running around, signifies that you are involved in a loveless or pointless relationship or an unprofitable business project. Squirrels also refers to the act of hoarding. It could either mean that you need to reserve something or it could indicate that you are retaining too much and need to learn to let go."

Dream #2
I dreamt that I gave birth to triplets!! They were really cute - but hellooo we all know my thoughts on babies.

Interpretation:
"To dream of giving birth or see someone else giving birth, suggests that you are giving birth to a new idea or project. It also represents new beginnings or some upcoming event. A more direct interpretation of this dream, may represent your desires/ anxieties of giving birth or the anticipation for such an event to occur."

Dream #3
I again dreamt that I was pregnant! Gosh what is going on?!

Interpretation:
"To dream that you are pregnant, symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. This may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project or goal."

Am I crazy? Do you need me to interpret your dreams? Call me Dr. Kripsie.

Indian Movies

2006-02-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

For the past two days I spent my evenings watching an Indian Movie. Surprised?! I know..me too. It is very unlike me. But heck every once in a while I get in the mood for the drawn out love stories that are famous in Bollywood. This one in particular was named Veer Zaraa (sounds exactly how its spelled!!!) Here is the 3hr story broken down to a few line synopsis:

Indian Boy from village meets rich Pakistani girl
Boy falls in love with Girl
Girl falls in love with Boy
Girl is arranged to be married to another man
Boy and Girl are both devastated
Drama ensues
Boy and Girl finally get together

Include some sing-song dancing and a lot of color and BOOM: Indian movie emerges. For anyone that has never seen an Indian movie, I do recommend them. I think it should be on everyone's MUST DO BEFORE I DIE list. They are interesting, funny, and oh so silly. You're life isn't complete without some Bollywood.

Milton

2006-02-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Oh boy. I know you guys may get sick of work stories, but they are just too good to not blog on. I know I have talked previously about Office Space and my life. More and more I am coming to terms with the similarities. Take for instance this morning. We got a new member to our team! I call him Milton. This new member has taken my Office Space obsession to a whole new level. I didn't realize until today that real life Milton's exist! Who is Milton you ask? My l-o-v-e-r. [sike]

Let me take you through the Milton moment of my day:
new member: I need some testing accounts
kripsie: sure one second
new member: But I need accounts
kripsie: ok creating...
new member: I don't see my accounts
new member: I need accounts

*replace accounts with stapler = MILTON!

B of A

2006-02-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

I am a loyal customer at Bank of America. When I say loyal I mean I am just too lazy to switch banks. Recently they 'upgraded' their website with all kinds of fancy features and privacy shinanigins. Let me be the first to tell you - it sucks! There are so many pages and so many securtity codes for me to crack. I like the option of username: xxx password: xxx

Maybe its me, but let me show you the pain i endure:
I get to the normal login page (so far so good). When I try to login with my Online ID though -

Hmm interesting. Well let me introduce you. Computer, meet Bank of America. Bank of America, meet my computer! Ok let's get on with this process. I proceed:

What is this?! Are you aggravated too? This has already wasted my time. Ok blah blah - move ahead Bank!

Ok so first you complained that you didn't know my computer. Then you wanted me to confirm that I knew who I was. Now you want me fill out some form?! How about SHOW ME MY MONEY BIOTCH.

(answer blurred for obvious reasons!)

Shoot!

2006-02-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

Last night I headed over to Whole Foods to get some extra groceries. I am planning to make this avocado spread to eat with the falafels I made. There is actually a science to picking vegetables and fruit. You want to get the ripest items possible for maximum taste and happiness.

In case you didn't know, ripening is a process by which fruit will taste sweeter and become softer.

What I always do however is stick my fruits and vegetables in the fridge. Big Rookie Mistake!!! What I didn't know until today is that cold temperatures stop the ripening process in some fruit, and will slow it way down in other fruit. Unrefrigerated apples will “ripen” 8 times faster than refrigerated apples!

Needless to say I may have ruined my avocado dip by placing the sucker in the fridge. Shoot!

Gray Hair

2006-02-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Recently when I have been looking in the mirror, I have been seeing more and more gray hair on my head! Why?! I'm still young...vibrant! This caused me to do a little research to understand fully what's going on with me.

Apparently gray hair is really our normal hair that is stripped of its pigment. In reality it's 'transparent' hair that we have called gray. So...pigments (mainly Melanin) are generated by these cells in our hair follicles called Melanocytes. When the Melanocytes stop producing the Melanin, the result is a transparent hair color. And when this hair is compared with the rest of your healthy hair, it gives the appearance of gray hair.

