All my friends say that of course it's gonna get better

After a particularly toxic day at work, I have complainer's remorse. Though i would like to blame part of this on the job and environment in which I work... upon reading a friend's blog, I decided I needed a little attitutde of gratitude refresher... here goes

I am grateful for

Spring
Warm Weather
good friends

a clean house
a boyfriend who tells me I'm gorgeous
freckles
Institute (I know, don't die from shock, I actually go sometimes ;)
Ice Cream

Internet
My breakast bagel sandwiches



hard workouts
Grey's Anatomy (especially this season)
....

and...

this video

You wear nothing but you wear it so well

So in all my years spent in a swimsuit (interpret... A LOT), I've concluded that it is an amazing swimsuit when it can leave you feeling confident and hot despite your lack of clothing. Unfortunately, this is not true of all suits (see triangle top bikinis), and thus begins my quest for the perfect suit each spring. I love swimming, I love the pool and even more than that I love the beach (despite my absence in recent years). Though in more recent years, I have been easily converted to the convenience of the two piece swimsuits and flattering tankini's, I stumbled upon this suit.



I like it. A lot.

I don't like it's price.

Question: How much is too much for a swimsuit? How much would you pay for this suit? How much would you pay for this suit if you were me (for some of you the fact that I'm still single, child-less, not in school, etc. might affect your answer for me)?

It's a secret no one tells

There's nothing like a drive to clear your mind. No, there's nothing like a drive on a cool spring night with some good music to clear your mind. No wait, there's nothing like a drive on a cool spring night, good music, no speed limit and no stop signs or stop light to really clear your mind.

I love driving and I especially love driving in Germany. That is all.

True, it may seem like a stretch

Sometimes, Cary and I have funny conversations. We have a tendency to go back to the same two arguments on a regular basis.

The first argument being Cary loves dogs and I hate dogs, with both of us trying to win eachother over to the other's side. (It's probably a lost cause, but shhh don't tell him I admitted that).

The second argument being Cary thinks girls are more expensive than boys and I disagree, thus constantly trying to disprove this theory, mostly by proving that he is more expensive than me. Sadly, one point for him, as I recently realized that bathrooms all over europe require change to use them. This is clearly a hateful discrimination against women, since we are the civilized gender who don't feel the need to relieve ourselves anywhere and everywhere just because we can. (Don't try to argue that we can't! See this post.)

Anyhow, I digress. The point of the post being our arguments are entertaining because we are both ridiculous. Allow me to illustrate our most recent discussion...

While talking on skype, Cary states that he likes my brown eyes (which you can't even see on skype), which leads to a discussion of brown vs. blue eyes. He then informs me that blue eyes are actually a genetic mutation that can be linked back to one person? How science has tracked a mutation all the way back before DNA tracking is beyond me (and when questioned, Cary just says "don't question science, carla" (ha ha sarcastically of course, don't go on a rant about him believing everything scientific)). Anyhow all of this leads to a discussion of why we have the eye color we have, how genes are passed to your kids, recessive vs. dominant,... blah blah blah....

>>>enter best part of convo<<<
Carla: Basically blue eyes are hot because they're rare.
Cary: No, they're not.
Carla: Yeah, they are. Just think about it. Asians, Africans, South American's all have brown eyes. Then there's all the caucasians with brown eyes. It's like 90% of the world population has brown eyes! (Of course I totally pulled this number out of thin air, but it sounded good...)
Cary: You totally just made that number up. It is not 90% (followed by the eyeroll.) I'm gonna google it.
Carla: (in my head: ha ha crap he totally called my bluff... why am I such a bad liar?) Fine. Look it up.
Cary: (opens first sight) are you kidding me!
Carla: Wait what!?!?! It says 90%? Ha ha ha ha I was so right. Bahaha that's hilarious. I totally just pulled that number out of thin air. That's right. I can't believe you ever even question me.
Cary: Whatever. You're ridiculous (as he continues looking for contradicting research).

Nevermind that I totally admitted that I lied, I was right none the less, and that my friends is what it's all about!

I'll show you that French joie de vivre!

Parlez vous francais?

Nope, well neither do I, so good thing this review of Paris is in English.

