Cemiyet (Part 5): The Sassy Miss Briss

I haven't done one of these in awhile! However, I think it's immensely important to showcase brilliant blog friends of mine. Community is everything in life...

(Cemiyet, in case you are scratching your head, is the Turkish word for community).

So, say hello to my lil' friend...

The Sassy Miss Briss

I stole the above picture from Brissa's blog :D

Well, technically she goes by Brissa, but I like to shorten names, because I am lazy.

How do I go about explaining the endearing eccentricites that make up Brissa? Let me start by saying that EVERY TIME I visit this little lady's site, I end up in a very unattrative laughing fit (with snort and all), which can be totally awkward at work.

Brissa sees the world like no other, with some kind of awesome bizarre shades on, and I want a pair. Once you take a glance into her world, you realize that life need not be so serious. This I admire greatly about her. Somehow Briss has the ability to turn the mundane into a brilliant comedy show, while still philosophizing on the deep mysteries of life.

She's a lover of harry potter, strange internet videos, laughter, cute clothes and embracing the odd in life.

This girl is an ass-kickin' genius!

Brissa, don't change your personality for anything...I'm pretty sure they only make one of you, and there is something extremely refreshing about being in the presence of someone totally unique. You. are. smashing.

Love,

Your New Friend Ashley ♥

You can visit Brissa's site here!

Perfectly Acceptable Ashley

It's acceptable:

• To find $40 on the floor of a bar and pick it up, only to feel bad the next day. Then I made the executive decision to put it in the collection plate at church. I can't keep that blood money! Don't laugh at me!

• To stare longingly at the cute boy at your neighborhood cafe. Was I drooling a little? Oops. Eye candy makes me a morning person all of a sudden. Cute Cafe Boy > Coffee.

• to dip a chocolate cookie in icing and proceed to stuff my face with it. I'M NOT APOLOGIZING. I certainly wouldn't apologize for that when I was 4 and I'm not going to do so now. What is it with girls saying crap like "Oh, I shouldn't eat that...it'll go straight to my thighs!" SHUT UP. The only thing making you "fat" and "ugly" is your attitude.

• to go for a sip out of your drink and miscalculate cup-to-mouth distance and totally spill all over your white shirt. YOU WOULD THINK I would have mastered drinking out of grown-up cups after two decades of practice. Nope.
  

My Plan: Preparing to Pack a Creative Punch...KAPOW!

(I added the KAPOW for effect)

devising sneaky plans...

As you may know, I want to really start utilizing the creative energy that lies within me, before it becomes unused, develops gangrene, dies and permanently leaves my body. I'd like to keep my creative limbs, thanks.

Here are the steps I'm taking to become one creative, round-house kickin', dragon-slaying, fantastically artsy girl!

1. Quit Facebook: Yep, I did it...er...for a little while at least. Inspired by a sermon at my church to fast from distractions, I took *now* as the perfect opportunity to take a hiatus from Facebook, the greatest time waster in the history of human existence. I already don't miss it (uh-oh...will I ever sign-on again?). The energy I used to waste away on FB is now being used to create stuff!

2. Create Something Everyday: This may be hard to accomplish every single day. But I'm going to damn well try. Some days are busier than others, but even if it's a blog post or a silly little drawing, I want to really start exercising those creative muscles...ohhhh, they ache from being dormant for so long!

3. Actually Send My Sh*t Out: I will not fall victim to the negative in my head. I've already been writing, re-writing and tweaking articles that I'm going to actually send to local newspapers and magazines. I expect a lot of NOs. But so what? Why not put myself out there more? It could have an awesome outcome!

4. Get Out of the Apartment: Lazing about the uninspiring surroundings of the familiar won't get the juices flowing. Experiencing life out on the streets, yo, is going to do that for me. I expect to be taking trips to the beach, or the cafe, or anywhere...people watching is a great muse! (shhh...I'm also trying to put together a trip to NYC soon, *if* I can swing it...I gots to try!).

5. Stay Away From the Alcohol: I don't want to become one of those artists. But really, I think I've been drinking a little too often, as a de-stresser from the workplace. So how about I substitute alcohol with art?

I was officially sober for this pic. That's the sad part.

Yes, I believe that covers it for now. I'm in the beginning steps of this lil' plan of mine. I hope to one day dance in all my creative splendor (how do you like that corny analogy?!?). Even if no results are produced from such efforts, it's going to be fun! My little heart is beating with excitement over all the possibilities and paths a creative soul can take! Which way to go? Up, down, sideways or diagonal--let's take them all, beezys.

(Insert inspirational saying here, i.e. "The Future Looks Bright!")

Favorite Thing Thursday

1. Having High School Friends Visit

Andy, who goes by Andres now (so mature!), visited last week from Texas. His first response was, "It's so cold here!" ha! That's because Texas is a boiler room! We had a tremendous amount of fun frequenting wine bars and finding the best California Burrito. Next stop for Andy and me will have to be Vegas (we decided).

