Untie Me

Almost everyone these days has a smartphone.

In fact, the only people I know who don’t, are my parents and my off-the-grid roomie who purposely downgraded to a “dumb” phone several years ago.

Don’t get me wrong I love my smartphone.

With Google in my pocket there’s not a random factoid I can’t find or a place I can’t figure out how to get to.

But, it can get overwhelming.

Sometimes it feels like I can’t get away.

I recently spent the weekend at my cousin’s lake house in New Hampshire.

Among it’s many attributes is the lack of cell coverage.

Or at least it used to be!

Thanks to AT&T, I now have 4G coverage out in the boonies.

Some of you might think I’m bat shit right now.

What’s so bad about having service??

Nothing. If you want to stay connected to the outside world.

But one of the things I love about my home away from home is unplugging.

Most of the time I don’t even bring my charger.

It’s insanely liberating.

Especially for someone who works in social media. Even when I want to cut the ties that bind me, I still have a job to do.

my home away from home 🙂

In our hyper-connected, Facebook obsessed world, not having internet access completely changes your perspective.

If you’re trying to be more mindful, live more fully in the moment, or maybe trying a Happiness Project of your own, I highly recommend unplugging.

Have you ever gone out without your phone?

Did you feel naked?

Or does it make you feel free??

For me it’s a little of Column A, a little from Column B.

We’ve all see that group of friends out to dinner, eyeballs glued to their phones, instead of actually talking to each other.

Don’t be those people.

My Mom has this awesome rule of no phones at her dinner table.

It’s pretty rude when you think about it.

It’s okay to break bread together, but God forbid you have an actual face to face conversation?!

The next time you’re out, leave your phone at home.

Or if you really can’t be without it, at least turn your ringer off.

The electronic tether is much easier to ignore if you can’t hear it.

It’s the polite thing to do.

Mom said so 🙂

It’s Finally Friday!!! (sort of…)

Apparently I was so excited it was Finally Friday I forgot to post yesterday. Better late than never right?? Enjoy 🙂

Quote of the Day:

Round the World: 

Looking to get away this winter without breaking the bank? Check out these top rated all-inclusive resorts.

Wine Me, Dine Me:

Crazy easy and super healthy. I usually substitute red and yellow bell peppers and sugar snap peas for the veggies.

Climbing the Ladder:

Interviews make you nervous?? Read this!

Don’t fall for these 6 career myths.

DIY:

Living wall art. So.Frigging.Cool!!!

Health and Wellness:

We all know meditation is good for us but I bet you didn’t you know all these benefits?!?

Techie Love:

Think your smartphone does everything?? Bet you didn’t know it could do this!

Friends Forever:

The grown-up way to show you’re BFF’s.

Giggles and Such:

Who’s driving that car??

Pre-heating the oven if the foreplay of baking.

Have a great weekend!!!

Merry Fucking Christmas

Nothing chaps my ass more than a cherry, “Happy Holidays!”

I’m sorry, what holiday are you referring to exactly??

And seriously people?!

What’s the big deal!?

Have we really become so fearful of accidentally offending someone that we can’t acknowledge the holidays we celebrate by name??

Say it loud and proud!

Happy Hanukah!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Kwanza!

Merry Festivus!

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!

Whatever you celebrate, I promise I will not be offended if you wish me a joyous day. Seriously, who really finds that offensive?!? It’s a kind gesture that’s usually backed by genuine good will.

While we’re on the topic, I’m pretty sure EVERYONE has a Christmas tree these days.

Santa Claus isn’t a deity.

He’s a jolly old fat man who under normal circumstances would be considered a trespassing pedophile.

Christmas is no longer a religious holiday.

It is part of American pop culture.

We have taken a Christian holiday converted from pagans and commercialized it completely.

Well done America.

And Merry Christmas 🙂

It’s Finally Friday!!!

My parents were awesome and so is this tumblr.

Only in New York.

Could you live off the kindness of strangers??

Feeling like a failure??? Take a look at this:

10 places every American should see. How many have you been to??

Going on a road trip? The only app you’ll need.

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.

Desperate for a job? Check out these creative job search methods. My personal fave is #6!

2 questions everyone should ask themselves.

This asshole’s definitely Father of The Year material.

Apparently multitasking is BAD.

Why can’t camera straps be cute AND functional??