My Paris Top Ten (But in no particular order)

1. The ICE (german TGV) train is awesome. Why wouldn't anyone want to get somewhere twice as fast as other transportation. And it really does look like you're moving faster from within the train. Also, unlike the airport, it's nice to be dropped right at one of the most popular stations in central Paris so you can hop right on the Metro and go where you need to go.



2. The european tradition of Crepes and Nutella. So good! They have special crepe makers (pictured below) which make amazing crepes. The only problem is that nutella has a way of sparking thirst which leads me to my ongoing rant about europe's tyrannical monopoly on our basic needs as humans. I mean what next europe? Oh you're charging me 5 euros to breathe your oxygen... ok, sure, I love to pay ridiculous fees just because I can.



Seriously, it's called a water fountain. How about we invest in some.



3. The Louvre. Ok, it's no secret I'm not much for Art Museum's so why would I go to one of the most famous Art Museums in the world. Well, because that's what you do. Especially if you want to claim you've personally seen the mona lisa.

Apparently I don't care too much about that claim. (I wouldn't wait in line for a direct shot)



This statue was my favorite.



Wanna rub the lucky toe ;) C'mon I know you do.



Ok, feet gross you out. How about the baby toe? Nobody minds baby toes. It's lucky....



4. Le Metropolitain. The metro in paris is easy to use despite the language barrier. True there is kind of a stench, and it's the most crowded metro I've used, but easy none the less. Best part, if you go to the metro station that is by Ikea, it's decorated and decked out with Ikea couches for you to relax while you wait for your ride!





5. Like most undergrounds, subways, metros, there are musicians sharing their talents with weary travelers, and paris has a group of about 15 students/professors called Classique Metropolitain who have a mini orchestra playing in the metro. Their purpose is to spread awareness of classical music to those who may not otherwise be exposed. I must admit they were amazing!

This also got me wondering how I should pitch a reality tv show that's a Metro Battle of the Bands so to speak. We can travel the world finding the most talent in diffferent cities metro stations. It'd be a world wide reality tv show to prove which city has better underground music. We could call it "So you think you make tips?," "Amazing Cover Artist," "The Musician," or "Musician: Paris Underground."

Ha ha, no I'm serious. How do I go about pitching this? I would love to travel and it's like survivor meets amazing race meets so you think you can dance.

6. The famous traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe. The pictures don't do it justice. But it's pretty much a free for all. There are rules to follow, but it would be gracious to call it organized chaos.



7. The Eiffel Tower. It just didn't seem right to come live in europe and not see the eiffel tower. It's huge! It is pretty amazing to see in person. All the guys trying to sell you cheap eiffel tower trinkets get really old though.



8. The ability to walk through Paris. Many of the major sites are extremely close together. It was a gorgeous day and it's a gorgeous city with the walkways lined with trees and old, elaborate buildings all around you. There are parks every mile or so and fountains with ducks. Now if only there were some gelato stands...

9. Champs Elysees.Paris' Magnificient Mile. Upscale shopping, fancy restaurants, and tons of pedestrians. Definitely a must if you are looking for the iconic Paris shopping experience.

10. Cathedral of Notre Dame. You can't help but find yourself singing "God help the outcasts, hungry from birth..." Haha oh how deeply ingrained disney is. Seriously though, the Cathedral is beautiful. I am a little tired of the Cathedrals, but this and Westminster Abbey are my favorites. I just wish the line hadn't been so long to see the Gargoyles :( Oh, well if I ever make it back to Paris that's top on my to-do list.




(this photo wasn't taken by me, next time i'll have my own bonafied gargoyle pictures)

You're faking a smile with the coffee to go

I am not a cry-er.

I am not a very emotional girl. Some may call me heartless, i prefer to think of it as not letting my hormones get the better of me.

I had a meltdown at work tonight.

I hate my job some days. I hate that I had enough horrible tables to lead to a meltdown. I hate that people try to tear down their server over something as simple as food. I hate that after a point I take it personally. I hate that I built up walls to keep in the emotions, and that a fellow server asking me if I was ok (at the end of the night) lead to me losing control of my tear ducts.

I hate that I have no friends here to make me forget this night ever happened.

