All Hallows Eve

Halloween is quickly turning into my favorite holiday.  It's a chance for us creative (and poor) types to go for the gold with costumes and marvel at what one can do with a piece of felt and some glue.  This year, my friends and I dressed as pro wrestlers.  Our childhoods all consisted of watching Monday Night Raw and practicing the sharp shooter on our unsuspecting friends and family.  We had our own Royal Rumble of sorts last night at the Boo Ball and it was absolutely amazing.  As we walked in (sans theme music) party goer's marveled at our costumes: Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Ultimate Warrior, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Heartbreak Kid and Sgt. Slaughter.

It was EPIC!

  WRRV Boo Ball 2010

Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

It's been awhile that we've spoken, and I just want to say that everything is going to be OK.  Lately, I've been losing control of what is really important to me and that's me.  I spend a lot of time worrying about others, and what others think and ultimately I need to worry about me.  Everyone around me is self-sufficient, I'm a big girl too and I can take life as it comes.  There's no need to second guess or to jump to conclusions, the truth is you're smart and capable of making decisions on your own, and even ironing your own shirt.  Stop acting helpless, like you need someone because you don't.  The act is getting old. 

As cliche as it sounds, you are destined for greatness.  It just may not happen in your 20's.  But with your ambition and drive for that greatness, Diary, we're goin' somewhere.  People will talk about what they think, but truthfully, only you can make your own decisions.  As Barney Stinson would say, "You're awesome."  So stay awesome, and don't let life grab you by the ass.  You grab life by the ass and tell him to get goin'. 

Truth is, we don't control a thing.  God laughs at our plans every day.  So pop in a xanax and enjoy the ride, because it sure is going to get bumpy.  Just don't fall down the stairs, it tends to hurt a lot.  Take your time and be sure that what you're doing is for the good...the good of you.  You don't need anyone to hold your hand.  So, Diary, I guess this whole time, all I've needed was me. 

It's been real. 

xoxo,

Me

Pity Party of 1

I have no idea what I’m doing lately. I’ve been having a pity party for myself in my head for some time now. My eyes have been off the prize and I believe that has been the cause for the disarray.

Last night as I was settling into bed I held my glass of water, took a sip and placed it on the coaster on my nightstand. I took the pillow from behind me and was going to place it under my broken toe, for whatever reason a gravitational force wanted the water on the floor and all over my phone and sheets. I literally almost started to cry. I didn’t see it coming. Like most decisions in my life, I thought I was making the right one by elevating my injured foot. Turns out that God had another plan. I took all of the towels I could find and began cleaning up the water, which seemed like a flood.

I act like I’m this “together” girl, and that I know what I want but I don’t. But I do, at the same time. I’m unraveling slowly.

I’m not sure when it happened, but my career became uno, number 1 on my list of things that I wanted. I want success, happiness and good health. Who doesn’t? I haven’t been able to find it. Will I ever find it? I’m not content answering phones and planning meetings, I want something more. Creative, fun, challenging and in my fields of interest.

“It IS a big deal!!!”

I always told myself that if I was in some form of the Entertainment and Media world that I would be happy. Turns out, that’s not the case. I can’t decide if it’s just bad luck, bad decisions or if it’s me? When I was 23, the world was my oyster. I had many opportunities thrown my way and now they’ve shriveled up to nothing. Sure the poor economy has played a nasty part too. I want my cake and to eat it too. I think I know what I want and then when I get some form of it, it’s not what I expected. Am I glamorizing life too much?

I’m sick and tired of casting myself aside because I’m scared. I’m scared to jump in, hurt people’s feelings and ultimately I’m scared of failure. I always wanted this job that I was proud of, that I was excited to go to and from every day and that challenged me in all of the right ways. I would just like to know that I am on that path.

I feel like my absentmindedness has to do with the uncertain future my career holds. I’ve never been more frustrated in my life with my career, I just feel like it’s going nowhere. I can’t change the past or the positions I’ve held, I can control where it takes me though. Hopefully my experiences have made me wiser and I continue to make the right ones from now on.

MarigoPR RT @OfficialKimora: Don't question the direction ur life has taken,
rather, accept the path that is before you now....☺

I would like to thank my fans...

When I was younger, I was always told I looked like Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years. I was told that I just had one of those faces. Suddenly, I found myself being compared to many young starlets with brown hair and brown eyes: Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katie Holmes, Keira Knighly etc...

One that I actually believed that I actually looked like, and who I have been told numerous times, is Minka Kelly. She is best known for her work as a cheerleader on Friday Night Lights and being Derek Jeter's girlfriend. Minka became my nickname from a guy I dated too.

All narcissism aside, I think this ish is pretty cool. Hell, I had an ego boost today.