2. Coffee Addiction

MUST. FEED. THE. ADDICTION. COFFEE ZOMBIE! Aaaarrrrgh!

3. Remembering Aaliyah

When I was 16, I remember thinking Aaliyah was stunningly beautiful and simply fantastic. I'd watch "Are You That Somebody" and "Try Again" on TRL and try to emulate her moves. I even cried when I learned of her death. It's been 10 years (to the very day) since that plane crash and I thought it fitting to include her in my favorite things. 16-year-old Ashley approves.

4. Going to the Adele Concert



This is about the only video I took during the whole Adele concert. I didn't want anything in the way of me soaking in her velvety, gorgeous voice. I've never been so mesmerized by an artist's voice at a concert! If you notice, the audience is pretty silent because everyone just wanted to listen and not ruin the beauty of it. And to top it off, she did a rendition of "Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Rait, which brought me to tears...AND I DON'T CRY IN PUBLIC. Dammit Adele! It was sooooooo damn good.

Removing the Cock-Block to My Creative Soul

...or a more graceful title...

I'm sitting here at my office desk, eating a rice cake with peanut butter, and pondering life, as usual. And what I'm pondering all has to do with this space, and these walls surrounding me, with the generic painting that has been added for a splash of color (I really think it has too much pink in it, I hate pink).

So, I've been at this job for about 3 months now. Of course, I'm still a newbie. But I've been here the sufficient amount of time to ask myself, "Is this what I want for my life? Is this a passion of mine?"

Hmmm.

Helping people is most certainly a passion of mine. As you probably know, I'm a university advisor. So, yes, I help people. The only problem is, universities are often run like businesses now-a-days; therefore, the job is not pure advising. This causes a bit of a dilemma in my soul...

Yes, my soul!

I think this is because I have a very creative soul, and I was most certainly born that way. When I was very young, I would draw non-stop. I remember I had this ravenous hunger to create, create, create. My dad has told me how I would go through a whole ream of paper in a few days, front and back.

What's sad is I don't draw anymore. What has been up with my spirit lately?

I do, however, write. This blog started as a professor's recommendation to "write everyday as practice." I've had this blog for over 6 years now. Obviously, my desire to create has not left me.

So, the next logical step is to ask myself, what am I gonna do about it? Am I going to spend this creative energy only on my blog, or should I push it further? Of course I should. I'll keep the desk job in the meantime (a girl's gotta bring home the bacon), but I'm writing this post as a reminder and a challenge.

I MUST DO MORE. I MUST NOT STIFLE MY CREATIVE SPIRIT.

This includes drafting articles and sending them out. Getting back into drawing (I secretly still love it so). Writing children's books and sending them to publishers (I've always wanted to do this). Getting in touch with greeting card companies for the heck of it (why not be a greeting card freelancer?). Painting, crafting, making random crap, etc. CREATING.

This is all in attempt in getting back in touch with 5-year-old Ashley who knew what was up! She's the one that knows the key to life...that we should only be doing what we love. Nothing could stop me from drawing like a maniac then. What's stopping me from creating now?

So, now that we've removed the cock-block, it's time to make those babies (creatively speaking).

"My business is to create." -- William Blake

Music Challenge, Day 20: A Song That You Listen To When You're Angry

Because, when you're angry, you want to blow shit up.

Naturally.

"So sick of your games/ I'll set your truck to flames/ and watch it blow up, blow up..."

The Challenge so far:

day 01 - your favorite song

day 02 - your least favorite song

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

day 11 - a song from your favorite band

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

day 14 - a song that nobody would expect you to love

day 15 - a song that describes you

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio

day 19 - a song from your favorite album

The One About Almost Lovers

"Everybody knows almost doesn't count..." --Brandy

Almost lovers, crushes, part-time lovers, flings...is there a real name for them anyway? I suppose the lack of a proper name for such a situation reflects the ambiguity of it all. And so it's fitting.

Forgive the following robotic post. If you were looking for something sappy, you're at the wrong blog. Get out now. I'm too logical by nature. So, let's be logical...

The horrible thing about almost lovers is that they don't "almost" hurt you. And they don't just take "part-time" energy. However, there's a philosophical view to this, right? What really gets hurt? Is it your heart? Or your pride?

The funny thing about almost lovers is that it makes you feel incredibly silly and prepubescent. Like you shouldn't be engaging in such behavior, when you know something is not going to work out, but you indulge yourself anyway. It's edging on the side of being insane, no?

The best thing about almost lovers is that they are the easiest to get over. You haven't really shared that much intimacy with them (depending on your situation, I suppose). The only relationship that's been built has been in the construction zone of your mind. So get the wrecking ball out. Crush that seemingly stable wall down. When you do, you'll find that it's made of paper, or sugar, or any other material that is unstable or dissolvable.

