Courtesy Island - Population: Not You

I get very strong feelings about people when I first meet them. They're not always 100% right, but I'll go with 4 times out of 5.

Sometimes when I meet someone that makes my ass twitch right off the bat, I try and talk myself out of it.

"Now, Sara. You're not being fair. Perhaps he's shy or intimidated by his surroundings. You are wearing a red shirt and that can make people uncomfortable. Give him another chance to not be such a tool!"

Generally, I find that if I have to talk myself into liking someone, my instincts were correct.

Let me give you an example.

You are meeting a few friends at a restaurant. It looks like Madge has brought a new acquaintance with her. We'll call her Darlene.

Now, Madge is a fun-loving gal and plays well with others, so you assume that Darlene is the same. Unfortunately, Darlene sits in her chair like a bump on a log, making no effort to converse with the rest of the table and only holding side conversations with Madge.

You try to throw Darlene a bone by attempting to engage her in conversation.

You: So Darlene, where are you from?
D: Here.
Y: Oh, okay. Do you work, go to school or... ?
D: I work.
Y: Great, where do you work?
D: Wal-Mart.
Y: (Of course you do.) That's cool. So, how do you know Madge?
D: From the gym.
Y: Oh, so did you guys order the same thing at the juice bar or something?
D: They don't have a juice bar.
Y: Ah. (Maybe I should give her a chance to say something.)

--- Ten seconds of uninterrupted silence ---

Y: (Fail.) So, have you been to this restaurant before?
D: Yeah.
Y: Do you like it?
D: I guess.
Y: (I've got it! I'm asking too many y/n questions!) What's your favorite restaurant here? Mine is the Greek place downtown. What about you?
D: I don't know.
Y: (What is wrong with you?) Really? No favorite food or dish somewhere?
D: Not really.
Y: Not a big fan of going out to eat, eh?
D: -shrugs- I think people eat out too much.
Y: (Stupid harpy.) Oh yeah? What makes you say that?
D: I don't know. People should just learn how to cook. It's not that hard.
Y: Well, in all fairness, some people don't always have the time or the skills to-
D: I think people are just lazy.
Y: (What are you trying to say, wench?) Interesting.

--Allow another pause for her to redeem herself.... another ten seconds of silence--

...aaaaaand, scene!

I don't want to say that I like everyone or that everyone likes me, but I pride myself, at the very least, in being able to hold up my end of a conversation and put someone else at ease.

I also feel like I can usually (again, my gut feelings are not flawless) tell the difference between someone who is shy, nervous or uncomfortable and someone who is disinterested, rude or just a useless pile of fungus.

Darlene, quite frankly, is a useless piece of fungus.

Have you ever met someone and immediately disliked them? No? Just me?

ABCs (Don't worry, there's only ten)

I was speaking to a fellow blogger yesterday, and we were discussing to whom we like to write. He was telling me he writes to the people he has never met, while I have a tendency to write to those who know me and wish I'd go away.

So, this is a "getting to know me" blog. No, not a "getting to know you" blog. Not everything is about you.

A) First of all, I have big hair. I don't have big hair on purpose, but that's how it grows out of my head. I don't have a lot of choice in the matter. I mention this, because it is sort of a defining characteristic of mine. I got me a whole mess of hair.

B) When I was younger, I used to get compared to several people: Danielle Fishel (Topanga) from Boy Meets World, Daria (I think this had to do with my lack of interest in volleyball during gym), Phoebe from Friends and Jeanine Garofalo. A couple months ago, I was likened to Rene Russo, which I don't see at all, but I ate that up.

C) I like to eat. Now, if you've read almost any of my blogs, this is obvious, but I'm trying to give a thorough introduction. Some of my favorite Lafayette restaurants include Hunter's Pub, Nine Irish Brothers, La Scala, South Street Smokehouse, Scotty's Brewhouse, Basil Thai and Chick-Fil-A (shut up, it still counts).

(In Bloomington, I HIGHLY recommend Mother Bear's Pizza, Runcible Spoon and basically any of the ethnic restaurants downtown that run along 4th Street.)

D) Rarely does a day go by when I don't say or do something stupid. It's like the big hair. I don't have much of a choice in it. The good part is that I usually recognize it when it happens. Usually. Plus, I rather enjoy making an ass out of myself. I figure, it happens so often, I may as well get used to it and learn to take pleasure in it.

