7 Quick Thursday Takes

So, okay, I usually do 7 Takes on Tuesday (because I'm an alliteration addict) but this has been an odd week, mainly due to events at work that are far too boring to even bother getting into. 

So onto the seven:

1. I have to do some in-class presentations next week and absolutely LOVE that the presentations are now narrated wmv files instead of Powerpoint slides that I have to narrate.  Basically, I get to go into the class, hit play, and smile.  I don't mind giving presentations (I do it all the time, plus I teach) but these tend to be a bit dry and happen either first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, so it's nice to have it be a passive activity.  (I'm lazy, whatever.)

2. Last night the hubby, his brother, and I had dinner at Bobby's Burger Palace, Bobby Flay's sort-of-fast-food restaurant.  It was super, super good.  The burger I had isn't on the menu because it's the monthly special: the Mulberry Street Burger, which will sound familiar to you if you watch The Next Food Network Star because it was the winning burger in a recent challenge.  It has mozzarella and basil on it (and other stuff I forget).  It was sooooo very yummy.

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the film) comes out next week but IMAX doesn't have it scheduled until July 29th.  WHAT???  I think I might actually go see it in the local (non-IMAX) theater this weekend and then go see it again when the IMAX one is out - because I am that obsessed.  (Did I mention my grad thesis was on Harry Potter?  Yeah.  It's a way of life.)

4. I have another internet idol (idol #1 being Rebecca Woolf of Girl's Gone Child, of course).  I love Slices of Life because it is exactly what it promises - a slice of this woman's life.  Every day she posts a picture of what she's wearing, where the pieces are from, what she has packed for lunch, and what the plan for dinner is.   For many of us, I believe that really is one of the largest "slices" of our life.  Sure, based on feelings, our spouses and children and families and friends are far more important, but life is just as much about the daily in-and-out details and sometimes making those wardrobe and food decisions are just as taxing and annoying as an overwrought conversation.  I love the idea and wish I thought of it first so I could make a "Slice of Life" page on this blog.  Darn.  I never have the good ideas first.

5. I hate when people thank me for speedy email replies when it took me more than an hour to respond.  Why are there still such low expectations for email?  Are you really amazed that you emailed me yesterday at 3pm and I responded at 10am today?  I actually felt bad about how long it took me to reply.

6. I never mentioned visiting my best friend's new daughter, Madison.

Her dad, Mike, has been one of my best friends since I was 20 (so almost 14 years now, crazy to think about) and was my "Man of Honor" at my wedding.  When I got to their house, he was out walking the dog so I hugged his wife (who is also my good friend, of course) and squee'd over Madison.  When he walked in the house, though, I burst into tears and said, "Damn.  I knew I was going to cry when I saw you."  It was just so emotionally moving to see this friend I grew up with (because, really, we grow up in our 20s) as a father now.  It was so wonderful and I can't wait to be a part of Madison's life as she grows up.

7. I want to write a book.  Is that crazy to think I can do that between my two jobs, grad school, housework, and future family raising responsibilities?  Probably - but I still want to do it.

I have off on Fridays for the summer, so today is my Thursday-pseudo-Friday.  Hurrah!  What's better than a few extra minutes of shut-eye on a Friday morning?

Is this really who we are?

1. Today, on the way to work, I passed a school bus that had a hanging tag in the back window saying that the bus had been checked for sleeping children. Seriously?  We need to proclaim that we did this?  Don't all bus drivers check their bus before getting off or driving somewhere?

2. At 2:26am I received a text message that my best friend's wife's water broke.  I've finally come to terms with the fact that most of my friends are/are getting married (including the fact that I'm married).  Now we're becoming parents?  I have plenty of acquaintances and pseudo-friends who are parents, but no one as close to me as this person - and now he's going to be a dad.  I cried on the way to work today, just thinking about it (tears of joy). They live out of state, but I'm going to be in their area tomorrow and Saturday so I'm hoping she has the baby before I head back home so I can meet the little gal.

3. My job allows no casual wear, ever.  No Casual Fridays, etc.  But today is a half-day and the last day before a full three-day weekend (a total rarity here), so I'm wearing jeans.  So there, take that. I'm a rebel, that's who I really am.  (Okay, really, I'm really not.  But sometimes I wear the pants.)

7 Tuesday Takes - floor wax huffing edition

1. It's break week at work (the week between quarters) so they decided to wash and wax the floors.  Great - except that floor is right under my nose and my office doesn't have a window.  Basically, my job forced me to huff floor wax today.  This made for a fun day.

2. After the wax dried, I decided I'd take an hour out for "lunch" - just to go somewhere and breath regular air.  On my way to my car, I stepped on a stick that scratched the hell out of the top of my foot, drawing blood.  Owie (still hurts).

3. Ended up at DSW and tried on some spectacular shoes, but didn't buy anything due to brokeness.  I hate window shopping and am never able to accomplish this, but today I was high on floor wax.

4. We had a massive thunder and lightening storm this afternoon.  So serious that the power went out at work three times.  THREE TIMES.  It would blink off just long enough for us to lose whatever we were working on and then it would come back on.  Then the lights would flicker every 20 seconds, just to have fun with us.  I think the lights were huffing floor wax, too.  However, we soldiered on.  Who cares if I can't accomplish any work or see straight?

5. For dinner, I planned to make falafel and rice and lentil patties.  The patties failed, big time - couldn't even get them into patty shapes.  It was the first time I attempted this recipe, but I rarely have one fail like this.  The falafel turned out great, but I kept burning my fingers on the pan and dipping them in the oil.  Again, I blame the floor wax.

6. My landlord called just in time to tell us that he had the roof patched so it should no longer leak in our closet.  Good thing considering I just moved a bunch of stuff in there.

7. Tomorrow I work at another window-less location, but it has carpeting.  Maybe they'll be using some of that carpet sprinkle stuff.

The Debt That Dare Not Speak Its Name

My brother recently posted a link on his Facebook page to the FinAid - The SmartStudent Guide to Financial Aid - calculator, which allows students to calculate what their student loan monthly payments will be and what sort of salary they should have so that their student loan debt isn't a burden. Oh, goody!  I was just dying to know what I should be earning so that these student loan payments aren't a burden.  They have been feeling a bit heavy lately, you know?  This way I can find out what sort of raise I should ask for at my next annual review.

"It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $128,320.80 to be able to afford to repay this loan."

Oh good - it's a totally reasonable amount.  Phew.  I was worried I'd have to ask for something obscene. /sarcasm *headdesk* My monthly loan payment is less than a hundred dollars short of my monthly rent.  Basically, we could be saving up for a house if I didn't have these loans.  We could be doing a zillion things if I didn't have these loans.

In order to battle the heart-stopping depression that my loan figures induce, I try to think about all the good things my university degrees have and can provide, like... um... oh, jobs!  Yes, I have two jobs thanks to my degrees!  Well, except that it's the amount of student loans I have that make it an utter necessity for me to maintain two jobs so that I can make my monthly loan payments. I will say, though, that I feel lucky to enjoy a lot of what my jobs entail, especially the teaching and tutoring aspects.  It would be a whole lot worse if I had these degrees and then had to work in a field or department I couldn't feel good about.  So at least there's that.

But this debt is a crushing burden and an issue far more complicated than "it's all my fault" or "it's the fault of the current US education system/government policies."  There's a lot that goes into amassing debt like this.  The only problem is now I'm stuck having to figure out how to maintain these payments while still doing all the things in life I wish to do, like have a baby and buy a home. The easiest route would be to just earn more money.  Hopefully my boss will approve my request for a 300% raise.

The end of growing up

Today is my last post for April's NaBloPoMo, the theme of which was "Growing (Up)."  Like January's theme (change), I feel like it's a topic that is naturally occurring in my life and not one I have to really force myself to think about. Today, however, I am taken by how many of the students I come into contact with on a daily basis still have some significant growing up to do. 

The most troubling remarks I heard today were in reference to Rhianna and Chris Brown.  A group of girls was talking about how sad it is that they broke up because they had "a real fairy tale."  Not even considering the missing word "relationship" at the end of that, this was already a problem for me.  I have a real issue with little girls being raised to hope for fairy tales and Prince Charmings. The most troubling part was yet to come, though.  One of them said, "Yeah, and I don't get why it's everyone's business whatever happened between them."  (Never mind the irony that she's violating her own concern by taking part in this conversation.) 

Then the other girl said, "Seriously - cuz, you know, like sometimes a bitch needs a beat-down."

I was aghast.  This is beyond troubling to me.  Here is a group of girls that I feel are fairly representative of a good section of the current Millennial generation (generally those born between 1982-2001, although I see a difference between those born before 1990 and after, generally).  Having just finished Whatever It Takes and now almost being done with The Tipping Point, I really believe that this attitude has seeped into and pervaded the culture and will take a strong, similar force to turn it around.  Because I deal with a lot of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, sometimes I want to believe that it's too late, that we will not be able to turn them around, that we should just give up on them and work on the kids growing up now. But we can't give up; these misguided young adults are going to be working members of our society and we can't allow these attitudes to continue to spread.  I just don't know what to do, frankly.  I hope someone does and I hope that I can help in some way.  I know that, ideally, I should have said something to those girls today.  I didn't, though, because I don't think they would have really heard me; I'm not an authority figure to them.  I'm just the girl who tells them to quiet down all the time. My brain is muddled and troubled about this today.  I know it's going to be on my mind for a while.

Together, we are Nintendo (DS).

Yesterday I had to attend a customer service training session at work (this was to help us better respond to students over the phone and online).  Basically, it involved learning more about our own working personalities and the other possible personalities and the inherent conflicts between them.

I scored pretty much in what they called the grey area, meaning that I do a fairly good job of adapting to whatever type of "customer" I'm dealing with.  The test had four aspects overall: D (Dominance), I (Influence), S (Steadiness), and C (Conscientiousness).  My one aspect that was higher than all the rest (and the only one above the grey line) was D, surprise surprise. 

"D" people like (err, need) to be in control, getting immediate results, accepting challenges, taking authority, managing trouble, and solving problem.  Yes, yes, and yes - sign me up!  Everything the session leader said about "D" folks, I couldn't believe how eerily accurate it was.  She even said that when we are faced with someone who is complaining that they don't enjoy what they have to do or they aren't happy, the "D" response is, "So what?  I don't care if you're happy.  Just DO IT!" which, I hate to admit, are direct words that have come out of my mouth.  But it's true: I don't see what happiness has to do with many tasks; you just DO them because they need to be done.

The group D's find the most annoying are the I's; they are all about making a favorable impression, creating a motivational environment, being entertaining, generating enthusiasm, participating in groups, and viewing people and situations with optimism.  Ugh, shoot me.  It was nice, though, to sit at a table full of "Ds" and know that I wasn't alone or weird for finding these traits annoying. The "S" people like consistency, have patience, help others, are loyal, and are good listeners.  This is my husband.  The more she talked about this group and how they deal with the other groups (especially us Ds), the more I understood our home dynamic.  More on that in a second.

The "C" folks are fact people - they like directness, aren't emotional, think analytically, and use a systematic approach to nearly anything.  My husband is probably an Sc (High S, some C).  So, together, we are DS (like my Nintendo DS, the best gift he's ever given me). What got me, really, is the description of the sort of person each group needs in order to be effective.  I (as a D) need others who: weigh pros and cons, calculate risks, use caution, structure a predictable environment, research facts, deliberate before deciding, and recognize the needs of others.  Folks, you have just read an exact description of how my hubby functions in our marriage.  That is exactly a big part of what he brings to the table.  I trust him to do all the research and fact-checking because it's not something I like to be bothered with (a total D trait, apparently). Now, for an S person to be more effective, he needs others who: react quickly to unexpected change, stretch toward the challenges of accepted tasks, become involved in more than one thing, are self-promoting, apply pressure on others, work comfortably in an unpredictable environment, help prioritize work, and are flexible in work procedures.  Now, that is not me exactly, but quite a lot of it is.  I also fit a lot of what the "C" person needs and the hubby meets a lot of "C" qualities, which is what makes me think he's a good bit of both.

This workshop was, again, for work... but for me, it felt like a great marriage counseling session.  I shared all of this with the hubby when he got home from work and we laughed about just how true it all is.  We're going to see if we can find this test for him to take online somewhere so we can get a more accurate reading on where he falls (since I'm really just guessing based on yesterday's seminar).  I think this was such a great, fun, and useful tool.  It's really empowering to learn what traits of yours are not uncommon (i.e. you shouldn't feel bad about them because you're not the only one) but also how to manage those traits in personal and business relationships in order to create a workable environment.

23. Get accepted to and attend/present at a conference.

Today I gave a joint presentation at a tutoring conference.  We were scheduled during the very last of the group sessions, so we feared that we would have low attendance because so many people would have gone home early and not stayed for the last day; however, we had 15 people attend, which is a good number for a small conference (I saw presentations on Monday and Tuesday that had fewer attendees).