And then, you're free.

Ha, I didn't mean to write a guide on How to Get Over That Almost Lover, but it turned out that way. Maybe it was for myself.

I'll end here with a dialogue from Adaptation, which I saw for the first time 2 weeks ago. God, I love these lines:

Charlie: There was this time in high school. I was watching you out the library window. You were talking to Sarah Marsh.
Donald: Oh, God. I was so in love with her.
Charlie: I know. And you were flirting with her. And she was being really sweet to you.
Donald: I remember that.
Charlie: Then, when you walked away, she started making fun of you with Kim Canetti. And it was like they were laughing at me. You didn't know at all. You seemed so happy.
Donald: I knew. I heard them.
Charlie: How come you looked so happy?
Donald: I loved Sarah, Charles. It was mine, that love. I owned it. Even Sarah didn't have the right to take it away. I can love whoever I want.
Charlie: But she thought you were pathetic.
Donald: That was her business, not mine. You are what you love, not what loves you. That's what I decided a long time ago.

I suppose a lot of things in life are about learning how to regain the power.

The Anti-List

I absolutely loved this idea from Molly, so I had to post on it.

"The Anti-List" is a list one makes of things he or she has bravely (or not so bravely) tried and decided THEY DON'T LIKE.

As Molly puts it, it's about embracing who you are and who you aren't. So, without anymore unnecessary rambling, my anti-list:

• Sushi: Everyone and their Uncle Joe tries to get me to like Sushi. At the end of the day, my opinion stands: I DON'T LIKE RAW FISH. You can try to cover it in cream cheese, add hot sauce, seaweed, or any other distractor you'd like. I've tried it all and nothing has worked. If we go to a Sushi place, I'll order the Chicken Teriyaki and a Saporro, thanks.

• Mayonaise: I will only eat this in chicken salad. That's it. It's pretty nasty, otherwise.

• Going on Droppy Amusement Rides: Not sure what else to call them, I just know that I cringe when I see those rides that take you up to the highest of heights, only to drop you. DROPPY RIDES ARE THE DEVIL. I don't like heights! I'll do rollercoasters, but please, stop trying to convince me to go on these god-forsaken rides with you. I find no enjoyment from them, and don't appreciate being called a "sissy-pants" for not attempting.

• Pink (the color): Just because I am a chick, doesn't mean I am obligated to like this annoying and ridiculous color. Please don't assume that I want the pink straw or the pink t-shirt because I am female. Even when I was five years old, I was already savvy to the frivolity of pink. BAN PINK!

• Being Set-Up: No, I do not want to go out with your brother, whom you think 'is perfect' for me. Please stop scouting out men on my behalf. I'm not incapable, I'm just disinterested in going about love in a such a contrived matter. Because I relate to Jason Mraz when he says,"When I fall in love/I'll take my time/there's no need to hurry when I'm making up my mind." I'll never be able to rush or force these things. Love is already complicated enough, shouldn't it happen naturally?

• House Music: No. Just No. It's far too repetitive and annoying to stand much of that crap.

• Pity Parties: get. over. it. I don't indulge in this dramatic behavior. Mourning is ok, but then you need to get out of the funk, sister (or brother)! Don't hold on to what wasn't meant to be.

What are you anti?

Simon, you're such a drama queen.

Work has been busy. Which has been good, because sometimes I need a distraction from my own thoughts.

I've been downloading too many Simon and Garfunkel songs of late. Their overdramatic lyrics make me feel a little less crazy. Until I shed a few tears. When was the last time I cried anyway? It was probably long overdue...strong girls are allowed to cry, too.

Sometimes I'm too open on this blog. Sometimes I am secretive. This is an example of the latter.

I just gotta write it out, without having to explain all the Ws. Cause all the leaves that are green turn to brown, eventually.

Thanks, S & G.

I'm annoyed today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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My keyboard hates me right now.

At least Smokey helps calm me down (refer to post below).

I'm also listening to Simon and Garfunkel and Kenny Loggins for good measure. Ahhh, calming down with each sappy song...

Music Challenge, Day 19: A Song From Your Favorite Album

If I had a favorite album, it would probably be Greatest Hits of Motown, or something to that effect.

I've already covered Marvin enough on this music challenge, so I give you my next favorite Motown artist.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Smokey. You do it to me well. And it's all because you get that a little tenderness goes a long way. They really don't make music like this anymore, and how many times do I have to mention that? I sound like a crotchety old woman. Listen chillins! This is that good sound in your ear!

The Challenge so far:

day 01 - your favorite song

day 02 - your least favorite song

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

day 11 - a song from your favorite band

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

day 14 - a song that nobody would expect you to love

day 15 - a song that describes you

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio