Dear World: A little less conversation...

Dear Person Who Will Remain Unnamed/People of the World who don't LISTEN:

I have noticed recently that when I try to have a conversation with you, it's a little one-sided. It's not that I don't want to hear all the brilliant things you have to say (cough cough), but it's nice if the conversation goes more like a tennis game, instead of a basketball game where you hog the ball the whole time.

When we talk, I mean, YOU talk to me, it goes a little like this:

YOU: blah, blah, I'm saying really important things, blah, blah, blah (pauses briefly to take a breath)
Me: (jumps in during precious few milliseconds of silence): {proceeds to add something insightful and intelligent to topic of conversation}
Other person: ......
Me: .... (waiting for acknowledgement of my participation in conversation)
Other person: .... Um, yeah, anyways... blah, blah, blah, I'm saying really important things, blah, blah, blah.
Me: (thouroughly annoyed and seriously peeved for the rest of conversation, and probably ends/will end conversation early due to lack of respect for my AMAZING contribution)

It's like I didn't even say anything at all.

Can you just listen every once in a while, PLEASE? And not just to me... to everyone else I know you probably do this to, as well. Otherwise, I might have to delete your number from my phone. And your friendship from my life.

XOXO,

Tracie

Under Construction b/c I can't make up my mind

Site currently under construction... be back soon!! (If you really miss me that much, go see my new running blog: http://thisissupposedtobefun.blogspot.com/ )

Yahoo! Answers is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Brittney West told me the other week that Yahoo! Answers is a really cool website and I should get on and ask any question I want, and it will be answered, and that answering questions is even more fun than asking. And I was like, Britt, it sounds cool, but it can't be as cool as you're making it out to be.

I was wrong.

Thousands of questions are being asked by people all over the world, by the hour. As a member of Yahoo! Answers, I get to answer any question I want.

The questions are broken down into categories. I spend all my time in the Health-Diet & Fitness section. I can't describe the elation I feel each time I answer a question related to diet or fitness, off the top of my head, thanks to the many many books I have read on this subject the past months. So far today, I've answered 18 questions.

This is it. I've found my calling. No need to spout off to friends, family, or my BLOG anymore about what to eat, how to exercise. I can answer questions by the MINUTE on what to eat, how to exercise, what constitutes one as an anorexic, and my favorite so far, "Should I stop eating artificial sweeteners?" (I've already blogged about this). I literally feel joy in my soul right now because I have an outlet for all my now-useful nutritional and excercise information.

Ask ANY question you want, and it will get answered. It made Time.Com's 50 Best Websites of 2008 list.

Note To Self and Others: Can You Stop Being Flaky? Please?

flake [fleyk]: adj.

1. to lower (a fore-and-aft sail) so as to drape the sail equally on both sides over its boom.
2. to fall asleep; take a nap.
3. to never return a phone call even if it is urgent
4. to make promises over and over again one cannot keep


If all you need to do to save someone's life is to make one phone call, don't you think you can take 5 little minutes out of your day to make the phone call? Instead of promising and promising to make the phone call, can you just DO it? Can't we all actually do what we say we're going to do instead of making false promises to please people and to avoid confrontation?

I am extremely fed-up with the fickle world. Many would probably laugh at me right now, because I used to be the Queen of Flaky-Triple-Booked-Can't-Say-No-To-Anyone. But now that my whole summer is in the hands of the most flaky and flighty person in the world, my eyes have been opened to my erroneous ways. Now I must make apologies to those who I've been flaky to recently to forever purge myself of this hideous habit:

Drew- I thought I mailed your card, but it fell between the seats in the car!! Going out in the mail TODAY! Love you, Miss you!! We'll get the Wii set up next week so you can beat me in boxing :)

Banana Republic: I'm sorry, 8-10 hours a week wasn't enough. I've moved on to a 40 hour work week. But sorry I never called to tell you.

Mom: I WILL clean today! Kitchen, bathroom, family room, everything.

Carol: I really WILL never take anymore shoes/ANYTHING from you without asking!

I promise from here on out to call when I say I'm going to call, send letters when I say I'm going to send letters, clean when I say I'm going to clean, not borrow Carol's shoes without asking again, and properly quit from a 1 1/2 month stint at a clothing store.

To the person who holds my future summer job in her hands: CALL RED CROSS TODAY AND GET ME MY LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FILE TWO YEARS AGO!!!!

Is it really that hard? Is it really THAT hard to do what we say we are going to do?

Live a little and actually DO what you SAY. I need to start on my summer tan ASAP.

I BELIEVE

I believe in:

1. "Going Green"
2. Not eating fast food. Or red meat. Or pork. Or partially hydrogenated oils, except when it's in Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
3. Wearing red nail polish.
4. Therapy.
5. Facials and Massages.
6. Dancing With the Stars/American Idol/America's Next Top Model.
7. Wearing cute shoes even when they hurt.
8. Looking pretty for no one but myself.
9. Reading and expanding my knowledge daily.
10. Watching the news so I know what is happening in the world (Unlike Tawnie, who, bless her heart, found out about the writer's strike that started in November, in February, from me during a phone convo, when she asked why The Office didn't have any new episodes and she would faithfully turn on the TV every Thursday from December-Feb., hoping for a new episode).
11. My religion.
12. Owning a Storm Red Metallic Mercedes CLK350 Cabriolet
13. Volunteering for those less fortunate so I can stop being so self-involved and realize there are people who have more problems than I do.
14. Actually volunteering and not just saying "I volunteer". (EX: I just signed up to be a patient companion for Hospice).
15. Getting my chocolate fix. And homemade Cream Puff fix.
16. The Little Mermaid.
17. Saving money.
18. Spending money.
19. MY BEST FRIEND: Annie, our Australian Terrier
20. Running on the bluffs in Bakersfield.
21. THE BEACH.
22. Having a fantastic broadcasting career.
23. "Me" time.
24. Good friends who get you through the day: Tawnie, Diane, Brooke, Britt, Monica, Jocelyn.
25. Cleaning to relax.
26. MY I-POD (and i-Tunes... and fantastic playlists with fantastic names)
27. Fiber-One Cereal with a little bit of Honey Nut Cheerios. Mmmmmmm.
28. Victoria's Secret and Banana Republic, but only because I work there and get amazing discounts.
29. JOHN LEGEND.
30. Salsa Dancing.
31. Making goals, writing them down, posting them on the wall to read every day.
32. Day-planners.
33. Gold jewelry.
34. Contemplating becoming a minimalist.
35. Making lists.
36. YOGA. In the morning right when I wake up and at night before I go to sleep.
37. Keeping a journal.
38. New York City life.
39. Never looking back.
40. Learning from my mistakes.
41. Gardening (weed whacking is my fav.)
42. Attempting to cut back on TV but not quite doing it because right as Dancing with the Stars ends, So You Think You Can Dance? starts.
43. The LAKERS. NEVER THE JAZZ. I hate them. I do not believe in them and never will. EVER. The only reason I KIND of liked them before was because they had Derek Fisher, who has since returned to the best team ever.
44. Sports Center (ESPN... I've WORKED for ESPN before. So I can say it ["I believe in Sports Center"] and mean it).
45. Eating sushi once a week. At least.
46. Keeping in touch with friends and family.
47. Singing in the car.
48. Late night phone conversations.
49. Living where I want to when I grow up (living on the Mountaingate Country Club in Los Angeles, CA, plus owning a condo in Newport Beach, even though there if there was a huge tsunami it would destroy my home and probably me. Maybe I should invest in a Helicopter?)
50. Reading political memoirs.