It also seems that gray hair is a heriditery trait. If your parents got gray hair at a young age, most likely you will as well. thanks mom!

Kripa Stewart

2006-02-21T17:56:00.000-05:00

I went to the grocery store for the first time in a looong time last night. I decided it was time for me to STOP eating out and actually get some healthy junk back in my system.

Here is a fabulous recipie that I think anyone (yes even Wendy) can enjoy *taken from Wegmans Recipes*:

Pita Pizzas with Fresh Bruschetta Topping Serves 6 Active Time: 15 min
4 tomatoes on the vine, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh italian parsley
2 Tbsp fresh basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 pkg Food You Feel Good About Pita Bread

In a small bowl, combine tomato, garlic, parsley, basil and 1 Tbsp oil to make bruschetta topping.
Brush both sides of pitas with remaining oil.
Place pitas on grill rack. Grill one side until lightly browned, about 2 min; remove from rack.
On grilled sides, spoon 1/4 cup ricotta over each pita. Top with bruschetta mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
Place pitas back on rack; cover and cook until lightly browned and crisp on the bottom. The cheese and bruschetta topping should be slightly warm.
Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 sandwich) contains 324 calories, 44g carbohydrate (2g fiber), 10g fat (4g saturated fat), 19mg cholesterol and 439mg sodium.

You're welcome.

Bad Publicity = Good Publicity

2006-02-21T17:24:00.000-05:00

Ok so I started my 4th book this past weekend: A Million Little Pieces. I'm not sure how many of you follow the news or Oprah, but this book has had tons of publicity, both good and bad in the past year.

Most recently it has been bad publicity. To give you a quick re-cap:

A Million Little Pieces is a Memoir, written by James Frey. At the age of 23 James checks into rehab to try to break his alcohol and crack addiction. Like most memoirs I have read, this book is no easy read. It's actually pretty gruesome and I can almost guarantee you will have to put it down at certain points. Now the controversy comes about when thesmokinggun.com reveals that James actually lied about a bunch of his "recollections".

I don't want to give away anything. I'm sure if you are really interested you will Google it. I was actually interested in this book way before all this controversy came out. Although I am not a strict fan of Oprah's Book Club, it was highly praised by her, and that just fueled my interest.

Although there has been so much bad publicity for James, I am sure it hasn't stopped people from buying his book (i.e ME). In my opinion Bad Publicity=Good Publicity. It gets people talking and gets them wondering. "I don't want to be out of the loop!" So what if James lied? The story is GOOD. It wasn't my life! I would rather read a good book that may have some lies than read a boring one filled with complete honesty. But that's just me.

Readaholics Anonymous

2006-02-20T13:23:00.000-05:00

Hi my name is Kripa and I am a read-a-holic.

Have you ever taken a hobby too far? Sometimes when I set goals for myself I go 'overboard'. But you know, this seems to be a pattern in my life. Set down a bag of m&m's, I eat the whole thing. Give me some cold stone, I just want more! Am I an "a-holic"? Will books be my downfall?

Last year I had this brilliant idea to read 20 books. Gosh darnit - I did it too! This year, I decided to up my intake and increase the challenge to 25 books. There are 12 months in one year. This means I need to read 2.08 books a month! Eeek. [Putting it in mathmatical terms makes it a little more challenging.]

So far I have finished 3 books and just began my 4th book last night. Are these classic signs that I have a problem?

I would rather stay home and finish my book than go out.
I am getting ridiculed by friends:
RajeshPxxx: you're addicted to books
RajeshPxxx: geek
It feels weird to not have a book in my bag at all times.
I look forward to waiting on a line so that I can read my book.
I have read parts of a book during bumper-to-bumper traffic.

What do I do? Do I need a sponser? How do I know if I have 'fallen off the wagon'? Le sigh. I guess the first step is the hardest: Yes I do have a problem.

Handwriting

2006-02-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been friends with someone for a long time but never saw their handwriting? Recently I have begun to notice that I don't ever get to write anything down anymore. Apart from the usual post-it or personal journal entry, it seems that I can usually type anything I need to say. I have never even seen some of my friends handwriting!

I think some people's handwriting is so different from what I expect it to be. Some are messy and some are neat. Take for instance my brother. He seems fairly normal to me, pretty smart as well. But man, when that kid has to write something down it looks like a 5 year old's writing!