Our presentation was about tutoring students online - specifically, students who are taking online classes and so are rarely or never actually on campus.  They do all their work online and, therefore, also need tutoring available online.  One older woman seemed a bit confused by the whole concept.  When she realized that we weren't tutoring online students in person, but actually communicating with them online (golly gosh gee), she said, "Ohhh, so you don't mean real tutoring; this is all online."  Enter my nice plastic smile and overly cheery tone as I responded, "Oh, trust me, it's all quite real; a comma splice is a comma splice online or in person."  She continued to be quite confused throughout the session, but afterwards thanked my boss and me for really helping her understand what we were talking about.  She had the most difficult time understanding how an online discussion board works, so she really was a few steps behind most of the other participants, technologically speaking.

Overall, the presentation was a success and my boss was very happy with how it went.  She wants me to submit it for another conference that takes place in Virginia in October... right when my sister is due to give birth.  Figures.  Watch - we'll be accepted, I'll have to go, and I'll miss yet another niece or nephew's birth because I am out of state (I'm 0/2 so far; this would make me 0/3).  If I'm ever pregnant, I'll probably have my water break at a conference I'm attending.

A pleasant, grown-up dinner conversation

Tonight my boss and I had dinner together at the restaurant in the hotel in which we're staying.  This is our fourth meal together for this trip, so that is a lot of conversation that's been navigated.  Sometimes it's so easy to talk to her that I have to remind myself that she is, indeed, my boss and that there are certain things I need to keep to myself.  Tonight, however, we have a really wonderful conversation as two writing professors, just talking about classroom experiences and techniques, sharing anecdotes and ideas.  It was really enjoyable and truly interesting.  It was personally interesting to see where my ideas on some things lay as compared to hers.  For the most part, we were very in sync about how to approach certain teaching issues and what we think certain professors don't do as well as they should.

I'm not sure I grew up imagining a rapport with a boss being like this.  I think I grew up looking at bosses on television or in comics and seeing them as people you tried to sneak things past, like a parent (and, in fact, many bosses do act as in loco parentis).  Thankfully my parents have had bosses along the way with whom they have had both pleasant and unpleasant relationships.  What it really comes down to is the person, just like any other relationship.  Is this someone you would like to talk to, regardless of your requirement to do so because they hired you?  If so, consider yourself lucky.  I certainly do; I may not always need to share a room with my boss, but I don't even like sharing a room with the hubby sometimes.  I'm just a space hog, so there.  But I do adore a good conversation.

Things I have to deal with today...

Things I have to deal with today that I never envisioned as part of my adult life (especially my 30s)...

1. Sharing a hotel room with my boss.

2. Nodding off and painfully smacking and re-smacking my head on an airplane window.

3. Having to think about every single little tiny expenditure because every bank account is empty and every credit card is nearly maxed or overdue for payment.  Add: worrying about trying to pay for something in front of my boss and having the card denied.

4. Constant spousal employment worries (the hubby's temp job ends this Friday).

5. Wondering if my hotel-room-sharing boss will mind watching two hours of Dancing With the Stars after dinner.

6. Having TSA throw away my facial moisturizer and hair wax because the containers were too big.  I explained that I didn't believe lotion and wax counted as liquids but I was assured that they do.  I want to appeal that definition.

Under a drift? No such luck.

No, alas, I am not actually stuck in the snow somewhere.  Instead, I am at work, after getting up, showering, layering on the work clothes, walking the dog (oh wait, had to shovel my way out the door first), trudging through snow almost too high for the dog, then going back to the apartment, shoveling the walkway and sidewalk, cleaning off my car, and then coming to work so I could... do more work.  Lovely.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE winter.  I'm not really complaining about all of this - I just feel like when it snows this much, we should be allowed to stay home to enjoy it, not be forced to push it all out of the way so we can come to the office and do work that we could have done from home because now I'm in my windowless office (which I share with several people) totally unable to see outside until I leave at 5pm.  That does not make me happy.

Pictures of my nephew do make me happy, though.  My parents and I babysat him on Saturday and he was as cute as ever:

{clapping along with Moose A. Moose}

Go Bronx!

Pop-pop is funny!

Is mommy coming back soon??

That last picture is my absolute favorite.  He can walk across two rooms now and is getting better control of all of the stuff walking requires, so now he can stand on his tip-toes and peer out the window.  I think it's a really adorable picture of him.  I am just so in love with this kid.

