Age Ain't Nothing but a Number

A few of my readers have mentioned that I may want to explain what I mean by "My DINK-y Life."  DINK is an acronym for "Double Income, No Kids." Conventional wisdom says that the older the DINK, the less they have in common with their (age) peers.  As you can imagine, there are not too many DINKs here in the 'burg.  So ProMo and I often need to get creative in our socialization.

And after nearly three years here, I did something new this weekend.

I ventured downtown on a Saturday night without ProMo. 

Yes folks, while he was off having a boys' trip to VEGAS [where there was plenty of NSFB (not suitable for blog) activity], I braved the downtown scene without him.

I'm talking full-out college kid experience courtesy of my T.A., L, and her buddy D.  We did it up: from the pre-gaming to the Pokey Sticks and all the Sharkey's and TOTS in between.

AND...it was really really a fun night!  It wasn't nearly as awkward as I had psyched myself up to believe it would be to be. L and D told me it was because I "blended in" so well.  They are sweet.

The good news is that the weekend festivities gave me hope that I, in fact, do NOT need to leave town to have fun and I also don't have to be afraid to run into students!  In fact, it seemed that more of them didn't quite know what to make of me being on their home turf.  One student (bless her heart) even did a "drive by" just to make sure it was me.  When I assured her that it was, she gave a dazed "Oh, hi" and walked away with a friend a tow. A friend who, L later informed me, is also in my class.  [My bad for not knowing that, but see this post for the reason why.]

The bad news is that, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think that L and D (who are grad students) will be gone soon.  And once again, I will be left with a crop of 18-22 year olds.  To paraphrase a character from my blog's pseudo-namesake, I keep getting older and they stay the same age.  :)

I guess the positive of this is that as they graduate and move on, I'll have more friends in various locales to visit and maybe they can just be my friends instead of my students!

Being a DINK is pretty interesting.  Because of circumstances, I find that I often relate more to people who are 10+ years younger than me than the ones my own age.  Nothing against my mid-30-something friends, but it's frankly easier for me to relate to conversation centered on the latest books, movies, sporting events, and music than talk of daycare, play dates and the perils of little league politics.

Which leads me to believe that it's not age, but rather life experience that sets us apart.  There's nothing wrong with it, it's just life!  And so I've concluded that there must be some "mental age" sweet spot that I've stayed in for a while now.  For example at my first job, my closest friends were all between 5 and 15 years OLDER than me.

So I guess it's true what they say...

Age ain't nothing but a number!

Act yo' age!

Spring Fever

Spring is here! And with it, I have a LOT of observations that have been dying for a blog post.

Where to begin?  Well let's start with a little positivity...

March Madness!

I love love love NCAA tournament time!  Even though I cheer for a team that everyone loves to hate (Go Duke!), I really do cheer for the underdog in every other game! :)  There is something that has always made me happy about watching the tournament and college basketball in general. I guess it's the heart and passion of the players, which is something that I think is lacking in the NBA.  Each game is relatively short and sweet and it doesn't matter if you love, hate or are indifferent to the teams who are playing.  An exciting game is an exciting game no matter what!

You can't beat the Crazies!!

Now, when I haven't been watching basketball, I've been observing the people around me.  What does this include? How about...

Wardrobe Choices - female edition
Well, you don't need to be in a college town to know that when the weather gets warmer, the clothes get smaller.  And ladies, I get it.  Especially here in "Bleaksburg" where we are all just DYING to shed the sweaters, boots, parkas, mittens, etc.  I love a good sundress just as much as the next girl.  But I urge you all to please please look in a mirror before leaving the apartment. Oh, and turn on the lights.  Transparency is an issue.

Ack! Fashion don't!!!
I almost killed Ravs for taking this but I appreciate its comedic value now!

And here's why you should care. You are dealing with a campus of approximately 15,000 males between the approximate ages of 18-22.

Let that sink in for a hot sec.

Whether they want to look or not, they will. They can't help it.  And sometimes, even though you think you want that attention, you don't. Trust.

Wardrobe choices - male edition

Fellas, I know you are just as desperate as the ladies to bid adieu to winter, but the belief that a sunny 50 degrees = shorts and t-shirt weather is sadly misguided. I know you can get away with more than the ladies in terms of fashion ignorance, but try not to take advantage of that too much.

Speaking of male appearances, this may be a good opportunity to talk about the male student haircut.  As far as I can tell, it falls under two categories: buzz cut (or the "#3 all over" as my hair stylist calls it) or the shaggy "I haven't been home for months and I can't possibly bring myself to go for a haircut here" look.  Personally, I happen to be slightly partial to this second look, but sometimes boys take it a little too far.

[This would be a great time to insert pics of some of my students, but to do so would probably blur the boundaries of legality.  And since I teach a class in Professional & Legal Issues, that would be inappropriate. But come visit me in the 'burg and see for yourself!]
 
All that said, I can't help but find the whole overall lack of concern endearing.  Why not? You're only in college once.

Young love - oh the drama!

With spring fever comes a time for love...or something like it.  For example, take this conversation that I overheard in a girls' bathroom downtown:

Girl #1: So if I text him, "Hey, come meet me downtown," am I being too subtle?
Girl #2: Yes, DEFINITELY.  If you want him, you should text "I want to _____ your _____" [...and she actually said, "blank your blank"]

...[That's the sound of me acting invisible while they continue this conversation which quickly goes in a direction I most certainly do not want to go with them.]

Ah, youth.  Going downtown is always a study in the collegiate mating rituals, but something EXTRA comes over them in the spring.  The natives get restless. I've seen a number of teary arguments and a couple of actual fights, all in the name of love. Or lust. Or whatever.

OK - one more...

