Snail mail and The Happiness Project

Ironically, my current blog entry is devoted to an individual who (I like to think) avidly reads my blog and, so, saw an opportunity that aligned with the whole gratitude journal theme that my blog is slowly (attempting) to evolve into. Granted, I kind of forgot about the gratitude journal theme with my last entry but… come on! Cubs… cops?! Can you really blame me? You can’t make this stuff up people! Haha. ANYWAY.

A special special SPECIAL thank you to my dear heart Xenia, who truly understands the wonders and glories that only snail mail can bring to an individual’s life. Seriously, I love checking my apartment mailbox now because of the package slips that I receive, primarily from Xenia. I mean, it’s one thing to receive letters and cards which are fabulous delights in and of itself. But packages?? Divinity itself.

With as much as I love love LOVE snail mail, not to mention snail mail PACKAGES, imagine my sheer BLISS at realizing that my latest snail mailed package was a BOOK… and not just ANY book… but TOTALLY a book that I’d been eyeing for the past couple of weeks but couldn’t justify buying as I’d just recently impulse bought a couple of other books which were so NOT good (it was my personal punishment for idly spending money). What book, you ask? Of all things: The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin. Lakdsfjaklsdjf! I KNOW RIGHT?!?!? It gets even better… it’s a book that’s totally based off a BLOG!!! It’s like my dream come TRUE!! Anyway, it’s pretty apparent why Xenia would put two and two together… The Happiness Project is TOTALLY all about “how to be more satisfied with your life” and “how to be more appreciative with little everyday things” - if that doesn't scream gratitude journal, I simply don't know what does. And, while I do think I’m a fairly optimistic person who truly does try to focus on the bright side of things (hence this whole gratitude journal thing), I must say that this book is quite insightful. My personal favorite: she totally advocates for getting up an extra hour early in the morning. I’ve been trying to advocate this for YEARS to my friends, but have yet to succeed. I mean, it’s so PEACEFUL in the morning! And even Gretch (I believe the author and I are now beyond the first name, and onto the nickname, basis) discusses how much more productive she is in the early morning… AGAIN, something I TOTALLY advocate but which no one seems to buy. Sigh. Anyway. As long as the word is getting out there, I guess. Hmph.

Anyway, the avid reader that I am, the avid promoter of personal development that I am, the avid promoter of general happiness and gratitude that I am, the avid promoter of… blogs (let’s be honest here) that I am… you KNOW that it would take a LOT for me to highly recommend such a book. So, even if you don’t ever listen to me about the wonders and glories of the early morning (and I’m clearly not bitter at all), please do listen to me about this and PICK UP THIS BOOK ASAP!!! Perfect Mother’s Day present, if you will… see? Always a thinker… that I am. (Although, I’m sure, some do beg to differ.)

In conclusion, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU times a million, Xenia!!! Today’s object of gratitude? You would think (given the title of this entry), it would be snail mail or the book. No way. Today’s object of gratitude: the one and only irreplaceable Xenia herself. Alfkjalksdfjklsadj!! Love you!! Miss you!! THANK YOU!!! You are truly appreciated. J

cubs... cops... potato... potahto...

i was so excited to have attended my first chicago baseball game last thursday night! i mean, okay, let's be honest here, im not exactly the biggest baseball fan (what? it's so boring to watch!), thus leading to the fact that i know nothing about the white sox. anyway, whatever, i had a delightful time at the baseball game, wintry chill and all.

now how could the all american sport o' baseball tie into my weekend shenanigans for a friend's bachelorette party? well, friday night was the start of these bachelorette festivities and i knew it was going to be troublesome when friday was supposed to be the "classy" night which, of course, required dressing up (please refer to blog entry "the art of the sweatpant" for my sentiments on dressing up). anyway, i had a friend staying with me this weekend and her flight was delayed on friday, so we missed out on the prepartying and appetizer portion of dinner... which was fine, except for the fact that the bachelorette was already well on her way to being wasted by the time we arrived at the restaurant. sigh. too bad the restaurant wasnt just handing out shots right and left otherwise we couldve caught up to her in a timely fashion. in any event, we get to the swanky club (le passage? apparently it's known for pish poshness but whatever) and the dancing is in full force for an hour or so... until the bachelorette's excessive drinking starts to get the better of her and she starts tripping over herself and falling (multiple times over the course of another half hour)... anyway, so there's this guy that's just standing in our little area, watching (with quite the bemused expression) the spectacle that can only be the bachelorette and her entire party trying to help her out. anyway, so one of my friends decided to befriend this random stranger (who i initially thought was creepy, because, really, what kind of guy comes to a club by himself? anyway) and later that night, she tells me that he was actually really nice and was a chicago cub!