My mom for some reason associates smart people with BIG handwriting - clear and neat. But every smart kid that I knew in high school always wrote really small.

There is actually a science out there for handwriting analysis. It's used in court rooms daily to decipher what type of person they are. Are you interested in finding out what your handwriting says about you? How about bored? Here try this: I love Kripsie

Marriage Dating Advice - Part 2

2006-02-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Last night I got some of the worst dating advice possible. Although this wasn't from a married or 'in-a-relationship' friend, it was just as bad. Let's call him "Red Sweater Guy" (RSG for short). RSG is a coworker of mine. And I use the term coworker in the loosest terms - he really is just a piece of poop that I would like to step on.

So RSG asked me for a ride home last night. We had an interesting conversation:

RSG- "so how come you are like 26 and not married. Aren't your parent's looking for you?"
Kripsie - "um, I don't know. I just haven't found the right person yet."
RGS - "but you're like 26. Aren't you getting old"
Kripsie - "well, I was in a 4 year relationship, so that might explain why I am single now"
RSG - "oh so are you going to get back with that guy?"
Kripsie - "no we broke up"
RSG - "see me, I am leaving it up to my parents. They have the best judgment. They should pick my wife. I tried setting something up for myself, but it didn't work out. So I am just going to have it arranged. It's just the best way"
Kripsie - "oh well I don't think an arranged marriage is for me."
RSG - "well your parents picked your schooling for you, you should trust them to pick your husband."
Kripsie - "actually, I chose what I wanted to do in school. I already have a lot of precautions when it comes to marriage, I don't think I could leave the choice to them."
RSG - "well I'm just telling you, don't wait too long. Because then you are old and no one will want to marry you"
Kripsie - "ok thanks." jerkface.

Repeat: I don't want dating advice!

Office Space

2006-02-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

I got this ping today saying: Hey, Kripa, I can't remember if I said this yesterday but do go ahead and update your escheduling to 3/31 .

Maybe my job IS just like Office Space.

Chemical Imbalance

2006-02-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder why God made men and women so different. If the natural course is for a man and a woman to be together, you would think that they would be more emotionally compatible. I mean, we already are physically compatible - but what about the rest of us?

Women generally tend to be more irrational, emotional, sensitive, affectionate, and giving. Men on the other hand seem to be more rational, succinct, loyal, and straightforward. A lot of these combinations can cause friction and hurt.

Why aren't we better chemically balanced? This is obviously why women get along so well with gay men - they understand how we work. Hot gay men though - that's just a tease.

Marriage Dating Advice

2006-02-15T09:08:00.001-05:00

When you are single it seems that everyone married or dating has the best advice to give you. And when I say best I really mean horrible. If you have been with your "other" since college or since the beginning of puberty, you really have no idea what it is like to be single. Here's some advice I advise YOU to stop giving:

Maybe you should go on a singles cruise or join a hobby
You probably shouldn't wait too long to find someone
Blind dates can be fun!
You're time will come
Have you tried online dating?
Maybe a bar isn't the best place to look for guys

Ok let me clarify something. It's not that I am opposed to these statements of truth. It's just that I don't want to hear them from you.

Don't take that personally. I couldn't be happier for you and all of your current or soon-to-be wedding gifts. You just shouldn't give the rest of us advice. Listen, laugh, cry with us, tell us how wonderful we are and how no man/woman is good enough for us. That's it!!

Leave the advice for us single types to give each other. At least this way we can try and fail at them together.

Car Wash

2006-02-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a pretty gi-normous snow storm. Although some Counties didn't get hit as hard, in good ol' Berkeley Heights, NJ we got about 18 inches of snow. That's a whole lot of powder. I actually drove from NJ to Philadelphia on Monday morning, with the rest of the commuting world. The roads in some towns sucked. Oh they sucked bad. It actually took me an extra hour to go the 73 miles. When I finally parked my car in my garage on Monday night, I saw how unbelievably dirty the car looked.

Ever wonder how long you should wait after a storm to wash your car? Me either. But my car is gross. It looks horrible. I thought - "why wash my car now? There is still so much crap on the roads, it'll just keep returning". Apparently I am very mistaken.

You see....

pushes up nerd glasses

Rain and snow collect pollutants in the air and drop them as acid rain - which can damage the cars protective finish. Snow also carries with it the corrosive road salt. This salt can deteriorate any wax protection that your car has.

Because of these facts it is actually very important to wash your car immediately after a snow storm. If the residue is left on too long, any protection that my car had may be lost and susceptible to further damage.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by Krapa.

V Day

2006-02-14T17:21:00.000-05:00

So what's the deal with Valentines Day? Why oh why do we need this day? Little girls feel lonely if they don't have a valentine and grown women feel dejected if they don't recieve anything from their better half.

I honestly can't remember the last time I celebrated Valentines Day. I'm sure that doesn't say much about my love life, but heck, I can deal with it. This year was no different from the rest. I woke up, got ready for work, got to work, sucked it up at work, and now going to go home. Depressed? Heck no! I got a card and phone call from my mom and Aunt saying they loved me. I'm good. I don't need some day in the middle of February for people to tell me they like me. That's what my birthday is for!!!

Captain Obvious

2006-02-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

I hate it when people point out the obvious to me. There are millions of people in this world, do you really think you were the first to say that? Here are some of my favorites:
" wow you're short " (note: i hate the word short)
" man you get drunk easily "
" is that really your last name? "
" you were born in india? wow you don't have an accent"

*****
Yes I know I am small. You know what you should do - ask me how tall I am...and then, when I tell you how tall I am, ask me if I'm sure. That's not aggravating, it's actually a fun topic I like to have.

So we know I'm small. You see me standing in front of you. Granted I have a couple pounds I could loose, but you see that I am fairly "skinny". So why does it surprise you when I have a couple beers and may seem a little intoxicated? Do you really need to remind me "wow you're such a lightweight". Wouldn't you rather I be a lightweight? I dunno, drinking 10 beers at my weight and not being drunk may signal some sort of problem.

No this isn't my last name. I just put a couple of letters together and thought it sounded cool. I also wanted to make it really long so that my life could be easier. Once someone asked me if I knew how to say my last name. Nope. Never learned! Can you believe that?! You know, a certain California Governor actually has a pretty complicated last name. Maybe you should ask him if he knows how to say it.

Pretty surprising that I don't have the same accent from when I was born. Ever think that maybe I moved when I was little? Pretty crazy that people's accents can change. I never knew that people grow and develop when they are younger.

Grammys

2006-02-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

Remind me not to become famous and agree to perform at the Grammys.

Kripa

2006-02-09T10:56:00.000-05:00

I understand that I don't have the easiest name in the world...but I honestly don't think it's that hard. I have gotten used to the fact that people don't get my name the first time around. I don't mind repeating, heck I'll even spell it out for you! A little annoying, but it's worth the extra effort to me.

Another annoying fact though is that sometimes it's INDIAN people themselves that don't know how to say or spell it! Did I mention it was annoying? Not sure if I did, because it sure is annoying!

Take for instance my ex-boyfriend's mom. She was Indian...she was familiar with Indian names. But every time I got a card from her (maybe I only got one card) she just happened to spell my name KRUPA. Why? She knew how to say my name! Does K-R-I-P-A sound like KRUPA? ok maybe it does but still!

My dad and mom try to defend the mistake by giving the background to my name [the origin of my name is a sanskrit word meaning "mercy" or "grace" (pretty cool - i know) but when you spell it in sanskrit the KRI sounds very much like KRU. follow? yea me either]

I thought maybe this was just an isolated incident and that his mom was crazy (she really was) but it happened again! I attend a religious class every week and the Auntie that runs the class is one of my favorite people. Although every time I say my name properly - Kripa - she still repeats it back to me - Krupa. Ughs.

The thing that got me this week was this Indian man at work. He got the difference between Krupa and Kripa - but he thinks my name is KIRPA. Don't be confused, thats K I R P A. He even tries to spell my email with Kirpa. AH!

I like my name. I think it's pretty and unique and not that difficult to understand. Granted American's butcher my name in worse ways (Krapa, Krida) but that's almost expected of them. Indians though? Unacceptable!

Corporate Life

2006-02-08T09:43:00.000-05:00

After being in the work-field for almost 3 years, I have noticed a lot of things about major corporations. They have no clue how to work efficiently! NO CLUE! It's a little scary almost how there are 1000's of employees in a firm, but it is usually around 200 people that do all the work. So that means on average, 800 employees jobs are a) pointless b) useless c) not done properly.

Many people have compared my job to Office Space. "You are one of the Bobs!" - they have said. Actually, not really. I have never gone to work and talked to people about what they do and whether or not we need their job. Granted I have thought about it many many times, but NO - my company nor do I, have that kind of authority. I am not "one of the Bobs".