The next 10 years will define the next 10,000.

I’m obsessed with this!

You should be too! Get involved here and here.

And now for some giggles:

Poor white guys.

Shit nobody says.

How diets work.

The more colorful the thing the better it is for you!

Have a great weekend kids!

P.S. (I started an internship this week. That’s right folks! Between the two jobs and the blog I felt like I had too much free time so I decided to become a 30 year old intern! All jokes aside, due to the extremely limited free time I now have, Adventures In Adulthood will be going to a Wednesday and Friday publishing schedule. Enjoy!)

Don’t Be A Dick

I am sick and tired of hearing racist, bigoted rhetoric.

It doesn’t matter who you are; Mitt Romney, Dan Cathy, or just your run of the mill douchebag spewing hate from his local bar stool.

Mmmm, tastes like bigotry

Can we please all agree to stop??

Being gay isn’t contagious; you can NOT catch it by talking, hugging, or being nice to a gay person.

Gay parents do not turn children gay.

In fact, if Zach Walhs is any example of what you get when gay parents raise children, I’d say they do a damn good job!

Gay marriage will NOT destroy the sanctity of marriage.

Homosexuals are not evil people lying in wait to sexually abuse your children.

Jerry Sandusky is a convicted serial child molester who until recently was considered a pillar of the community.

Allowed to adopt, foster, and coach young children.

I don’t know about you, but I’d leave my hypothetical children with a cross-dressing drag queen over that piece of shit any day.

Assholes come in all shapes and sizes.

Being black doesn’t automatically make someone a drug dealing gang banger.

Puerto Ricans are not all lazy, jobless, no-goods living off the system.

Asians do not all know karate, excel at math, or drive like idiots.

I am continually shocked and appalled by the racist, bigoted comments people find appropriate and acceptable to say out loud and in public.

Before you judge someone take a long hard look in the mirror.

What makes you better than them??

This speech is from 1940 and it still resonates today.

Can we please agree to start acting like decent human beings?

Be kind to your fellow man (and woman).

Regardless of race, color, or sexual orientation treat ALL people with respect.

Don’t lie, cheat, or steal.

Mind your manners.

And can we PLEASE ban the following words from our human lexicon:

nigger, faggot, spic, chink, or ANY racial slur for that matter

Asshole covers bad behavior pretty well in my book. Why make it racial??

Scared Shitless

Change is hard.

Small  change is sustainable.

I recently posted 21 tools to unlock your creative genius which if you missed it (how dare you?!) included this video on trying something new for 30 days.

So for the next 30 days I’m going to……

QUIT SMOKING

Yes, I know, I said small change is sustainable.

But, I’ve been gradually and steadily cutting back. So I’m fairly confident I can do this. (It also helps I have one hell of a summer head cold going on right now and zero desire to smoke a cigarette.)

However, I am scared shitless.

Seriously I’d rather fight zombies than tackle becoming a non-smoker

Quitting smoking is super hard.

I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) about a dozen times.

Identifying when/why your habits are triggered is the first step to success.

Check out How to Break Habits by Charles Duhigg

After a couple hours of dealing with drunk assholes at the bar, I just want to go outside and be alone with my thoughts for 5 minutes.

So instead of lighting up while I’m out there, I will be trying some deep breathing and meditation.

Maybe if I focus on this image I can forget I’m behind a bar standing next to a dumpster??

My other huge weakness is when I have a cocktail or two.

There’s just something about booze and butts – they go together like PB and J!

I’m not quite sure how I’m going to handle that situation.

In the past when I’ve attempted quitting I just end up bumming a cigarette after a drink or two.

But that just leads to me going out and buying a pack since bumming makes me feel like a bum 😦

Anyone out there have any helpful hints on not smoking when you drink?? Please share!

Also, for any of you trying to quit yourselves, my super awesome friend Lindsey recommended this book.

I was definitely skeptical at first. How the F is some dumb book going to help me quit smoking?! But so far it’s not bad! Sir Anthony Hopkins, Lou Reed AND Ellen all endorse the method!

Wish me luck! I’ll keep you kids posted on how I’m doing.

P.S. For those of you lucky enough to see me in person on a regular basis – don’t forget to cut me a little slack when I act like a super bitch for the next couple weeks! I’m doing my best 🙂