Thinking of bedazzling my face a little

This is the first job that I do not deal directly with the public. I'm relatively behind the scenes at a New Orleans non-profit and therefore think it's time to do something that other jobs have banned me from in the past: pierce my face! I know, I'm a little old for that now, but better old than never and at least I'm not doing something irreversible.

Anyway, yesterday I asked my boss if it was okay and if there was any "least offensive" piercing she preferred. She told me I could do whatever I want but to think about how I will be perceived by others who may be involved in my future career. I thought about that for a while and sort of decided against it. Then I changed my mind. Then I changed it back. This answer was SO much more effective than saying "no" like previous employers. She's good.

Last night I bedazzled my face with sticky jewels to see what (if anything) would even look good. Here are the results:

French Quarter Pt. 1: The drive there

Leigh is grouchy and not in the mood for my nonsense (or overwhelmingly regular tendency to be right).
Watch as she becomes increasingly annoyed, and enjoy a rather shaky view of a drive through downtown New Orleans.

Driving to the French Quarter from megan hargroder on Vimeo.

Roaches and Mold - Oh My!

Two disgusting things you are not supposed to complain about in New Orleans: Roaches and Mold.
They're both everywhere and there's evidently nothing anyone can do about it.

Leigh's fear of roaches is out of control ridiculous. I mean, yes it sucks when you're walking down the street at night and they're scurrying along, over your toes sometimes (I've found that wearing heels makes my feet much less accessible than flat shoes) but it's all part of living here. Sure they can survive a nuclear holocaust, but it's only a roach.

My fear, however, is of mold. This fear was just confirmed in a very big way. I've been noticing a damp, stale smell when I walk by our A/C unit. Leigh has no sense of smell so it doesn't bother her. Tonight I was in handy man mode and decided to take the face off of the unit and look inside. MOLD EVERYWHERE. Oh yes. I did my best to clean it out but ended up inhaling quite a bit.

Not to sound like a hypochondriac (I totally am) but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to die now. Just thought I'd let you know.

I've been wearing this every day

I know, I know. It's backwards. But doesn't it rock:)

The Personal Ad

We interrupt your cyber perusing to bring this special update. We enter the scene mid conversation - Lindsey and myself are talking about finding the "ideal" partner...

Lindsey: If only I could find a nice Americanized Indian boy, but one who could still cook yummy authentic Indian food.

Me: Why don't you just take out a personal ad?

Lindsey: ::pauses:: Because that is a quick road to sexual assault, Meg.

Me: good point.

Lindsey: and I don't want to date anyone who would take out a personal ad, and I don't want to date anyone who would date anyone who would have a personal ad.

Scene II:
the evolution of the personal ad.
Once upon a time, personal ads were limited to small blocks of text in the classified section of your daily newspaper. (Or was it just the Sunday paper?)

Anyway, the point is that Facebook and Myspace pages ARE a type of personal advertisement - and almost everyone has at least one. We add photos, cite our favorite movies and music and what we like to do. We allow others to "browse" us. This isn't always done to entice possible romantic relationships, but it is done to establish our presence, putting our best face forward in a way that we hope others will find attractive in some way or another.

Anonymity is still preserved in some forms such as the "Truth Box" on Myspace and the "Honesty Box" on Facebook, allowing us to say things we would never say to that person's face, or even to gauge a reaction for something we really wish we could say but think it is inappropriate or maybe we are just too scared.

Sure, the standard "personal ad" is a bit creepy. Some would even argue the same for matchmaking websites such as eHarmony and Match.com. But take a look at your personal networking sites. How much information is listed? Could some super creepy cyber stalker physically find you if they wanted to, based on your profile and links?

Exactly.

You just got BROWSE'D.


Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and goodnight!

Green Eggs and Ham Demystified

2 large eggs + cheese + 1 slice ham (thin) + fresh spinach
all put into "The Magic Bullet" and blended
= Green Eggs and Ham

Celebrating July 1st

Evidently New Orleans parades are not merely limited to special occasions such as Mardi Gras (unless today is some sort of holiday that I'm unaware of). This video footage was captured around 4:30p.m. on July 1st in my neighborhood.

Mardi Gras? from megan hargroder on Vimeo.