I am however (in my opinion) one of the key components of making a major cable corporation* work. As I sit through my conference calls today, I really wonder how these big companies work. It seems that about 3 people really know whats going on, and if they had the time, they would complete their tasks - on time and correctly! But instead, we have what we call a lack of resources.

This phrase comes up time and time again! Why not hire more people? And when I say people, I don't mean just able bodies that can speak but ones that can actually think, that can actually solve a problem, that actually give a damn! Unemployment rates? What's that? We need workers! How can so many people be unemployed when my company is always compaining about lack of resources! I just don't understand.

My friend Geoff once told me that it's all about the bottom line. Those big time execs sit up there commanding the troops and their only concern is this thing called the bottom line. Granted I care about the bottom line too - but when I get a task, I complete it. I don't make excuses, and if it needs a couple more hours of my attention, heck I give it. Is this because I am fresh out of college (well not really)? When do people stop doing this? How come Alpha from Operations can never get my code deployed on time? How come Beta from Lan Ops asks me when they are supposed to complete their environment set up? Why don't they know how to do their own job?

Heck I'm leaving in 15 days....I'll wait for the next big time corp for further investigation on this..

* will not mention any names.

Dane Cook

2006-02-07T14:40:00.000-05:00

I have never been one to watch Comedy Central for its stand-up or go to Comedy Clubs very often. I have been a couple times, but for some reason it's not a big deal to me. I am not familiar with most comedians that are out there either.

I came across Dane Cook when I was in DC. After a long day, we were all eating dinner and watching Saturday Night Live (saturdays, 11:30 pm). This guy Dane was apparently hosting - "who the heck is this guy? what's his name, Dale?" - were the questions on our minds.

When Dane first did his routine, I was honestly taken aback: I was laughing hysterically! This guys stuff was great. The key (in my opinion) to Dane's routine, is that he keeps it simple. Most of the stuff he talks about, we can all picture in our heads. It's easy to relate to and funny as heck.

I like Chris Rock's humor a lot of times because it's smart humor - he can put a funny twist to politics and back it up with actual truths. Although (as Bobby pointed out) he does have a lot of racial humor, which can get pretty old. But Dane - he not only is very visual with his stuff, but the shiz is original and he-larious.

I love to make up new words (notice "shiz") and Dane captured my heart the moment he introduced me to "Sangwich" and "Brag-a-docious". I have already repeated part of his routine to some of my friends (I am such a Connector) and got them hooked!

Apparently I am behind the times with the discovery of Dane Cook:
"oh yea, he was on the MTV Video Awards"
"oh yea he has a CD out that did really well"
"oh yea he apparently has thousands of friends"
"he's pretty popular - you sure you just heard of him?!"

oh yea - blah blah I get it! But I'm doing the honorable thing now and spreading the word! Check him out!!! I guarantee a good time.

Indian Dating

2006-02-06T14:56:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about dating. I'm in my mid 20's (as I have mentioned before) and the main focus of my life right now is when I am going to get married. Most of you may think that I am still young...I shouldn't worry about things like this! Well duh - those are true. But, I come from a land where brides are young and a wedding is the pivitol point of a womans life. A little sad, but true. My parent's don't mean to be anxious and put pressure on me; it's just what they know how to do. Their last responsibility to me is to get me married and on my merry way. Tra-la-la.

If I was brought up in India, chances are I would either be married or engaged at this juncture in my life - But I wasn't.

Let's talk about arranged marriages for the twentieth century though. Nowadays its not the typical "boy and girl are chosen by parents to marry" but more the "i have a son/daughter that you should meet". Our parents are now setting up our dates! They are taking an active role in my love life! And granted if an Indian boy is something I see myself marrying, then maybe my parent's little black book wouldn't be so bad to tap into. I mean, they know a LOT of people - a lot of good people.

Our parents generally tend to meet their friends in respectable places - temple, another auntie's house, friends of family, etc. An improvement maybe on the fact that I have met a handful of my friends at bars and or drunken college days? This new Arranged Marriage v.2.0.0.6 is not horrible. Granted it has its drawbacks, but overall I know all of our parents mean well. They want to feel that the family and the groom/bride are good people and will make their child ultimately happy. So mom, you can keep finding new boys you want me to meet. If it doesn't work out, at least I will have something new to blog on!