The post-Spring Break letdown

It's almost as if Mother Nature knows that she's teasing students as they return from their break in Florida or the Caribbean.  While our weather here in the 'burg was actually quite pleasant and in the 60's while they were gone, students were hit with a slug of wind, rain and cold upon their return from their tropical locales.  And if the weather wasn't enough, they were bombarded with projects, papers and exams (I'm guilty of contributing to this) when they got back.  This is one of the things I decidedly do NOT miss about college!

But they (and I) just need to be patient because the consistently beautiful weather is just around the corner.  And as much as I complain, Blacksburg really IS beautiful in the spring! :)  And while the below photo is NOT from the 'burg, it is from my recent trip to Asheville with my sis and I figured Asheville is a pretty mountain town so it's close enough, right?  Happy Spring!

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

Today is a big day for me...Pi Day!

OK, not because it's Pi Day, but it is my remission anniversary! :) NINE years cancer-free! Go...ME!

Some cancer survivors call this their "birthday" or second birthday.  For me, this day brings a few different emotions.  Of course, thankfulness, relief...thankfulness...

It was a pretty surreal time in life and so weird to know I was only 27!  I'm glad I kept a journal so I could log the most "crazy, sad, exhilarating, joyful" time that included:

• Being diagnosed with lymphoma, going through 8 months of chemo and then remission (3/14/02!)
• Working in Manhattan and trying to get home to Hoboken on September 11 (1 month into chemo)
• Getting engaged to ProMo!
• Cheering him on a week later when he literally ran a marathon FOR me. I was supposed to run it with him (my second, his first) but I managed to get the first of many stress fractures when I tried to train while going through chemo (oops)
• Going to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade with my family
• Experiencing infiltration with a vesicant chemo drug which has left me with a physical scar that helps me never forget that time
• Studying for, taking, and passing the professional engineer (PE) exam
• Getting married, having a 5 week honeymoon and moving on with LIFE...!
  

At a friend's wedding 2 weeks after 9/11/01...and 1 week before we got engaged

Last chemo - March 1, 2002!  2 weeks later I was officially cancer free and I've never turned back!

Engagement party one month after last chemo! Lots of celebrating to do. :)

Coincidentally, this is also just about ProMo and my "dating anniversary" (14 years!!) which is even more reason why this time of year just reminds me to be happy and appreciate life and what you have!

Earlier today, we were looking at an old photo that a friend sent that was taken around that time (late 90's).  ProMo remarked how (a) young and (b) carefree we looked, and how it really was a great time in life.  And it really was.  Pure, unconcerned happiness.  We had no idea what lay ahead of us, and most of the time, we didn't care! :)

Spring Break and matching shirts - late 90's

So while there are many many things I could write about on this special anniversary day, I want to focus on truly living life for the moment and enjoying the small things that make you happy.

Which brings me to this blog title.  Around the time that the above photo was taken, one of the most popular songs was titled "Good Riddance" but was more commonly known by its parenthetical title "(Time of Your Life)." I found it to be a great theme for the time I was going through chemo and it was even on my Nurse Bari's mix CD of chemo songs (yes, she had one) that kept me entertained during those hours.  [In case you're curious, other songs included the Eric Cartman (Southpark) version of "Come Sail Away" by Styx and "Welcome to the Jungle" by GNR...escapism, anyone?] 

Anyway, if you haven't already noticed, I'm really into music lyrics so I will end this post with the lyrics to a simple yet great song that really summed up my feelings at the time.

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

by Green Day

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life. 

Last chemo with the mix master and one of my now good friends - Nurse Bari!

Viva...

Ah, my first VEGAS post!

It should not be a secret to anyone who has access to this blog (i.e. the general public) that I. love. Las. Vegas.  I know what you're thinking: Sin City, "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas," gambling, partying, overindulgence...

I'm not going to dispute that any all of the stereotypes are true.  But there are SO many reasons to love Vegas that you don't hear about as often.  Or maybe they just sound like justifications for someone to go (cough) several times a year.

Puzzle that LL got me when we moved to the 'burg!  Kept me occupied those first few months!

But I am convinced that there is something for everyone in Vegas.  For example, do you like:

• Friendly service
• Big, gorgeous pool complexes
• Delicious restaurants from some of the world's top chefs
• Over-the-top shows including any variety of Cirque du soleil show that you may want to see (including a Beatles-themed or Elvis-themed show)
• Amazing structural engineering and architectural feats (had to include that one)
• Beautiful artwork
• ...and multiple opportunities to DANCE!?

Then chances are, you will find something to love about Vegas.

Pool complex at MGM Grand

Burger Bar - IMHO, best food/drink/milkshake/friendly and knowledgeable bartender combo in Vegas!

City Center complex - one of the newest and most beautiful additions inside and out

Bellagio lobby

Surveying the crowd from atop my perch @ Haze

Want to spend the morning on a world-class golf course, the afternoon being lazy by a pool or touring Hoover Dam and capping off the night with a 5-star dinner and show? You can do that in Vegas.

Want to wake up in the PM and spend the next 24 hours drinking, gambling and occasionally stopping for some cheap food ($1 foot long hot dogs and $0.25 drafts, anyone?)? You can do that in Vegas.

Me, I like to stay somewhere safely in the middle. Pool or shopping during the day, great (but affordable) meals, and ending the day in the wee hours doing some combination of dancing, enjoying adult beverages, and a little gambling if I'm feeling lucky.

Of course you will see plenty of the things that people fear and loathe about Vegas, namely the pure excess of it all.  But that craziness is part of what makes it such a great place!  It's such a nice opportunity to escape reality and forget about life for a while...

So thank you, Vegas, for never letting me down.

PS - You all didn't really think I was going to post any pictures of me and my cohorts in Vegas, did you?! ;)

PPS - Dear cohorts, You're welcome.  xoxo, MizMo