I don’t wanna grown up, I’m a Toys’R’Us kid…

Maybe we never really grow up, but we just get better at being lame. Think about it. Being an adult definitely has its perks: work (if you like your job), alcohol, pretty clothes and shoes, driving, parties, ice cream for breakfast, cereal for dinner, sleepovers with whatever friends you want. But is also has its suck-fest qualities: work (if you don’t like your job), paying bills, doing responsible things like working out, and not really having ice cream for breakfast. All the things that are great about being an adult stem from our childish desires. And that’s not a bad thing at all. Most children are happier than most adults. So maybe the key to happiness is to handle our adult responsibilities and then revert to our childish ways–pay the bills and then go outside to do cartwheels in the sunshine or shoot some hoops.

There’s an episode of Friends where Rachel is embarrassed to run with Phoebe because Phoebe runs like a kid, arms flailing about, legs every which direction, and a huge grin on her face. Of course, Rachel being the typical adult is incredibly embarrassed at first because people are starring and judging.  Phoebe tells Rachel that she runs like a kid because running was actually fun as a kid. So Rachel tries Phoebe’s way, and she loves it! It’s freeing, and she says she feels so graceful (except that’s when she runs into a horse).  But the point of this tangent is that even adult activities that we lame-down with our adult lame-ness can be rejuvinated with child-like joy if we can let go of our adult insecurities. Who cares who’s staring at us while we run like maniacs?! Let them stare and be jealous because as long as you’re happy, then you’re free!

I particularly enjoy riding bike and going down hills, sticking out my legs to both sides and yelling “YAHOOOOOOOOO” all the way down. Hills are SUCH a new experience for me since Indiana is flat as a pancake. They’re fun to go down, but killer to ride back up. They make exercising fun!

Making drinking games to Disney movies is also another tried and true way to combine your adult and inner child for a night of giggles with friends.

Also, bonus love points to anyone who can sing the full Toys’R’Us song!! Don’t cheat and look it up you bad kids!

Hello DC, or “Thoughts on having a roommate”

So, I just moved to Washington DC from Indianapolis, IN. I’m only slightly freaking out from this huge change in my life. Most of my life is still scattered in boxes around the house. But I have my Bethany, so I’m super happy, and I feel like I can handle most challenges that life tosses my way. We just moved in Saturday. And the 10 hour drive was KILLER. My butt was so numb. But I did have my teddy bear on my lap for most of the roadtrip. It was comforting, and we have the same shades, so people kept giving me weird looks. And yes, I do thoroughly enjoy being a weirdo. Normal people are boring.

Tips for long roadtrips:

BE CRAZY!!! It helps the time go by faster. Do things like hang up weird signs in your car or make faces at children in passing cars. Hours of fun.

Flex your butt. It keeps it from going to sleep and maybe you’ll have killer cheeks by the end of the trip!

Water, juice, more water. It keeps you hydrated and alert. It also makes you stop to pee all the time, giving you an excuse to stretch your legs. Don’t drink soda; it makes you pee more and it’ll make you crash.

No guilt snacks: Like pretzels! Low calories so that you can just graze for most of the trips, therefore avoiding gross fast food and giving you something to do.

MUSICALS: They tell a story to keep you entertained and you can sing at the top of your lungs to them in the car cause no one is there to judge you. And I don’t care if other people see me singing and dancing in my car. It’s the one place where I can sing at the top of my lungs without the neighbors getting pissed.

But this post is about having a roommate, not how to roadtrip! I love Beth. We lived together our freshman and sophomore years of college, so we know that we live well together. We have lots of the same tastes and are the same kinds of crazy. We always say that I’m just a figment of her imagination or that she’s just a figment of mine. Most likely, she’s just a figment of mine cause no one can really be as weird as me. But I did just google the last name of the character Jordan from Scrubs while she was in the bathtub because she couldn’t think of Jordon’s surname and it was driving her crazy. We have so many inside jokes… it’s probably dangerous that we’re living together… But it’s so fantastic at the same time.

The best part of living with a roommate again is the balance that comes from a solid friendship. Living with my mother after college was hard because we couldn’t find the right balance between me being a “grown-up” and still being her daughter. But that’s completely gone with Beth (obviously). We’re both equals in the house. Although she is the man/Chandler in our relationship while I am the woman/Joey. And in every post that involves Beth, there will also be numerous Scrubs and Friends references and probably a few from Will & Grace as well. We’re starting a tradition of watching Buffy every Sunday night too because I haven’t seen that series yet. And I’ll probably make her watch Weeds. Yes, we pretty much always have a TV on in the background of whatever we’re doing. We currently have four TVs hooked up in the living room. One for each of us to play video games on, and one to watch TV while we play video games. And that last one… eh, just sort of there. Yes, we are that nerdy. And it’s fantastic. Oh my god tangent! BALANCE. Yes, this paragraph is about balance. She knows about living on her own, while I am the expert on living with lots of people. We both take turns cooking and doing dishes. We both are clean freaks. We both like to sit around in our underwear. I can reach the things on the top shelves because she’s very small. And the biggest way that we balance each other… is that we complete each other’s collections. I have the first Matrix movie and she has the last two. I have most of the Disney movies and she has most of the Fox/Dreamworks/Pixar movies. Our libraries compliment each other very well, and I’m very excited to dive in to her book collection just as she is with mine. And we both sing musicals at the top of our lungs together. And she’s going to teach me how to use public transportation. What!? I’ve lived in the Midwest my whole life, I don’t know how to figure out a bus/metro schedule…

An MS Paint picture that Beth made freshman year of Beth stabbing me in my sleep.

Beth and I have never really had a fight of any sort. Our biggest rift was when I joined a sorority and had to live in the house for at least a year, meaning that I couldn’t live with her all four years of college. She wasn’t enthused about that. We sort of drifted apart junior year because we weren’t living together and I was going through some massive transformations, but we were always friends. I think part of the reason that Beth and I work so well together is that we don’t really fight. If we have a problem, we talk about it, or let it be for a few days and then talk about it. But she’s very mature, chill and really doesn’t get offended easily. I just love this picture that she made for me freshman year. Her caption for it on Facebook was “I DON’T LOVE MY ROOMMATE ANYMORE” and then a whole comment conversation took place about not even giving me hair which led to me somehow being a cancer patient and not deserving hair, and what, cancer patients don’t deserve hair, you’re fucked up, etc. Always good for a laugh. I really wonder what I did to provoke this picture… probably left cheese in the microwave. Beth is not a fan of cheese. I am. Edit: After several text messages guilting me over not remembering why she made this picture and calling me an asshole several times, she told me. Apparently I made an MS Paint picture of her kneeling in front of her at-the-time sort-of-but-not-really boyfriend that said “I will love *insert guy’s name here* for eternity” and posted it on Facebook with tags. Oh MS Paint wars… I miss those… *evil idea* MUAHAHAHA

Anyway, I guess what this long and ramble-tastic post is about is the importance of “sismance.” You know, the opposite of “bromance.” It’s especially important for women to foster close relationships with other women because we fulfill each other in ways that men never will. Ok, now that I sound like a HUGE lesbian, I’m gonna say that I love my roommate and can’t wait to share all the ridiculous stories, situations, and adventures that we’ll get ourselves in to. (And she is a lesbian [most of the time]  btw, so I’m allowed to make lesbian jokes by proxy.) Oh, and I’ll post some pictures of the apartment as soon as it gets unpacked and put away… HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah right, like that’ll ever happen…