The long and tart of it

Well, the tart turned out to be edible, yay!  I would change a few things for next time, though.  I think I need a higher quality lemon and to grind the sugar longer so the tart filling is less granular and smoother instead.  It wasn't the sort of thing you make where after one bite you're like, "MMmmm, oh this is GOOD!" (which is my favorite reaction).  It was good, maybe fair, but definitely not great - needs some work.  My dad and hubby ate up their slices, though, so at least it was good enough to eat.

I found the Oscars to be really enjoyable, but then I even enjoy the so-called "boring" ones.  I don't understand the reviews today saying that the show was even worse than ever.  I don't know what people expect; it's an awards show - it's a bunch of grossly overpaid people congratulating each other on one of the cushiest jobs one can have in our country.  How exciting is that going to be?  (But, ooh, I love the fashion and all the gossip-y-ness of the whole thing.)

My second job begins today.  I teach at a community college and their semester starts late, i.e. today.  I'm always nervous on the first day of any semester, but the first day is so easy - introductions, syllabus review, blah blah blah.  It's the first "real" lesson that's always the scariest... the first day where you ask your best, well-prepared discussion question... and all you hear is silence.  That's the scary moment yet to come.

I love teaching evening students, though - I find them to be so uniquely motivated and driven (not all, of course, but more so than the majority of traditional age, day students I know).  I'm excited to meet the new group I'll be spending four hours a week with until May.

A day of *headdesk*

*Note: "student" represents a number of students crossing my path today.

Student: The printer isn't working.

Me: Okay, what does it say?

Student: Load Tray 2, plain letter.

Me:  Okay?

Student: I don't know what that means.

Me: *headdesk*

~~~

Student: I don't believe that Chris Brown did all the stuff to Rihanna that they're saying he did.  I mean, like, who really bites people?  No one would really bite someone.  And he choked her unconscious?  Then why wasn't she screaming?  If someone choked me unconscious, I'd sure as hell be f'ing screaming.

Me: *headdesk*

~~~

Student: *singing*

Me: *glaring* . . .  to no effect.

~~~

Me: *opens tasty salad for lunch, puts on light Italian dressing, starts eating*

Student: OH MY GOD!  IT SMELLS LIKE ASS IN HERE!

Other students: *poke her and point to my salad*

Me: Or it could smell like my salad.

Student: *says nothing, turns back to computer*

Me: *thinking* "Sure, I accept your apology, thanks."

~~~

Me: Sorry, but we require that you use headphones in here when you listen to music or watch a video on the computer.

Student: *stares at me blankly*

Me: *noticing earbuds* Oh you have earphones on? You might want to turn them down.

Student: You can hear this all the way over there?

Me: Yes, loud and clear, actually.