and i mean, you KNOW that's all you need to tell me. sure i know nothing about the sport let alone any of the players. but i DO know im shameless about celebrity stalking so of COURSE im all eager to revisit our new little friend. anyway, so the majority of the pack (including the girl who told me about the chicago cub) peace out pretty early due to the bachelorette's... well, her state at that point in the evening. but my friend who was staying with me this weekend and i decided to stay for a little while longer (we were having a lot of fun! what?!) and ended up befriending our new little asian dance partner. anyway, as the three of us continue randomly dancing the night away, i spot... you guessed it... the chicago cub!!! so i of course shamelessly (and without a word) just leave my friend on the dance floor (she had our new little asian friend to keep her company, at least!) and basically accosted this poor guy with a friendly tap on the shoulder and a "so i heard you were a chicago cub!" (he knew who i was because, well, he was watching our posse trying to help the bachelorette for a good hour or so... i guess he's easily entertained or something). anyway, please keep in mind the heightened noise at clubs due to the bumpin and blasting music, leading to it being one of the worst places to hold a conversation. but whatever. i just wanted to know his name so i could post on facebook that i met this chicago cub named blah blah blah. i dream big, i know. anyway, so he laughs at this opening line (because, i guess in retrospect, it's kind of forward and let's face it, random, but at the time it seemed like a fabulous idea) and says "yeah im a chicago cub" and im like "oh that's so cool! i went to my first chicago baseball game last night!... but it was a white sox game" and this guy just kind of gave me a curious look to which i quickly thought "oh f, i shouldve learned from my baseball 101 to not mention the white sox name in front of a cubs player". anyway, too late now. thankfully, he goodnaturedly just responded with "white sox? oh no no no no no." and shook his head in mock disdain. haha. i guess. i mean, i laugh at everything, so i dont really think it was all that funny a comment. so i continue the conversation easily with "so, what position do you play?" even though, let's be honest, i didnt really care. i just wanted to segue the conversation to get his NAME so i could post it on facebook! hahaha. and he was like "what?" because, presumably, it was super loud in the club so it's not the easiest thing to hear one another. and i was like "what position are you?" in a slightly louder voice to which he responded "12th district" to which i had to ask him to repeat himself because i wanted to make sure i heard him correctly. when he repeated "12th district" as i'd initially thought, i took a second to ponder if this was some sort of first or second string type of deal that i just didnt really know about (because i know enough about baseball to know that that's certainly not an actual position... i mean, give me SOME credit here) so i go right on ahead and ask him "wait, what kind of position is that for the chicago cubs? i dont really know a lot about baseball..." to which his face goes through a literal transformation of recognition to which he responds "no, no. i think youve got it a little mixed up... im a chicago COP, not a chicago CUB"...

oops. i mean, what NOW?? the whole premise of our conversation was supposed to revolve around the chicago cubs! sigh. no WONDER he'd looked confused when i randomly started sharing about how i went to my first chicago baseball game! so what else could i say? ever the smooth talker that i am, i giggle slightly and apologize, pat him on the shoulder (similar to how the conversation had begun, really) and closed our conversation with "well... thanks for keeping those streets safe for us..." and merrily traipsed right along back to my friend who was still dancing away.

i mean, i couldve at least TRIED to politely continue the conversation after realizing that my facebook status was certainly NOT going to be updated with a "i met this chicago cubs player last night!" but instead... well... "thanks for keeping those streets safe for us"? who says that? the girl who mistakes chicago cops for chicago cubs, that's who...

sigh. just another day (and/or night) in the life...

podcasts. and lucy james, herself!

my first interview! my first interview! (for my novel, that is... i mean, you KNOW it's not my first interview EVER...)

im so excited!! please do check it out: http://thecreativecareer.com/

while it's a podcast, in which the intent of the site is to advise college students about "thinking outside the box" in terms of career options post-graduation, it's still my first "real" interview about my (unpublished... but actively searching for publishers!) novel! laksjdflkasj!!

ha- youll notice there are slight pauses in my typical thousand words per minute maliyacular. these are the points in which my mind is off in eighty five million directions, ready to babble on and on about lucyland, and yet, my professional filter is still somewhat intact, believe it or not, as i realize some of the things im sharing can be heard by... well, anyone... including people from my old job. oops. haha. so please note that the words "frattastic" and/or "frat party" are not mentioned anywhere in the podcast... wait, are they? oops. i should really screen this myself but, to be honest, i got kind of bored when i was listening to it! i stopped listening around minute 6 (they gave me quite a bit of air time... i was shocked)... anyway, okay, so im not doing the best job of self-promoting myself... i mean, who starts off advertising oneself and then calling oneself boring?! sigh. anyway.

oh yeah... gratitude journal time. im grateful for... hmm... podcasts. and lucy james, herself. sigh. i LOVE LUCY!!! hahaha. okay, this makes me sound like i worship myself (i mean, who are we kidding here? lucy james = christie maliyackel and any/everyone who has read any snippet of the novel CLEARLY knows it), but you should know that that's certainly not the case with me (if you know me, at least... and if you dont know me- well... can you let me know who you are?! because i would love to hear that i have random followers!!! seriously! hahaha. oh lord. and now i have officially scared off ANY individual who would randomly consider following this blog... sigh. filter, christie, FILTER!). im just on cloud nine! or maybe cloud like seven... because cloud eight would be ACTUALLY getting lucyland published... and cloud nine... well, lucyland becomes oprah book club favorite and/or new york times bestseller! hello.

enjoy! enjoy!