Minka & Me

My Mom called me up at work just to tell me the news: my celeb twin is Esquire magazine's 2010 Sexiest Woman of the Year. *pats self on the back*

You can read all about the Sexiest Woman Alive 2010 here.

Derek Jeter is a lucky man.

You're welcome.

New Season, New Style

I had a conversation with my boyfriend last week about my blog. I have been having quite the internal conflict as to what to do, ie. the next steps. My goal has always been to write what I want, when I want and how I want (sticks out the proverbial tongue).

I have been juggling two blogs, one I had the aspirations to make it "blogozine" like with actual article-type pieces and have contributors etc. And the other blog was this one--my little baby that I have been contributing my thoughts, quips and heart to for a few years now. Ultimately, with my other freelancing duties I am unable to contribute to both adequately. The Allie blog is updated more frequently because it's about my life and is a steady steam of consciousness.

OK, so back to the boyfriend convo: I was complaining as to how labor intensive it is to keep up with two separate blogs, especially when you want to identify yourself with it and have it thoroughly be yours. The marketer in me had branding on the brain. I had decided at that moment that I wanted two blogs, one personal and one professional. I wrestled with the idea all week and stumbled upon this blog post. I didn't consult with my other marketers or other blogger friends for the very reason that I wanted to figure this out on my own.

Ironically enough, as I was writing, my boyfriend sitting across from me, I had an epiphany. I wanted the best of both worlds, so why not make it...The Best of Both Worlds.

Boy: "Just make sure Van Halen doesn't sue you."
Me: "Or Miley Cyrus..."
Boy: "Van Halen had it first."

I can't separate my life, because it's me. I can't separate my passions because that's what defines me. I'm a journalist, a marketer, a lifestyle obsessed 20-something. That's me and I want the best of both worlds. I am very tired of trying to separate the two things that I love because one is personal and one is professional, my professional work is displayed on other sites as I freelance out the wazoo and I have no problem mixing the two. It may result in one of the best tasting cocktails ever. An Allie-tini if you will.

When I'm old and gray, I don't want to regret separating my passions and not contributing to life. I am going balls to the walls with this blog, because in the blog world...you can.

This blog will now be a "column" like experience, the way I always wanted it to be. Sitting in my stylish apartment with my two doggies at my feet, drinking that sweet lemonade I made out of the lemons I was handed. And writing what I want, when I want and how I want really is the best of both worlds.

Feeling all Fall Like

The new season, Fall, is among us and I think my body has taken that to a literal level. I've never been one for grace, probably because I stopped taking ballet when I was 6 years old, and I happen to be kind of oblivious to stairs, garbage pails and door frames. What I'm getting at is that I am a chronic klutz.

So much so that my roomate thinks that our apartment is trying to kill me. We first moved in back in June and it was going great. Sure I would smack my elbow or stub my feet on odds and ends here and there, but I just chalked it up to adjusting to the new place. Not to mention the two boys leave things on the floor and in the dark I always trip over them.

In August I literally fell down a flight of stairs outside our apartment. I was rushing out the door on my way to work and my Steve Madden heel got caught on my pant leg and down I went. It was a pretty bad fall and luckily I didn't break anything. I had a ginormous bruise on my right shin that looked like a blue, green and yellow shin guard and a bruise on my hip. I didn't feel the actual damage until weeks later. The stairs are treacherous and I had visions of myself falling down them but not to that degree. Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the winter.

Now, two weeks ago we had a monsoon in Beacon. It was originally a nice night and we had all of the windows to the apartment open. All of a sudden it started raining sideways (or cats and dogs) and buckets of water were coming through our windows. All three of us started frantically closing windows. I closed the bedroom windows while my Boy closed the living room. My roomate closed the kitchen, his bedroom and the bathroom windows.

I went back in to the bedroom to assess the damage, it was then that I noticed that the rain was now coming through the AC vent. My Boy suggested I get a garbage bag to stuff the hole. I ran back into the kitchen and unbeknownst to me, slipped on a huge puddle of water that had already formed from the rain that had come through the window and flew towards the pantry door frame.

My left foot hit head on and I broke my left 4th toe and bruised the ones and my foot around it. To the emergency room I went. The doctors and I established that I was a chronic klutz and I was given a boot and some bandages to wear for 6 weeks.

However, I am really trying to not let my broken toe hinder my social calendar and I have luckily been able to keep most of my appointments. Pumpkin and apple picking may prove to be a difficult task and Haunted Houses are out for me this season, but I have enjoyed not running from event to event in the sense that this has caused me to slow down and smell the roses.

So, if the whole falling down thing is God's way of telling me to slow the &%*! down, then I hear you loud and clear.