Student: *rolls eyes, goes back to computer, does not lower volume on earphones*

Me: *tries not to smack student upside head*

~~~

I am earning my paycheck today.  I wish I was home unpacking instead.

Suffering a lack of motivation

I cannot bring myself to do much work today.  As I have stated many times before, I am very grateful to have a job (one that I believe is quite secure) and I really should do all I can to make sure I am the best employee I can be.  Usually I am a very good employee; once someone hires me, I often do quite well and receive many commendations and promotions.  Today is just one of those days where I don't feel like that person, though.  Today is a day where I am just waiting until 5pm comes so I can get in my car and go home.  It doesn't help that tonight my husband and I are going to look at an apartment.  I'm so excited about that and really can't concentrate on much else.

The apartment is in the next town over from where we are now, so that's good.  It's the first floor of a two floor house, has two bedrooms AND has a fenced-in backyard, which is great so we have room for guests and our computers plus a yard for Oreo.  The landlord is a family friend of my sister's and I've known him for years.  He's a great guy and would be an excellent landlord to have.  We would have the first floor; the second floor is occupied by my sister's husband's former sister-in-law (got that?) and her two daughters, all of whom I know and like.  It would be a really ideal situation.  I'm just nervous about being able to afford the first month and security all up front since we had to use over half the money we had saved for that for bills in the past two months.  But I'm hopeful and really excited to see the place tonight.  I love looking at apartments and houses, even if I'm not interested.  I always find it interesting... but this one I have a huge stake in.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!

I <3 NYC

Today I had to go into Manhattan for a meeting for work.  This made me deliriously happy?  Why's that?

1. I love NYC.

2. I love commuting into NYC.

3. I love being in NYC.

4. I had a half day and was home by 1:15pm.

I used to work in NYC and commuted via train every day.  I wish I still did that now.  The train was the best place to read, write, think, and relax.  (Today I took the bus, which I don't enjoy as much, but still enjoy.)  I really hope that eventually I get to commute into NYC again.  The only concern I can think of is when we have kids, it's a lot of traveling and not as easy to get home quickly if need be.  But even then, it's not terrible.  I used to walk out the door at 7:30am and would be at my desk at 8:30am.  I think that's a very reasonable commute considering it involved walking and two trains.  I really miss it a lot, and the amount of reading I used to get done.  I almost read a whole book today!

The meeting in NYC went fine.  The NYC office is waaaay nicer than either of the two locations I work in, so I was quite jealous.  The meeting was cool, very low-key.  Then we went out for lunch - I had a super yummy tomato basil tortellini soup and then saw Chelsea Clinton on the walk back towards the office.  Oh yeah, working in NYC allows you to see some famous people, which is always cool.  I used to see Isaac Mizrahi, Colin Cowie, and John Stewart fairly regularly.  I also saw Lindsey Lohan, Kate Hudson, the cast of Law & Order, and Chris Noth (Mr. Big swoon).

So, yeah, maybe I can work in NYC again one day.  I look for job listings all the time, but it's not really a great time for jobs (as we are all painfully aware).  But I keep hoping... now back to that book I almost finished today.

5 things that make me worry (AKA do you know the three branches of gov't?)

1.  This article from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute  states that most Americans would fail a basic civics test.  In fact, the average score of the pool of test takers was 49%.  The average score for a college educator - not someone who is college EDUCATED but instead someone who TEACHES college - was 55%.  Frightening - no, utterly terrifying.  Yours truly scored an 82%, thank you.  Of course, with a Masters degree, I believe I should have had at least a 90 so I am disappointed in myself but happy to know I didn't fail.  Take the quiz - and if you do, let me know how you do in the comments.  No judgments.  My father outscored me.  No surprise there, but I just hate being beaten at anything.

If that few Americans know how many branches of government there are, no wonder they don't know what powers each branch has, helping the outgoing administration stretch (break?) those boundaries with so little outcry.  The ignorance in this country terrifies me.

2. This article on MSNBC talks about how the current state of the economy will probably cause many people to put off plans to start or grow their family.  This worries me because, once again, I am a statistic.  My husband and I are broker than broke, deeply in debt, earning below our potential, and totally unable to start a family any time soon.  Unfortunately, I am 33 and don't have all the time in the world to wait and become a bit more financially secure.  I know you're never "really" ready (financially or otherwise) but there's "Oh money will be tight" not ready and "We live in my parents' attic because we can't afford our own place" not ready.  We're the latter and so really just not ready but yet without a large window of time ahead of us.  It sucks.  (Some other day I will get to writing about how saying women can have it all is a fallacy.  Something is ALWAYS compromised.)

3. I worry about people who have nothing to talk about other than their jobs.  I find job talk SO remarkably boring unless the job itself is something inherently fascinating to me (i.e. someone works in the same field as me or is an astronaut or something really unique, like a beekeeper or something, lol).  In perusing Wordpress tags yesterday, I noticed that a lot of them are about work/people's jobs.  I understand why this is (we all spend more time at work than anywhere else, probably) but aren't we all far more interesting than that?

4. I am set to proctor a placement exam in 11 minutes.  Five students are scheduled to be here; none have shown up yet.  No one really follows the "arrive 15 minutes early for everything" adage anymore, do they?  (This would also be filed under "things that make me sad".)

5. My wedding photographer emailed me on Friday to say that we'd be getting our pictures this week.  We haven't gotten them yet.  I fear that this is because we appear so weird in all of them that they required massive photoshopping and have thus been delayed.  Alternately, I fear that the pictures are all boring because, as super amazingly awesome as my wedding photographer is, she can't turn a boring event into an exciting-looking one.  (Note: no, I was far from bored at my wedding.  It truly was the best day of my life, as cliche and cheesy as that is.  I just fear that it was the best for us and not everyone else.)  I'm sure that once I receive the pictures this worry will go into the "things that make me look dumb" category as I'm sure they will be fantastic... I hope.