"Bad Day" -Fuel

Had a bad day again
She said I would not understand
She left a note and said, "I'm sorry I
had a bad day again"

She spilled her coffee, broke her shoelace
Smeared the lipstick on her face
Slammed the door and said, "I'm sorry I
had a bad day again"

And she swears there's nothing wrong
I hear her playing that same old song
She puts me off and puts me on

And had a bad day again
She said I would not understand
Left a note and said, "I'm sorry I
had a bad day again"

I hate everyone

Sometimes this song just captures how I feel that day...

Some stupid chick in the checkout line
Was paying for beer with nickels and dimes
And some old man who clipped coupons
Had argued whenever they wouldn't take one
All I wanted to was buy some cigarettes
But I couldn't take it anymore so I left

I hate everyone (4x)

....edit....

All the people on the street, I hate you all
And the people that I meet, I hate you all
And the people that I know, I hate you all
And the people that I don't, I hate you all
Oh, I hate you all

I bet you think I'm kidding
But I promise you it's true
I hate most everybody
But most of all I hate
Oh, I hate you

All the people on the street, I hate you all
And the people that I meet, I hate you all
And the people that I know, I hate you all
And the people that I don't, I hate you all
And the people in the east, I hate you all
And the people I hate least, I hate you all
And the people in the west, I hate you all
And the people I like best, I hate you all
Oh, I hate you all
-Get, Set, Go

***No, i'm not depressed, or really filled with hate, or even this dramatic... it was just a hard day, one day, so no need for your cheer up comments***

That's just the way it is

Fast food in Germany.

So I was craving a burger. You're all judging me right now, but it's true. And I didn't want some overpriced(yeah, 10-12 bucks everyone) supposedly gourmet burger on base, I just wanted a cheap, fatty yet delicious fast food burger. So after a week and a half, I succumbed and frequented my local off base chain (there is a BK on base, but it closes at 9... don't get me started).

Fast food in germany... equals so much better. As tim once said "It actually looks like the pictures." This makes me wonder, WHY? I mean, these are American Brands. American based restaurants. Doesn't it make more sense for us to be the one's doing it right?

Eh, the truth is though, I'm not willing to trade my dollar menu for quality control... it is just fast food after all.

I used to think life had a plan for me, until I realized life had to be planned by me

I have discovered my new calling in life!

Wait for it, wait for it....

Yeah, you can just feel the excitement building.

I know.

It's gonna be good.

Carla has finally figured out what that elusive "real job" is supposed to be.

ta du ta da!!!!!! Drumroll.....

An Air Force Network radio personality!

What, your face just dropped? Not excitiing? Seriously? You're kidding right? How can you not be as excited as I am?... Ok, let me expound.

Welcome to AFN. There is absolutely no limit to the cheesyness of this network. And why, because they have a captive audience. It is the only english channel for about 80,000 Americans. It posts the news, the exchange rates, military news you can't get on the internet, closings on the base, weather and the military sports teams competitions and outcomes.

Allow me to illustrate some of the segments:

"Soaring through another set of great music, AFN the eagle, serving America's Best" (don't get offended that you're clearly not America's Best because you listen to some other radio station)

"Today there is traffic on the autobahn (seriously?)... The dollar got a little stronger, YAY! It's now .722 to the euro as opposed to yesterdays .721 (yup only a difference when spending thousands of dollars). Also it looks like it might rain today (it rains everyday in Germany). Well that's all for our news, how bout a little nickelback for you..."

They do this bit over then play a single song, and repeat. Yup, the same ridiculous sort of content followed by one, i repeat one song.

Honestly, not only could I do this job. I could do it well. I think I could be infinitely more entertaining, play better music, and have people listen to the station out of desire not just lack of options.

What do you think?
1. Is my ego in need of deflating?
2. Would you host an opposing radio station, in the spirit of capitalism?
3. Would you be a guest on my radio show?
4. Would you veto Nickelback from the radio if you were a dj?


**Complete side note: The title lead me to discover that realize and realise are the same word, only American's use z and other english speaking countries use s. It's very similar to color v. colour. Fascinating, eh? What can I say, we Americans like to be different.**