Talked to a friend online this week from the airplane.
In recent years, I’ve loved flying, primarily becuase it was literally the only place in the entire world that I did not have access to the internet at all times. Cool that technology has allowed to now have internet access 32,000 feet up…but also somewhat depressing that I now cannot escape from email, Facebook and Twitter, even 32,000 into the clouds.
Heck, I even read an article about the first Tweet from outerspace. AH. (I can’t wait to look back at this point and laugh at how archaic my life was back in 2010…kinda like if I were to read a post now about this crazy technology popping up everywhere called a “cell phone”. ughhhhhh)!
In equally depressing news, I’ve had Santa Claus, a cat, and God all request to follow me on Twitter this week. (wow.)
Salsa dancing – Realized I haven’t said anything in my blog about this. Over the past few months, I’ve gotten into it. Started when I took classes at UO, then studied in Mexico and danced there. Austin has a huge salsa scene – there’s a place to salsa literally every night of the week. I love salsa dancing, cumbia and merengue are growing on me…bachata however, I still really don’t like.
My biggest hurdle to overcome with salsa is the whole ‘trust’ part of it. In salsa, the guy is the ‘lead’ and the girl is the ‘follow’. Basically, the guy chooses which moves to do, and the girl needs to follow based on cues given by the guy.
I think this is a great system…however…I have this little problem called micromanaging…based on a multitude of things, I have become accustomed to depending on myself for most things / have the attitude of “if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself”. Well…regardless of if this is a good policy to follow in life or not…the point is that it’s definitely not for salsa dancing…so yes, in case you all were curious (which I know you are), that’s what going down with me and salsa dancing at the moment.
What else? I’ve been told by 3 people in the last month … and well actually a handful of people over the past year that I have ‘guy humor.’ Not quite sure what that means, but I’m taking it as a compliment. I think perhaps it’s because my sense of humor includes: not taking anything seriously, being completely dry, and somehow finding ironies in most daily situations and commenting on them with a dry + sarcastic twist…all with a smile on my face. Hmm. Who knows…not me, but it’s interesting commentary nonetheless.
Comments about me: As we all know, I tend to meet completely random people, due to: the things I like to do, places I like to go, curiousity in pretty much everything/one, willingness to listen to mostly anyone (and boy, do people like to talk about themsevles…shoutout narcissism), eclectic and completely non-realated areas of interest, random pool of knowledge, and ability to keep conversations going as I have about 357 questions stored in my head to ask at all times.
Anyway, it’s been funny to be down here as I came down completely alone, knowing no one, and having no one down here know nothing about me, my past, where I’m from, etc.
Back home people know me as being from Salem, as not sleeping, as being super into music, as being Greek, yadda yadda…I have an identity back home and here all of that went out the window. For example, out salsa dancing last night, some guy told me I look French and asked if I was from France. I’ve never had that comment before in my life.
Another guy started speaking Spanish to me – although I know Spanish I replied in English asking him why he thought I knew Spanish and he said, I thought you were Hispanic. Although I like to pretend like I am because I love the Hispanic culture…I definitely am not!
People ask me if I’m a student here as I guess I look young (I take that as a compliment). But no, I am a young professional. (weird). I went to a Hungarian bbq last fall and someone started speaking to me in Hungarian…I don’t know any Hungarian (unfortunately). I told them that and they were shocked that I have Hungarian heritage and am not hardcore into my culture. I guess Hungarians here are really into Hungarian culture (awesome!), but back home we just don’t have that presence and I guess people here don’t realize there aren’t huge Hungarian communities everywhere.
One of these days (i.e. next time), I’m just going to say “yes” to whatever is thrown my way. See where the conversation goes…stir things up a bit.
I’ve also had countless conversations like this:
Person: “Where are you from?”
Me: “Oregon”
P: “Oh, cool! Are you from *scrambling to pull any random city from Oregon* uhhhh…Portland?”
M: “Ummm…no not really…but for all intensive purposes…yes. Yes, I am from Portland.”
M: “Do you know where Oregon is?”
To which I have received the variety of responses:
“Somewhere up there way far north”
“Is it below or above Washington?”
“east coast” (wtf?!)
“Somewhere around California”
Not that my east coast geography isn’t rusty because it sure is…the point is, I was def. in a little Oregon bubble before moving to central Texas and really didn’t realize how foreign my hometown/state really is to so many.
Weird.
It’s also funny that the group of people I spend time with occasionally with down here really doesn’t know what I do. Just as I do not really fully understand what they do as I am not in the science / medical field. Again…living in that bubble…up until moving here, everyone around me knew what I did…what brand management was, what a planner is and how a planner is not a coordinator, they understood strategy and what it means to be a strategist and the agency structure, advertising lifestyle, etc.
However, here, people don’t know what I do and really don’t understand my past. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked: “So..is it really like mad men??” Which I’ve thought about quite a bit…and yeah…it really kinda is like a 2010 version of mad men. And yes, there are insanely creative spaces out there. and yes, people drink frequently at work and pull all nighters all the time. and yeah, there is some crazy awesome creative work going on out there and insanely smart minds. and yes, there are white boards everywhere and conference rooms designed like a bird’s nest. it’s all real life!
To continue with this completely random theme, I’ve also been thinking that i have so much documented on this blog that my future kids will probably read. and the videos they will watch. actually, come to think of it, they probably won’t care until they are adults.
To add to the randomness of this post, Jeramy sent me this and it cracked me up. Oh typeface jokes. (=
He also sent me an article on on Facebook – found this part most interesting:
I’d be certainly interested to learn the strategy of FB’s brand managers. Interesting food for thought: “One of the patterns that has emerged is that Facebook makes a set of changes and walks those back a bit after the backlash . . . Facebook has been using a mode of asking for forgiveness rather than permission, leading to this progression over the years.”
And on one final random note – I have recently realized that I actually do have a random and not-related-to-anything-else-in-my-life talent. And it has to do with awkwardness. I’ve realized that I have … well, I wouldn’t really call it a talent…but perhaps a skill…to either A. make awkward conversations / situations not awkward…or my preferred variation – B. make non-awkward conversations / situations awkward within about ten seconds.
Yup.
Annnnnnd, in final unrelated updates…I have friends coming to visit over the next two weekends…excited to see them…but sweet! More revolving friends! (boohoo)
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