E) While I'm generally nonconfrontational and open-minded, I do have a strong opinion or two. For example, Pepe's sucks. I won't eat there and you can't make me. The New York Yankees are the source of all that is wrong and evil in this world, The Fray is one of the worst bands to ever assault my ears and whenever I finish a Steinbeck novel, I hate myself just a little.

F) Though I went to IU and loved it, I harbor no ill will toward Purdue. In fact, as far as I can tell, most IU attendees are pretty passive about the whole rivalry. Now, that could be due to IU's dismal athletic record within the last 10 years, but I think it's just the Bloomington mentality of not getting worked up about much, except maybe a free burrito coupon from Chipotle.

G) Moonstruck and Bull Durham are two of my favorite movies.

H) I do not appreciate people who can dish it out but can't take it. While I often sling out my fair share of sass, I don't like to hurt anyone's feelings and try to be aware of this. However, if you toss all of your piss and vinegar my way and expect me to just take it, think again, punk.

I) Baby talk, mayonnaise and Kathy Griffin make me want to vomit 90% of the time.

J) I prefer a full moon on a clear night to a sunset or (God forbid) a sunrise.

I think that should suffice as an introduction, and I encourage all of you to share some of your thoughts and opinions. I mean, I might delete your comment if I don't like what you say, but feedback is still encouraged!

Where are my big girl pants?

For the last 12 months, my poor parents have put up with quite a bit.




August 2007, I graduated from Indiana University with absolutely no plan of any kind. In October, I found a month-long TEFL course (teaching English as a foreign language) in Denver and decided that would be my new plan. After completing it and receiving my CELTA certificate (I'd be lying if I said I knew what that stands for), I announced that I would be traveling to Poland to begin my new teaching adventures. Perhaps a month later, I changed my mind and announced that I'd be going to China instead! So, in March 2008, I hopped a plane and headed to Qingdao to live with my super-neat friend, Sonya.



After three months of all sorts of tomfoolery in China, I decided it was the wrong time and wrong place to be there (and I was getting kicked out of the country anyway because of visa and Olympic details). So, back to Indiana! I spent the better part of the summer sitting on my parents' couch with my laptop, looking for TEFL jobs in Europe. I was getting close to giving up when one day, a friend from work put me in touch with someone named Kelly. Kelly was an au pair for a Dutch/American family in the Netherlands and was looking for someone to replace her when her time was up in September. After talking to Kelly at length and Skyping with her host mom, I decided I would take over for her as an au pair!



After only a month and a half in Holland, I decided I needed to get the frick out of that house or I'd be a mere shell of a woman in no time at all. For now, let's just say that the differences between this household and my own are infinite. So, I'm still in the Netherlands right now, with 5 days to go before I can get on that blessed plane and return to the magical land of Chick-Fil-A and economic recession and squirrels. Seriously, there are no squirrels here.

Things I will miss from the Netherlands:

1. Mars bars - if anyone can find those in the US, please tell me where!
2. Recycling/Environmental concern
3. Glaring at pedestrians and drivers for even thinking of getting in front of me on my bike
4. Cafes and year-round patio dining
5. Train travel
6. Pancakes, pie and poffertjes (tiny pancakes)
7. The cheese... oh God, the cheese
8. CNN

Things I will not miss from the Netherlands:

1. Crappy weather
2. Dutch "manners" (or lack thereof)
3. The stairs - my room is on the third floor
4. The smoking - everybody smokes here
5. Old people cutting in front of me at the grocery store
6. Grocery store cashiers rolling their eyes at me when I hand them a €50
7. Microwaving my bread when I want a sandwich
8. Sinterklaas and Black Pete (if you're a rather PC person like me, this aint your country)

So, once again, my parents will welcome me back with open arms. And I know the next time I spring another dumbass idea on them (which I will), they won't heave a sigh, groan or even roll their eyes at me... at least not on the outside. They might try to distract me with something shiny, but that's about it. I do think, however, that my next "plan" may lean toward the more mainstream as I'm actually quite tired of living my life in 3 month spurts. As a good friend would say, it's time for me to put on my big girl pants.

I'm coming home, Mama!