bathtub wisdom

A profound thought during a recent bath:

It's ok to be successful. It's also ok not to be successful. Your worth is not advanced or diminished by worldy success. Live by your standards, and yours alone.

the des moines party girl announces the end of panic dating

I neglected to add that the newspaper picture of me was taken on a night when I was supposedly home sick - thus destroying my alibi!

Where I was supposed to be, that night, was on a blind date with a fella from match.com. I had some serious misgivings about the whole thing, so I told him (well in advance, thank you, I didn't stand him up) the evening was off. I realized I had been employing a strategy I call "panic dating". I coined the phrase when a friend of mine joined every available dating website and started dating as many men as her social calendar could hold. She was looking down the barrel of her mid-thirties, and realized that if she wanted to have kids during the prime years, she would need to find a husband in short order. I'm pleased to say that she did find a fiance through this harried and sometimes harrowing search, but I think she would agree that the experience was not for the faint of heart.

But panic dating doesn't have to be about husband-finding or biological clocks, any time when you're dating with a sense for deadlines or impending doom will do. It can be a reaction to Post Heartbreak Stress Syndrome (hereafter abbreviated P.H.S.S.), when you feel you have to fill the void - quick! Or it could just be about being at loose ends and bored, but panic dating always ends up with people getting used and hurt. (Wait, maybe that's just dating).

a dubious distinction...

A picture of me can be found on Des Moines' version of Page Six - the DM Register's entertainment 'zine, Juice. I attended a really nice concert of all Iowa bands called the Little Big Fest. Oh yeah. I'm on the scene.

Merry Christmas! Now where's my stuff?

MSN posted some tips on what to buy your teacher (a.k.a. me!) for Christmas:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Departments/Elementary/?article=SkipPaperweights&GT1=10680

Teachers really clean up this time of year! My family never got fancy gifts for my teachers. I remember getting my piano teacher these lame kitten bookmarks every year. She said she liked them, though, because I would explain why I got them: "Oh, I thought this one looked like your cat, and check it out, she's walking on a PIANO! Isn't that cute?" Kids don't know from kitsch.

My students' parents spend considerably more - I get gift certificates to nice restaurants (which I LOVE because I dig eating out, and it's a luxury for me). The thing that really shocked me last year, though, wasn't the presents, but that so many of the parents stopped in to say stuff like, "Thank you so much for all you do for _____". I never really thought I'd get thanked for doing my job. It really makes you feel like a human, in this world where you often feel like a commodity.

Choices, choices

In the interest of making an informed decision at the caucus, I've gone to see four of the Democratic candidates. I could tell you my opinions on their platforms and promises, but said opinions aren't expert, and would probably bore you to death. Instead, I'll give you an insider's view into the wild world of Iowa political rallies. The awards:

Fakest smile: John Edwards. I got his autograph for a friend, and was rewarded personally with a smile that could freeze lava. Seriously, I've seen more sincere looks on the faces of 2nd place beauty contestants.

Most likely to be fired at Sears: Hillary Clinton. The kind people at Sears allow you to clock in 8 minutes after your scheduled time of arrival. Hil arrived AN HOUR AND A HALF late. What if we had all been lawnmower customers, instead of political junkies? Another sale lost to Lowe's!

Most unfortunate hairdo: Joe Biden. The combover that just keeps going. It almost turns into some sort of snow-white mullet. It doesn't really say "I'm the wave of the future."

Smallest ass. EVER: Barack Obama. You don't ever really see the back of political candidates on TV. Be grateful.

Scariest supporters: John Edwards. One lady announced that the day she decided to work on the Edwards campaign she had the same feeling as when she looked at her first child. I'd never before seen an entire room perform a synchronized uncomfortable squirm.