Blog

So, a few things…

1. I love half-price sushi date nights with my Ohio BFF Allyson.

Love.

They are good for my soul, my well-being, and my snark.

Allyson is an excellent friend for many reasons.

Too numerous to name.

But here are a few.

She’s from Texas. She is an actress and theatre artist. She loves Jeni’s ice cream and margaritas as much as I do. She likes trying new things and going on grand adventures. She has a ridiculous bank full of hilarious stories from her past and present that is absolutely unending. She has an open heart. She is a good friend. And she is strong, vibrant, and fearlessly in hot pursuit of her dreams.

And she is teaching me to be a shameless self-advocate for myself.

You see, I’m not always very good at standing up for myself. I’m not always very good at voicing my needs, or speaking up confidently for the things I want, or being clear about things I don’t like. I can think of times in the past when I have spoken up, but more often than not, I’m fairly non-confrontational, which is fine sometimes. But sometimes it isn’t – like when it comes to boldly advocating for myself and my career by saying “I want this and I’m going to make it happen” or “I am right for this job.” These are things I can afford not to be shy about.

But whenever we hang out and spend hours talking and talking and talking, I always leave thinking “Yes, I CAN do this and I WILL go after what I want because, dammit, I deserve it!”

It’s awesome.

2. Allyson shared with me a great story about Mexican Food and Ohioans that only fellow Texans will get.

It completely made my day. Seriously, I laughed, and I cried and I sympathized.

So I’m sharing her story here.

Ohio has this really bad habit of screwing up Mexican food.

They use salsa on enchiladas and call it enchilada sauce (it’s not), they pour fake nacho cheese or Velveeta into a bowl and call it queso (it’s not), they routinely mislabel tacos as quesadillas on menus (they’re not), and don’t know a chalupa from a soft taco (monumental difference!).

It’s obnoxious and heartbreaking.

Nothing bothers me more than Ohio’d Mexican food when I’m on the prowl for the real deal.

So Allyson was at this work conference today and there was a Mexican buffet. A group of ladies ahead of her stood hovering over a steaming tray of enchiladas, debating about what they were. Allyson told them they were enchiladas, because, well, they obviously were enchiladas. The women were not convinced and told her that they looked good, but that they didn’t think they were enchiladas.

Of course they were enchiladas.

Then Allyson watched in horror as they decided to try the “not enchiladas.”

They poked at them.

Then to add salt to the wound, they scooped them out of the pan in chunks like a casserole, cutting them horizontally instead of taking one whole enchilada roll and putting in on their plate.

GAH! They destroyed them. A perfectly good enchilada!

Total sacrilege.

As a Texan, you can see why she was utterly horrified and why I was, in turn, also utterly horrified by this.

We both thew our arms in the air and screamed together on the outdoor patio of the sushi restaurant in outrage.

Sometimes Ohioans are just too much.

3. I am in love with the blue and citron color combination right now.

As in, I would love to have a bit of spare cash to add these bright, fun, and comfy pieces to my wardrobe for summer!

And then to fix my Buick’s check engine light, replace the Buick’s shocks, and beef up our savings account while I continue to work four jobs for a minimal to non-existent salary.

But first, the goods.

I know, they’re bright.

I get it.

But I sort of really love them together.

Thoughts?